Secondary Assignments for Faculty (Overload Jobs)

Full time faculty are permitted to hold a secondary assignment, with the required approvals and subject to the restrictions noted in the Secondary Assignments (Overload Jobs) Policy. The total compensation for all secondary assignments during the academic year and summer should not exceed 33.33 percent of the faculty member's 9/10-month contractual salary. The 33.33% is calculated on secondary compensation earned between August 10th of one year and August 9th of the following year. As part of the approval process for a secondary assignment, the primary department must certify that the work performed in the secondary assignment is not part of the faculty member's primary responsibilities, that the faculty member is not on a full-time leave of absence, and that the amount does not exceed 33.33 percent of the primary job's contractual salary. Exceptions will be reviewed on a case by case basis by the respective Senior Vice President's office.

Human resource professionals (HRPs) and administrators are responsible for ensuring that faculty comply with the Secondary Assignment (Overload Jobs) Policy by ensuring that all secondary assignments are fully vetted and approved using the applicable Secondary Assignment request form in DocuSign. (Search keyword "secondary assignment" under "Templates" in the "Shared with Me" folder) Faculty should be processed using the "Secondary Assignment Request for Full-Time Faculty" template and adjuncts (i.e. adjunct faculty or any employee receiving a secondary adjunct assignment when their primary job is non-benefits eligible) should be processed using the "Secondary Assignment Request for Adjuncts" template. 

To ensure that the request is appropriately routed for review and approval, and to ensure that the most up-to-date form is used, secondary assignment requests received outside of DocuSign or on old forms will not be reviewed/considered. 

The HRP and administrator should also be familiar with the policy on Outside Professional Activity, which is for faculty engaged in activities outside of VCU to persons or organizations external to the university, without university sponsorship, for the purpose of advancing, applying or transferring knowledge in a field of endeavor related to the faculty member's employment at the university. Such activity is beyond or in addition to the faculty member's university responsibilities; it generally occurs off-campus and requires only the time and special capabilities of the individual, without significant use of university facilities or supporting services.