Partner Hiring Program Guidelines and Process

The EVPP Partner Hiring program provides incentives for a College / School /unit (CSU) to hire the partner of a tenured or tenure-track faculty primary hire to facilitate attracting the primary faculty hire to UT Austin, while balancing the continual need to make every faculty hire strategic. Below are listed the process and resources available in the EVPP Partner Hiring Program for partners seeking employment at UT Austin or seeking employment outside of UT in the local community.

In exceptional circumstances, the EVPP Partner Hiring program can be used to help support retention offers. Please contact facultyaffairs@utexas.edu for additional information for these cases.

Beginning with tenure-track and tenured faculty searches conducted in the 2023-24 academic year, the Provost’s Office will provide one-time funds for UT Austin partner hires, including faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and professional- track), post docs, or other UT employees.

• The amount and duration of the funding provided by the Provost’s Office depends on the partner’s appointment as detailed in the Tables below.
• The primary hire’s college/school must also contribute one-time funds toward the partner hire.
• The partner hire’s college/school must incorporate the partner hire into their budget within the time frame indicated.
• The Provost’s Office will provide one-time funds when the primary and partner hires are in the same college/school. However, the dean must request approval for the hires before extending the offers and justify why the two hires are in the university’s best interest. If both prospective faculty members are in the same department or division, expectations for contributions to the university are higher in order to receive Provost’s Office support.

The EVPP funding and timeline that is available to support partner hires by type of employment for the partner is presented in the tables below.

• For partners who are appointed as tenured faculty members, the Provost’s Office will provide up to two years of funding for the partner, as indicated in the table below.

• For partners who are appointed as tenure-track faculty members, professional-track faculty members, or staff members at UT Austin, the Provost’s Office will provide up to four years of funding for the partner, as indicated in the table below.

Notes:

• If a partner is hired as a tenure-track assistant professor and receives an approved extension to their probationary period before their third-year review, the Provost’s Office will provide 50% salary during the additional year of the probationary period. However, the financial contribution from the primary hire’s unit remains unchanged.
• If a partner is hired as a tenure-track faculty member and is promoted before their fifth year at UT Austin, the partner hire’s unit will assume 100% of their salary starting in the academic year in which the partner starts their tenured faculty appointment.

• For partners who are appointed as post docs, the Provost’s Office will provide up to two years of funding for the partner, as indicated in the table below.

If the partner is seeking a tenure-track, tenured, or professional-track faculty or post doc appointment at UT Austin, the dean and department chair or program director for the primary hire are responsible for finding the position at UT Austin. (The EVPP’s Faculty Affairs team can help advise as needed). The same processes and criteria required for UT Austin hiring in the relevant position (faculty, post doc) must be followed for the partner seeking the academic position. If the partner’s academic home is in a different CSU than that of the primary hire then the deans of both CSUs must agree to the placement of the partner before requesting assistance from the EVPP Partner Hiring Program.

Regardless of whether the partner and primary hire will be in the same or different CSUs, the following materials should be submitted using this submitted using the Faculty Affairs ticketing system:

Letter from the dean (or dean designate) of the primary hire’s CSU, including the following:

• The primary hire’s program/department, CSU, title, and rank.
• Summary of the excellence and impact of the primary hire’s scholarship/creative activity record and other professional contributions.
• An overview of the primary hire’s expected contributions to UT Austin through teaching, student mentorship, leadership, and service. Emphasize the strategic importance of the primary hire’s contributions to initiatives within the department, program, and/or CSU.
• Partner hire offer details, including (as applicable):
  • Expected program/department, CSU, title, and rank;
  • 9-month salary and/or salary supplements (if applicable);
  • Financial split between CSU, EVPP Partner Hiring Program, and other units on campus (note that the amount requested from EVPP should match the details listed in the EVPP Funding and Timelines tables above);
  • Appointment to an endowment or as fellow of an endowment;
  • Commitment of summer salary for a specified period;
  • Commitment of GRA/TA support for a specified period;
  • Commitment of one-time and/or recurring discretionary funding;
  • Teaching load and/or relief for a specified period;
  • Commitment of research/studio space, etc.

Letter from the dean (or dean designate) of the partner hire’s CSU, including the following:

• Brief description substantiating the partner hire’s record of excellence and impact in areas of specialization related to the requested title series and rank, including scholarship/creative activity, teaching, mentorship of students, leadership, and service;
• Alignment of the partner hire with the strategic hiring interests of the proposed academic home;
• Partner hire’s CV.

If the primary hire’s position is tenured, the CSU must receive pre-approval for the tenure hire before submitting the Partner Hire request.

If the partner hire’s position is tenured, pre-review for tenure will be conducted immediately after approval of the Partner Hiring request, and a separate request for pre-review is not required.

If the partner is seeking a staff position at UT Austin, the dean and department chair or program director for the primary hire are responsible for finding the staff employment position at UT Austin. Note that if the supervisor would like assistance with finding employment for the partner at UT Austin, they can enlist that assistance by using this Faculty Affairs ticketing system. The same processes and criteria required for UT Austin hiring in the relevant position must be followed for the partner seeking the staff position. If the partner’s position is in a different unit than that of the primary hire, then the dean of the primary hire’s CSU and the supervisor for the partner hire’s unit must agree to the placement of the partner before requesting financial assistance from the EVPP Partner Hiring Program.

Regardless of whether the partner and primary hire will be in the same or different CSUs, the following materials should be submitted using the Faculty Affairs ticketing system:

1. Letter from the primary hire’s Dean(or designate) providing the following information:
   • Hiring department/program, CSU, title, and rank of the primary hire
   • A summary of the excellence and impact of the primary hire’s record of scholarship/creative activity and other professional contributions and the expected contributions to UT Austin through their teaching, mentorship of students, leadership, and service. The strategic importance of primary hire’s contributions to initiatives within the CSU should be emphasized.
   • If the primary hire’s position is tenured, then the CSU should have received preapproval for a tenured tenure hire before submitting a Partner Hire request.
   • Hiring unit and position title for requested partner’s staff position.
   • The proposed offer for the partner including (list is not exclusive or exhaustive):
     • 12-month salary,
     • Financial split between CSU, EVPP Partner Hiring Program and other units on campus (if applicable). Note that the amount requested from EVPP should match the details listed in the EVPP Funding and Timelines tables.
2. Statement from the partner hire’s supervisor providing the following information:
3. • Brief description substantiating the partner’s record of excellence in the relevant skills and expertise required for the position,
   • Alignment of the partner hire with the strategic hiring interests of the proposed host unit,
   • CV of partner hire

The EVPP Faculty Partner Hiring program request will be reviewed by members of the EVPP Partner Hiring Program Review Committee who will assess the following:

1. Skills, expertise and potential for continuing excellence as follows:
   • For a partner seeking a faculty or post doc position, the excellence and impact of the partner’s record in terms of the relevant areas of specialization appropriate to the rank and title series including scholarship/creative activity, teaching, mentorship, leadership, and service will be evaluated, and
   • For a partner seeking a staff position, the excellence in skills and expertise relevant to the role and title will be assessed.
2. The alignment of the partner hire with the strategic hiring interests of the partner hire’s proposed unit
3. How the requested compensation for the partner aligns with the salary structure and market rate for the partner’s receiving unit