Academic Staff Guideline on Title Appeals

  1. Description

    Under certain circumstances, a requested title review may result in either an alternate title from what was requested or a denial of a title change. In these instances, Academic Staff may request a review of the original request, the initial decision and additional documentation that substantively supports the original request.

    This guideline outlines membership, roles, and expectations of the Academic Staff Title Appeals Panel. Additionally, this document will outline the steps in the title appeal process, determinations to be made, and the final decision-making authority.

  2. Membership

    The Academic Staff Title Appeal Panel (“ASTAP”) shall reflect a cross-section of functional areas and shall have representation from multiple divisions. Additionally, there shall be no more than one representative from any one school, college, or division. The Appeals Panel shall be composed of five (5) non-instructional Category A academic staff employees, at least one (1) of whom shall have human resources related experience at the school, college or division level. The Central Human Resources Department (“CHR”) shall appoint up to two (2) employment services staff members to the panel to serve in an ex officio capacity. The Chair of the Appeals Panel shall be elected by the members and have voting privileges. Each panel member has voting rights with the exception of the ex officio members.

    Each panel member shall serve a two-year term and membership terms shall overlap to provide consistency in the process. The Academic Staff Committee shall make recommendations to the Associate Vice Chancellor (“AVC”) for Human Resources upon request for new membership. The AVC for HR or designate shall make the final decision on membership to ensure that there is representation from multiple divisions across the institution.

  3. ASTAP Responsibilities

    Below are the responsibilities of the panel members when considering a title appeal request.

    • Recommendations by the panel either for or against the title shall be based solely upon evidence of an error in the title determination in accordance with the title specifications detailed in Appendix 1A of UW System Administrative Policy SYS 1276.
    • Title appeal requests which result in a finding that the position description reviewed was inaccurate will be denied and the Department or Division may resubmit a title review with an accurate position description to CHR.
    • A panel member who feels they are unable to remain objective for any reason, such as a current or past working or personal relationship with the appellant, shall recuse themselves from the process.
    • A written notification of the panel’s recommendation shall include reasons or rationale for the recommendation.
    • A panel member shall recuse themselves on title appeal cases originating from their own school/college/division.
  4. Academic Staff Title Appeal Process

    Academic Staff Title Review Appeal

    1. Upon receipt of the title notice of action from CHR, the department/division or the employee may file an appeal with the Chair of the Appeals Panel. The written request shall include justification for the appeal, including any relevant policy or title specification to support the appellant’s request.
    2. Appeals shall be filed within 15 working days of the receipt of the title assignment to the Chair of the Appeals Panel or the AVC for HR in the event a chair has not been designated.
    3. The Chair of the Appeals Panel shall schedule all parties (employee, director, division head, and HR) for an appeal meeting to provide additional information and/or answer questions. An appeal meeting should be scheduled within 15 working days of the request to the extent possible.
      1. The participation in the appeal process is optional for the parties identified in the process.
      2. The Chair of the Appeals Panel may request specific information and it shall be delivered to the chair (may be electronic) a minimum of five (5) working days in advance of the appeal meeting.
      3. The party filing the appeal must provide a written justification as well as any supporting documentation that shows the title assignment is inappropriate.
    4. Each party may provide additional information to the appeals panel to support their case, however, this information must be submitted to the panel a minimum of five (5) working days in advance of the appeal meeting. Materials may be submitted electronically or in hard copy. If submitting documentation in hard copy, a set for each panel member shall be provided. Failure to submit materials in a timely fashion will result in non-consideration of that information.
    5. The Appeals Panel Review
      1. The appeal is non-adversarial and intended to be a review before one’s peers.
      2. The appeal is for reconsideration of the title assignment and therefore shall only review information related to title definitions, position descriptions with similar scope and responsibilities to that in question, etc.
      3. Salary determinations are not subject to review or appeal.
      4. The appeals panel members upon hearing all relevant parties and reviewing information provided shall finalize their review with a vote. The vote shall be completed within 15 working days of the hearing.
      5. The consideration period and vote are subject to the rules of closed session and non-panel members may not participate in the deliberation or vote.
      6. The Chair of the Appeals Panel shall send written notification (may be electronic) regarding the panel’s recommendation to the appellant, the AVC for HR, CHR Employment Services and the appropriate dean/division head, director or administrator within five (5) working days of their vote.
      7. The AVC for HR will review the recommendation and render a final decision. The decision of the AVC for HR is final.

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