HR Memorandum 88-4:
Promotion of Professional Employees

TO:                 Deans, Directors and Departmental Chairs

FROM:           Office of Human Resources Management

DATE:            May 6, 1988

SUBJECT:      PROMOTION OF PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES

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This is a policy memorandum which should be filed in your "Personnel Memoranda" binder.

BACKGROUND

When proceeding to fill professional employee vacant positions, the University at Albany previously considered all professional vacancies as “open” positions and followed a recruitment procedure inviting applications from the public-at-large. One effect of this policy has been to create a feeling among professional employees that the present structure offered limited upward mobility with little or no opportunity for internal career advancement.

A variety of organizations, recognizing the need to develop a cadre of committed, resourceful, middle-level professional administrators, pursue policies fostering internal promotion. The University, like other effective organizations, needs not only to attract but also to retain a strong professional administrative work force to insure the efficient pursuit of its program goals and objectives. A fair system of internal promotion aids in the achievement of those goals and also recognizes and rewards the commitments and talents of the persons whom it employs.

Balanced against these needs are several important interests that must be served as well. We want to promote a healthy mix of new and experienced personnel which would encourage the development of new programs and cultivate innovation to maintain a viable university administration. Furthermore, we want to design a system which would include women, ethnic minority persons, handicapped persons and Vietnam era veterans for immediate higher level job consideration. The University is committed to an Affirmative Action Program that will overcome the underutilization of these affected groups in the work force. Consequently, when an internal promotion results in an open SL-1 or SL-2 position, extraordinary efforts will be made to recruit and hire women, minority persons, handicapped persons and Vietnam era veterans.

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POLICY STATEMENT

Under its Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action commitment, and under its responsibility to its employees and to the State of New York, the State University of New York at Albany recognizes both the need for an internal career development program for its employees and the need to provide equal opportunity for all persons to obtain employment. As a means of balancing these competing needs, the University will give special consideration in promotion for its permanent employees to vacancies in positions which have been assigned by the Management Advisory Committee on Classification and Compensation (MACCC), at the SL-3, SL-4 and SL-5 levels, with some exceptions. Conditions to open search and recruitment will continue for all vacancies at the SL-1 and SL-2 levels under MACCC and at the level of SL-6. These advancement opportunities will be provided consistent with employee development, qualification and job performance. Guidance and criteria for professional employee consideration is provided by the Policies of the Board of Trustees, Article XII, Title C, "Evaluation and Promotion of Professional Employees." This promotion process also supports Affirmative Action requirements to provide upward mobility for women, minority persons, handicapped persons and Vietnam Era Veterans.

Employees with a temporary appointment are not eligible for this program.

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PROCEDURE

The State University of New York at Albany has established the following procedure as the principal method of providing promotional opportunities for its professional employees. (Professional employees as defined by the Policies of the Board of Trustees, Article II, Definition; Par. 1., sub par. (c) ". . .Professional employees shall mean an employee in the Professional Service Negotiating Unit, other than an employee with academic or qualified academic rank." This policy is applicable to appointments to vacancies at the SL-3 and SL-4 level and most SL-5 levels in the bargaining unit except as listed in Appendix 1. At the discretion of the Appointing Authority, Management/Confidential positions may also be filled under these procedures.

1. When the requirements of Professional Service Employment Procedures contained in the Personnel Procedures Manual and Personnel Memorandum PER 79-9, “Implementation of Article 35, Retrenchment, of the Agreement between the State of New York and the United University Professions, Inc.” have been met and a professional vacancy has not been filled by a retrenched employee and the position has been cleared by the Affirmative Action Office for promotion policy recruitment, the Office of Human Resources Management will announce the existing vacancy to eligible campus employees, inviting their applications for consideration in filling the vacancy. The announcement will provide ten working days for receipt of applications from campus professional employees.
   
   
2. A professional employee interested in being considered for the vacancy must file an application during the ten-day period with the Office of Human Resources Management. A letter of transmittal with resume is considered an application.
   
   
3. The Office of Human Resources Management will examine the resume submitted by the applicant to determine whether the employee meets the basic qualifications. The resume(s) of employees meeting the basic qualifications will be forwarded to the initial recommending official or committee for consideration.
   
   
4. All eligible SUNYA professional employees who apply for a vacancy within the ten-day period must be given consideration before the vacant position is posted for off-campus recruitment. If the application of any SUNYA professional employee is received after the ten-day employee application period, it shall be considered with other applications received if off-campus recruitment is necessary. A personal interview will be accorded selected finalists.
   
   
5. The initial recommending official or committee may take one of three actions, in writing, on the application of eligible SUNYA professional employees:
   
   
   1. Find an applicant highly qualified for appointment and recommend appointment.
      
      
   2. Find the applicant(s) qualified to be considered for appointment and request off-campus recruitment. (The employee(s) will again be considered along with off- campus applicants.)
      
      
   3. Find the applicant(s) unqualified for appointment and request off-campus recruitment to fill the vacancy.

   
   

6. Upon notice by the recommending official or committee that no campus professional employee has applied or has been selected, the Office of Human Resources Management will release the position for off-campus recruitment as required by existing employment procedures.

Appendix 1: Professional employee positions exempted from this policy.