Academic Incentive Plan - SOM (effective 7/1/12)

Guidelines:

The School of Medicine has developed guidelines for an Academic Incentive for eligible Faculty in the School of Medicine (the "Plan").  The Plan is not a contract and is subject to change, with or without notice, at the University’s sole discretion. The guidelines for the Plan are as follows: 

Eligibility

  1. Full-time faculty member of the School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh.
  2. The incentive will apply to the following academic categories:
    • President of a major scientific or clinical society. The Dean will approve or disapprove this incentive.
    • A "non-compensated" main editor of a major scientific or clinical journal. The Dean will approve or disapprove this incentive.
    • Full-time member of an NIH Study Section, National Advisory Council, or Board of Scientific Counselors. The Dean will approve or disapprove this incentive.
    • Election to the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Science or the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Compensation

The faculty member will be eligible to receive up to $5,000 per fiscal year for each academic achievement attained while an employee of the School of Medicine with a limit of $10,000 per fiscal year. The $5,000 amount for an academic achievement will be pro-rated for the portion of the fiscal year that the faculty member serves under the above first thre categories. Under the final category  the faculty member will receive a $5,000 academic incentive only for the fiscal year elected to the organization.

Academic Incentives for a fiscal year will not be vested and earned unless two requirements are met.  The two requirements are: (i) there is formal approval by the Dean; and, (ii) the eligible faculty member must be employed for at least the first seven months of the fiscal year, from the first day of the fiscal year through the last day of the seventh month (January 31st) of the fiscal year, subject to the following two exceptions:

First, if the faculty member dies before the seventh month (January 31st) of the fiscal year, he or she will immediately be vested in and have earned the Academic Incentives for that fiscal year. 

Second, if the faculty member has a date of hire that is after the first day of the fiscal year, he or she must be employed only from date of hire through the last day of the seventh month (January 31st) of the fiscal year or, if hired between January 31 and June 1, the thirtieth (30th) day after her/his date of hire.  Faculty members who have a date of hire within less than thirty (30) before the end of the fiscal year will not be vested in, and will not have any earned, Academic Incentives for that fiscal year.   

A faculty member who is not employed through at least one of the operative dates described above will not have vested in or earned an Academic Incentive, and no Academic Incentive will be paid, for the fiscal year, without regard to whether the Dean has approved such Academic Incentive. 

For the approval of the Academic Incentive for a fiscal year, faculty members should submit a "Faculty Compensation Change Form" (FCCF) with appropriate backup documentation no later than sixty (60) days after the end of the fiscal year during which the faculty member becomes vested and earned the Academic Incentive.  After an Academic Incentive is earned (notification of approval and completion of the required employment period for that fiscal year), the payment should be processed on a University supplemental payment form with a copy of the approved FCCF.  All payments for a fiscal year shall be made no later than October 31st immediately following the end of the fiscal year.  A faculty member does not need to be employed on the actual payment date in order to get an Academic Incentive that has vested and been earned.