Buyout Policy for Externally Sponsored Projects

Policy 221

Introduction

1.1 Appalachian State University encourages faculty, staff and student participation in extramurally funded projects. When appropriate funding is available, externally sponsored research, service and creative activity of the University should be fully supported by extramural funds, to include all project personnel expenses that typically reflect a significant portion of project costs. In particular, all effort of University personnel should be appropriately reflected in project budgets when the budget period intersects with or includes the period of performance during which an individual is under University contract. While under University contract, effort must be direct charged to the project or clearly identified as University effort (normal assignment, release time or matching).

1.2 This policy has been established to meet the compliance standards set forth in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements (2 CFR 200) for federally funded awards, which requires that all costs incurred for the same purpose be treated in like manner. The policy allows faculty to buy out a portion of their contracted workload effort with the University so that they may have more time to engage in research, service, or creative activities. This policy also provides for the reallocation of state salary funds for research development

Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all externally funded grants, contracts and other restricted agreements supporting sponsored projects at Appalachian.

Definitions

Base Salary (Base Pay)

Reflects the contracted salary for an individual for the University’s fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) excluding any lump sum compensation or increases for additional duties. The Base Salary itself does not include benefits, which must be added to the project budget in appropriate proportion to direct cost charges for all project personnel.

Benefits

Additional non-wage payments made by the University on behalf of an individual (social security, health insurance, etc.). Part of an individual’s overall salary package, benefits are included in personnel charges for project budgets as a percent calculation directly allocable to the direct costs for salary.

Buyout

Is the purchase of any portion of any employee’s University paid effort for reallocation to an extramurally funded project.

Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI)

An investigator who shares equal responsibility for the direction of a research program with another.

Direct Costs

Direct costs charged to sponsored agreements must be allowable, allocable, and reasonable. These costs can be identified as belonging specifically to a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activities, or can be directly assigned to such activities relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy. Direct costs do not include overhead/indirect costs.

Extramural Funding

Includes grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and any other form of restricted award income.

Fiscal Year

The University’s financial calendar year runs from July 1 until June 30.

F&A

Also referred to as indirect costs, overhead, overhead costs, or administrative costs. Defined as reimbursement for actual institutional expenses that support extramural activities but cannot be directly charged to a specific grant or contract, F&A is the cost of shared services such as libraries, plant operations and maintenance, utility costs, general, department and sponsored projects administrative expenses, and depreciation or use allowances for buildings and equipment. Information on current F&A rates are available on the Office of Research website.

Matching

The portion of project costs not borne by the external sponsor.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

A branch of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. OMB helps the president formulate spending plans; evaluates the effectiveness of agency programs, policies, and procedures; assesses competing funding demands among agencies; and sets funding priorities. OMB ensures that agency reports, rules, testimony, and proposed legislation are consistent with the president's budget and with administration policies.

Principal Investigator (PI)

Any faculty or indefinite status staff member may serve as a principal investigator on a sponsored project. Others may serve only by permission of both the Dean/Division Head administering the award and the Vice Provost for Research.

Project Director

(See Principal Investigator)

Release Time

A reduction in the teaching course load for faculty during which time the faculty member has been reassigned to complete special duties or personal research.

Workload Unit (WLU)

In order to be consistent with the faculty workload concepts articulated in the Faculty Handbook and in the university’s faculty workload statement (ASU Policy 219), which was submitted to the UNC General Administration and Board of Governors, the University Workload Task Force (2013 through 2015) defined the term “faculty workload unit” (WLU) to more accurately describe the true work effort of faculty at ASU. This definition relates actual faculty working hours to the GA required Banner Workload Module (managed through IRAP). The Banner Workload Module software requires workload reported to the GA and BOG to be articulated as 24 instructional hours per academic year. Twenty-four “hours” does not accurately reflect the true hourly effort per week of our faculty. Thus, the introduction of the WLU nomenclature. A full-time faculty member at Appalachian State University is assigned 24 WLU’s per academic year.

EXAMPLE: The average scholarly-active, tenure-track faculty member’s WLU assignment consists of 18 formally-scheduled instructional contact hours, plus a mandate for an active scholarly/creative effort that would reflect the workload associated with 6 additional formally-scheduled instructional contact hours.

Note: “Formally-scheduled instructional contact hours” are those associated with university-catalogue-listed courses (including laboratories, studios, or other such instructional activities) that are assigned by the department chair as part of a faculty member’s official workload. Hereafter, formally scheduled instructional contact hours will be referred to as Workload Units (WLU), where 1 WLU = 1 formally scheduled instructional contact hour.