PURPOSE

This policy establishes the approval authorizations and procedures required for processing personnel actions within the University. The policy seeks to provide efficient operations and promote effective internal controls by outlining guidelines as to the appropriate approval authority required for transactions based on type of employment and funding source.

This policy does not address the delegation of authority for executing contracts on behalf of Drexel University or its affiliates. (See Delegation of Authority Policy.) This policy does not address review, approval of or signatures necessary to enter into a contract with an outside entity. (See, e.g., Contract Protocol Policy; Purchasing Policy.)

APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to all Drexel University Faculty, Professional Staff Members, including those affiliated with a collective bargaining unit, and Student Workers. To the extent the procedures in this policy relate to unpaid positions, the policy covers Unpaid Interns, Volunteers, and other Non-Employee Associates only as necessary to accurately record and reflect their status in the University.

IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation of this policy is the responsibility of the Department of Human Resources.

ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT

The Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Operating Officer is the Drexel University official responsible for the administration of this policy.

POLICY

The Department of Human Resources is responsible for establishing a sound internal control environment regarding the processing of personnel transactions. Part of this responsibility is ensuring that any approval of personnel actions is made by an authorized individual.

All individuals who are involved in personnel transactions within the University have a fiduciary responsibility to safeguard the assets of the institution and ensure the integrity of its accounting records.

An electronic or written signature must verify the approval of all Personnel Actions. The approval of a Personnel Action attests to its completeness, accuracy, validity, and availability of funding. System-executed transactions must carry verification of approval in the form of the unique user ID of the approver.

To assign, change, or cancel personnel action authority, an Approval Authorizations for Personnel Actions form must be completed and submitted to the Human Resources office, including the signature of the applicant. If the employee transfers to another department or division, or other changes occur that affects their personnel approval responsibilities, an updated form must be submitted to ensure consistency between the employee’s responsibilities and Approval Authority. The required approval for these forms is included in the procedures section of this policy.

DEFINITIONS

Benefits Eligible refers to full-time or part-time Drexel Faculty and Professional Staff Members who are eligible to receive Drexel paid benefits (e.g. medical coverage, leave accrual, etc.). Full-time Faculty and Professional Staff Members are regularly scheduled to work 40 hours per week and part-time Faculty and Professional Staff Members are regularly scheduled to work at least 20 hours per week but less than 40.

Faculty Member is defined as an individual employed by Drexel University in a tenured, tenure-track or non-tenured track position who teaches at any college, school, center or institute in the University. A Faculty Member also is deemed to be exempt under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and/or applicable state law.

Authorized Approver is a representative of the business or academic area that has been granted the authority to initiate and/or manage employment and/or volunteer relationship in a paid or unpaid status by a member of the executive level of the University. This approval authority attests to the appropriateness of the transaction within the University's program objectives and budgetary authorizations.

Personnel Action is any authorization to recruit, hire, and/or maintain the data required to create and/or manage a formal paid, or unpaid, relationship with the University. Examples of personnel actions include, but are not limited to, full- or part-time position requisitions, Student Worker or co-operative education requisitions, requests for position re-evaluations, requests for salary changes, requests for special compensation payments, and approval of leave requests.

Professional Staff Member is defined as an individual employed in any non-faculty category by Drexel University, including an individual who is deemed to be either exempt or non-exempt under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and/or applicable state law.

Non-Employee Associate is defined as an individual who is not a Professional Staff Member or Student Worker of Drexel University (or otherwise employed by the University) and will not become a Student Worker/employee of the University in the foreseeable future, and who requires access to the University's resources in connection with services or work that the individual is doing at the University.

Student Worker is defined as a matriculated or non-matriculated individual at Drexel University working in any of the following employment categories: co-op, work-study, graduate assistant, graduate research fellow, teaching assistant and resident assistant.

Volunteer is defined as an unpaid individual representing or providing services to Drexel University for civic, charitable or humanitarian reasons, without promise, expectation or receipt of compensation for services rendered.

PROCEDURES

1. All Personnel Actions must be approved by an Authorized Approver.
2. For each Authorized Approver to approve a Personnel Action(s), a document must be on file in the Human Resources Office containing a specimen of the Authorized Approver's signature, a list of financial transactions and/or personnel actions that they are authorized to approve, the maximum approval amount for each type of personnel action (where applicable), and the funds, orgs and accounts over which they have approval authority.
3. A Faculty or Professional Staff Member shall be designated to an approval level defined by the type of Personnel Action. Personnel Actions will have the following groupings:
• Benefit eligible positions/employment actions for Professional Staff
• Benefit eligible positions/employment actions for Faculty
• Non-benefit eligible positions/employees

Business units have the option of having one to four levels of authority.

The following are the descriptions of the four level designations:

HR0400 Executive
This is the most senior executive of a business or academic area. Members of this level will have responsibility of definitive managerial and fiscal approval for all personnel actions impacting benefit eligible employees. This level is limited to positions of President, Executive Vice President, or Senior Vice President.

The Executive Level approval can only be delegated to a member of the Executive, College/Division or Budget Administrator level.

HR0300 College/Division
This is a senior executive of a business or academic area. Members of this level will have responsibility of managerial and fiscal approval for all personnel actions impacting benefit eligible employees. President, Executive Vice President, or Senior Vice President approval is required for membership in this approval group. Examples of members of this group are Dean, Vice Provost, and Vice President.

The College/Division Level approval can only be delegated to a member the Executive, College/Division, or Budget Administrator Level.

HR0200 Budget Administrator
This is the individual who has been assigned fiscal responsibility for labor and fringe cost for the business or academic area. Members of this level will have the responsibility of the required fiscal approval for all personnel actions impacting benefit and non-benefit eligible employees. The approval of a member of the Executive or College/Division is required for membership in this approval group.

The Budget Administrator Level approval can be only delegated to a member of the Budget Administrator Level, Division/College Level, or Executive Level.

HR0100 Additional Mandated Approvals
This level is created for mandated approvals based on type of funding. The actual approval level code assigned will be in the range of HR0100 to HR0199.

Personnel actions that involve funds from externally sponsored agreements in addition to university funds will require the approval of the Principal Investigator assigned as a fiscal authority for those funds.

Personnel actions that involve Federal Work Study funds require approval from a designated representative of the Financial Aid office.

HR0050 Department
This is an optional level of approval to be assigned to a representative of the business or academic area that would provide the first level of approvals for personnel actions. The approval of a member of HR0200 group or higher is required for membership in this group.

Listed below are the minimum required approval levels based on type of transaction. Any Personnel Actions involving an Associate Vice President or above requires approval by the President:

Benefit Eligible Professional Staff

Transaction Type	HR0400	HR0300	HR0200
Compensation Salary Change Promotion Transfer	Required for actions on Associate Vice President or Above	Required	Optional
Hiring/Rehiring Process	Required for actions on Associate Vice President or Above	Required	Optional
Leave of Absence	Required for actions on Associate Vice President or Above	Required	Optional
Salary Redistributions/Labor Changes	Optional	Optional	Required
Stipends	Required for actions on Associate Vice President or Above	Required	Optional
Supplemental Pay	Required for actions on Associate Vice President or Above	Required	Optional
Terminations	Required for actions on Associate Vice President or Above	Required	Optional
Title Change/Reclassification	Required for actions on Associate Vice President or Above	Required	Optional
All Other Non-Compensation Related Changes	Optional	Optional	Required

Benefit Eligible Faculty

Transaction Type	HR0400	HR0300	HR0200
Compensation Salary Change Promotion Transfer	Required	Optional	Optional
Hiring/Rehiring Process	Required	Optional	Optional
Salary Redistribution/Labor Change	Optional	Optional	Required
Leave of Absence	Required	Optional	Optional
Reappointments	Required	Optional	Optional
Sabbatical	Required	Optional	Optional
Stipends	Required	Optional	Optional
Supplemental Pay	Optional	Required	Optional
Terminations	Required	Optional	Optional
Title Change/Reclassification	Required	Optional	Optional
All other non-compensation related changes	Optional	Optional	Required

Non-Benefit Eligible Faculty and Professional Staff

Transaction Type	HR0400	HR0300	HR0200
Adjunct Hires and Reappointments	Optional	Optional	Required
Compensation Salary Change	Optional	Optional	Required
Hiring/Rehiring Process	Optional	Optional	Required
Salary Redistribution/Labor Change	Optional	Optional	Required
Supplemental Pay	Optional	Required	Optional
Terminations	Optional	Optional	Required
All other non-compensation related changes.	Optional	Optional	Required

4. At least annually, each Faculty or Professional Staff Member in the College/Division level must review and approve a list, to be provided by the Human Resources Office, of all individuals designated as a member of any of the approval levels under their supervision.
5. Faculty or Professional Staff Members may delegate their authority to approve Personnel Actions to another employee as long as that employee is a member of the Executive, College/Division, or Budget Administrator approval groups.
6. Each Faculty or Professional Staff Member approving a Personnel Action must affix their own signature or electronic signature to the appropriate document. Signing someone else’s signature is strictly prohibited.
7. Forms to request inclusion, removal, or changes to these approval groups must be approved by both a member of the College/Division and Budget Administrator approval group with management and fiscal responsibility of the impacted cost centers.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT NOT AFFECTED

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary stated in this policy, nothing herein is intended to alter the at-will status of any Professional Staff Member. Drexel University at all times retains the right to terminate any Professional Staff Member at any time for any lawful reason.