Working at DePaul

As a member of the faculty at DePaul University you belong to a special category. You are at the same time an employee of the university and a member of the academy. As an employee of the institution you are entitled to a host of benefits available to all and are accountable to the same set of policies and procedures that govern all members of the DePaul community. As a member of the academy, however, you enjoy a unique set of rights and privileges and are accountable to a unique set of responsibilities.

This section attempts to clarify those two roles and point you to a host of resources to help you navigate your daily working life at DePaul.

Life as a Member of the Academy

As a faculty member your primary resource for issues concerning your working life are your department and college or school, as applicable.

Policies and procedures that apply exclusively to faculty members are articulated in the DePaul University Faculty Handbook. Academic Affairs is another resource that can help you navigate your daily life as a member of the faculty.

One of the processes facilitated by Academic Affairs is the Phased Retirement Program for eligible, full-time tenured faculty. The full details of this program and its procedure are available in this document . To prepare for possible retirement notify your department and consult with Human Resources Benefits department.

Faculty should also be aware that Academic Affairs coordinates two very important events (also listed in the Faculty Resources > Teaching section): our New Faculty Orientation in Autumn Quarter and Wrap-Up Session in Spring Quarter, and our 5th Year Workshop on Tenure and Promotion Materials.

Life as an Employee

Certain aspects of your relationship with DePaul University as your employer are managed by the Office of Human Resources (HR). While not all of the information provided by HR through its website and other means is going to directly relate to you, there are certain areas with which you may want to familiarize yourself. The list below is meant as a guide to the resources found on the HR website:

Careers — This section contains information that applies exclusively to staff, so faculty seeking Career information should contact their department chair or college/school dean as applicable.

Compensation — While the Philosophy portion of this section applies to both faculty and staff, the rest of the Compensation section applies exclusively to staff, so faculty seeking Compensation information should contact their department chair or college/school dean as applicable.

Benefits — While all of the information listed in this section applies to both faculty and staff, there are two other types of leave of absence and a Phased Retirement Program that are part of the unique set of benefits applicable to faculty members:

• Research leaves — If eligible, you can avail yourself of a University Research Leave by applying to the University Research Council. Information can be found in the Paid Leave Program description on this website.
• Unpaid leaves – For a variety of reasons, personal or professional, you may request an unpaid leave. This process starts with you discussing your needs with the relevant department chair or college dean as applicable.
• Phased Retirement Program — See the link above in the Life as a Member of the Academy section.

Workplace Learning — This section is primarily intended for staff. A number of other resources are available for faculty who are interested in improving their skills and are listed in the Faculty Resources section of AA website.

Performance — This section is applicable exclusively to staff, so faculty seeking Performance information should contact their department chair or college/school dean as applicable.

Employee Relations — All information in this section, with the exception of the Progressive Discipline segment and the Termination segment, applies to both faculty and staff.

Work/Life — While all of the information listed in this section applies to both faculty and staff, there are two other types of leave of absence and a Phased Retirement Program that are part of the unique set of benefits applicable to faculty members:

• Research leaves — If eligible, you can avail yourself of a University Research Leave by applying to the University Research Council. Information can be found in the Paid Leave Program description on this website.
• Unpaid leaves — For a variety of reasons (personal or professional) you may request an unpaid leave. This process starts with you discussing your needs with the relevant department chair or college dean, as applicable.
• Phased Retirement Program — See the link above in the Life as a Member of the Academy section.

As with all other DePaul employees, you are required to be familiar with and follow DePaul’s University Policies and Procedures. Each university policy clearly states its applicability to faculty members.