Proposed Faculty and Classified Staff Severance Package Schedule

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The Proposed Faculty and Classified Staff Severance Package Schedules outlined below, if approved by the WVU Board of Governors, would only be applicable for employees who are subjected to a Reduction in Force or contract non-renewal following the program review process occurring in 2023.

Tenured, Tenure-Track, Teaching-Track, and Service-Track

Faculty severance packages are only available to tenured, tenure-track, and teaching/service-track faculty (regardless of contract end date).
Through the notice period and severance payments, an individual would receive between eight and 10 months of pay. Note: Most faculty positions are nine-month positions.
If an individual leaves before their employment end date, they waive the right to their severance payments.
The options below assume a notice date of October 16, 2023, with a contract end date of May 9, 2024. This means the individual would have thirty 30 weeks of notice.
All benefits eligible faculty who are involuntarily terminated (including subjected to a Reduction in Force or contract non-renewal) may elect to continue their PEIA insurance for three additional months after their termination date. The faculty member would continue to pay their same employee premium during this three-month period.
All tenured and tenure-track faculty will receive a severance equivalent to twelve weeks of their base salary payable in bi-weekly installment payments starting after May 9, 2024.
All teaching-track and service-track faculty will receive a severance equivalent to the number of weeks indicated in the below chart, calculated based upon years of service. These severance payments will be payable in bi-weekly installment payments starting after May 9, 2024.

YEARS OF SERVICE	SEVERANCE AMOUNT
1-4 years	2 weeks
5-9 years	4 weeks
10-19 years	6 weeks
20+ years	8 weeks

Faculty who are on a 12-month appointment may have a contract end date later than May 9, 2024. Those will be determined on a case-by-case basis based upon the needs of the unit.

Research-Track, Library-Track, Clinician-Track, and Lecturer

Non-renewal of appointment notification will be given as soon as possible, but a minimum of 60-days’ notice will be given, if possible (for those ending in 2023) and in the September/October timeline for those ending on May 9, 2024.
Certain clinical-track faculty who also are employed through University Health Associates (“UHA”) may receive up to 120-days’ notice before their contract is ended.
If less than 60-days before appointment end date, a limited short-term appointment may be given to reach 60-days’ notice.
Employees in this job type are employed on annual appointments and are otherwise employed at will. Severance will not be offered.

Faculty Needed to Teach Out Beyond May 2024 – Retention Bonus

All tenured, tenure-track, and teaching/service-track faculty asked to remain through a teach-out period, and they remain the entire time, will receive a retention bonus equivalent to up to twelve weeks of their base salary. There will be no separate severance payment available apart from this retention bonus.
If an individual leaves before their employment end date, they waive the right to their retention bonus.
The University would like to incentivize selected individuals to stay through end of the teach-out period (approximately two to three additional years, depending on the program).

Classified Staff

RIF notice will be given as soon as possible, but a minimum of 60-days’ notice will be given.
Classified Staff who are eligible for severance will be offered a severance package based on the length of the notice period and the details of their years of service, annual base salary, and appointment length.
All benefits eligible Classified Staff who are involuntarily terminated (including subjected to a Reduction in Force or contract non-renewal) may elected to continue their PEIA insurance for three additional months after their termination date. The Classified Staff member would continue to pay their same employee premium during this three-month period.

Example 1

Classified Staff RIF with notice on October 16, 2023, and a last day of employment on December 31, 2023.

YEARS OF SERVICE	NOTICE PERIOD	WEEKS OF SEVERANCE PAY*
0-10 years	11 weeks	4 weeks
11 years	11 weeks	8 weeks
12 years	11 weeks	10 weeks
13 years	11 weeks	12 weeks
14 years	11 weeks	14 weeks
15 years	11 weeks	16 weeks
16 years	11 weeks	18 weeks
17 years	11 weeks	20 weeks
18 years	11 weeks	24 weeks
19 years	11 weeks	28 weeks
20+ years	11 weeks	32 weeks

*Weeks of severance payments may be prorated for classified staff who work less than 12-month appointment.

Example 2

Classified Staff RIF with notice on October 16, 2023, and a last day of employment on May 10, 2024.

YEARS OF SERVICE	NOTICE PERIOD	WEEKS OF SEVERANCE PAY*
0-15 years	30 weeks	4 weeks
16 years	30 weeks	6 weeks
17 years	30 weeks	8 weeks
18 years	30 weeks	10 weeks
19 years	30 weeks	12 weeks
20+ years	30 weeks	14 weeks

*Weeks of severance payments may be prorated for classified staff who work less than 12-month appointment.