The checklist below outlines the basic items of a faculty offer. Some schools may not wish to provide all the employment inducements illustrated, and some may wish to provide others. The offer letter templates in the appendices only model some conditions schools offer to new faculty. Summer salary and early tuition support for college-age children are two examples. Questions concerning school-specific items should be addressed to the office of the Executive Vice Provost.

  • Starting date and ending date, unless the offer is with tenure
  • Title, tenure-track or tenured status (for appointments with tenure include the cautionary statement that only the Board of Trustees can award tenure, which will be considered only after the signed appointment letter is returned
  • Teaching responsibilities
  • Salary, pay schedule, and benefits
  • Computing support
  • Research support
  • Start-up provisions, including initial summer supplement backstops, if appropriate
  • Relocation allowance
  • Case-specific items such as sabbatical credit amassed elsewhere
  • Limiting date for access to funds
  • Information about orientation session(s)
  • Contingency of successful background check
  • Link to the Duke Faculty Handbook
  • Specific response date

An informational memorandum of employment (sample below) should send to new faculty. The timing of that mailing is at the school’s discretion, either with the original offer or when the new hire has returned the offer signed. If immigration and U.S. work authorization are issues, it may be prudent to send the memorandum both with the initial offer and again when the signed offer returns to the department/school. It can take some time to obtain work authorization for individuals who are not permanent U.S. residents, and the earlier the candidate is aware of requirements the better.

 

informational Memorandum of employment

This memorandum describes aspects of Duke University’s faculty employment practices dictated by external agencies and university policy.  It is necessary for you to follow these policies in order to be placed on the Duke payroll.  If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact me at any of the addresses and numbers given on this letterhead.

  1. Employment at Duke University is contingent upon a faculty member’s obtaining and maintaining continuous work authorization, as required by U.S. law. This provision requires special attention for all faculty who are not United States citizens or who do not hold permanent resident status. 2. If you are a foreign national, you must work with the designated member of your departmental staff to complete all paperwork required for obtaining U.S. work authorization, which also may include
    Duke sponsorship for lawful permanent resident status. The ______ School will provide you with up to $_____ to pay for all U.S. Department of Homeland Security fees associated with obtaining work authorization, as well as a potential application for permanent residency (Green Card). This is a taxable benefit and will be reported on your IRS Form W-2. Because these are reimbursable expenses, your department will need receipts. Duke Visa Services, with which your departmental staff member serves as liaison, is the only office designated to file employment-based applications on behalf of Duke employees. You cannot be reimbursed for consultation with an attorney related to any Duke employment-based petition. If you engage the services of an attorney for your personal immigration work and wish reimbursement, then you must provide your department with receipts for this service. All such payments will be deducted from the $_____ allowance.
     
  2. Employment at Duke University is contingent upon a faculty member achieving a successful outcome to a mandatory background audit required by Duke University.
     
  3. In order to be paid by the date indicated in your appointment letter, you must you work with your department’s administrative staff to complete all employment papers no later than 14 days prior to the beginning of your appointment. Requirements will differ depending on your citizenship and residency status. Please contact your departmental staff about these matters as quickly as possible; they will advise you on what is needed, and they will furnish you with the necessary forms. You will find the U.S. government Form I-9 here: www.hr.duke.edu/forms/i-9.html.
     
  4. As a part of the periodic regional accreditation process, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires Duke University to keep on file proof of each faculty member’s highest degree. In order for us to be able to place you on the Duke payroll, please have forwarded to your departmental business office a certified copy of your official transcripts indicating the date when you obtained your highest degree. We must have this document in our files in order to execute your Employment Notice and to place you on the payroll. If your degree is from a university outside the United States that does not have a formal mechanism for issuing transcripts, please contact your departmental staff so that we can discuss alternative means to comply with this requirement.
     
  5. Faculty with disabilities who believe they may need accommodation in the workplace are encouraged to contact me as soon as possible to assure that suitable accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
     
  6. It is Duke University’s policy that its faculty members hold tenure only at Duke.