The Special Sessions Policy Committee has adopted the following policies for the allocation of funds for summer and winter session courses. In all cases, course enrollment, understood according to our usual practices, must support costs associated with a course.
- Instructional Expenses: Instructional expenses are those costs directly related to instruction and course content. Instructional appointments for faculty and graduate assistants must be included on the Office of Summer and Winter Session’s Course Proposal Form. The Special Sessions Policy Committee must approve the course proposal and related instructional expenses. Faculty salaries are determined based on academic rank and credit hours associated with the course. Graduate Assistant salaries are established based on Step Level and length of the course. There must be an obvious pedagogical need to substantiate the hiring of additional personnel for a course. Prior to the appointment, the pedagogical need must be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Special Sessions Policy Committee.
- Non-instructional Expenses: The cost of equipment, maintenance, instructional materials, copying/ reproduction, non-instructional personnel i.e. graders, lab technicians, secretarial support, etc. are to be provided by the academic department offering the course. The primary purpose of the Rebated Income policy (see above) is to compensate departments for expenses incurred in teaching summer and winter courses. The Office of Summer and Winter Programs will not provide additional reimbursement for such items.
- Faculty Compensation and Academic Rank:
- Faculty Salary Scale: Faculty contracted to teach during summer and/or winter session(s) are compensated according to the salary scale approved for the contract period. Faculty compensation varies according to the number of course credits and the academic rank of the instructor.
- Academic Rank: Academic rank for summer and winter teaching assignments is determined by the faculty member’s academic rank in effect for the preceding fall and/or spring semester. This applies to all faculty including full-time, part-time, adjunct, affiliate, etc. In those instances where a determination of rank has not been established in a preceding semester, the department chairperson should make a recommendation on rank according to the established University policies. (Refer to the UMBC Faculty Handbook, Sections 4 and 5.) The Office of Summer and Winter Programs requires written documentation of academic rank for all appointments. Full-time faculty with an academic promotion in progress should immediately notify the OSWSP. If a faculty promotion becomes effective during the summer or winter session, compensation will be based on the higher rank if supporting documentation is provided before the session begins.
- Compensation Eligibility: Faculty should refer to the UMBC Faculty Handbook, Section 13.6 for policies governing summer and winter compensation and overload. A summary of earnings for summer and winter is reported annually to the appropriate Office of the Dean or Provost.
4. Graduate Assistants:
- Graduate Assistants appointed to a summer course are paid in a lump sum based on the academic level (master’s or Ph.D. level) and the number of work hours required to support the course
- Graduate Assistants may be appointed for full- or part-time during the summer, the number of hours worked for a course will vary based on the length of the term the course is offered in; it is the department’s responsibility to assign hours based on the length of the class.
- Tuition Remission: Graduate Assistants are eligible for remission of tuition for a maximum of three credits per summer. The three credits must be a UMBC offered course in order to receive remission. Inter-institution courses (INTR) taken at other campuses are not eligible for tuition remission. Academic departments are responsible for initiating the tuition remission process. Completed remission forms are to be forwarded to the Office of Summer and Winter Programs for approval and account verification.
NOTE: Graduate Assistants who are employed as “the instructor of record” during special sessions are NOT eligible for tuition remission benefits in that session.
Approved: March 1995 Revised: September 1997; February 1998; September 1998; October 2000; January 2007; February 2011; June 2021