EPA Staff members are University employees who are
“exempt” from the State Personnel Act.
This means issues such as overtime and longevity pay do not apply as they
would for most SPA employees, who are “subject” to the State Personnel Act.
EPA Staff positions are administrative, professional, managerial,
instructional support, development, and research positions.
Most of these positions are “at will” employment.
This means the employee serves at the will of the Chancellor and can be
terminated without justification. Notice
of termination is given according to the policy applicable to the particular
category of EPA Staff position. Some
EPA Staff are hired on term contracts, where a definite ending date is given,
and the employee is terminated on that date without further notice.
EPA Staff positions are also normally subject to merit pay increases.
Policy Statement #64, including Attachment A, explains EPA Staff
appointment in detail. At this
time, the Office of the President must approve all new EPA Staff positions
before recruitment may begin. The
recruitment procedures for EPA Staff are in the Academic Personnel Procedures
Handbook (www.uncc.edu/handbook).
There are four different categories of EPA Staff employees at UNC
Charlotte: Instructional Support, Research Support, Senior Academic and
Administrative Officers (referred to as SAAO) Tier 1, or SAAO Tier 2. Policy
Statement #81 (www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-81.html)
applies to SAAO Tier 1 and Tier 2 positions, and Policy Statement #64 (www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-64.html)
applies to all other EPA Staff positions.
Instructional Support positions include academic advising, academic
preparation and enhancement, co-operative education, laboratory management,
instructional consulting, continuing education, coaching, academic standards,
student and academic support services, professional librarians, and counselors.
It is expected that individuals employed in these positions direct,
develop, and deliver these services.
Research Support positions include academic research (principal
investigators), research administration, institutional research, academic
computing, and community service.
SAAO Tier 1 Positions are our highest ranked positions at the University
and include such positions as the Chancellor, Provost, Vice Chancellors, Deans,
University Attorney, etc. A
complete list of these positions is available in Policy Statement #81.
Appointment to these positions requires both Board of Trustees’ and
Board of Governors’ approval.
SAAO Tier 2 Positions are administrative and development positions that
usually have campus-wide authority or responsibility.
Examples include Associate and Assistant Vice Chancellors/Provost,
Associate and Assistant Deans, Registrar, Controller, various directors such as:
Director of Human Resources, Director of Financial Services, Director of
Purchasing, Director of Alumni Affairs, Director of Financial Aid, Athletic
Director, etc. Although the Board
of Governors must approve adding a new SAAO Tier 2 position, the Chancellor has
the authority to hire and delegates this responsibility to the Vice Chancellors.
A complete list of these positions is available online at www.uncc.edu/handbook/SAAO_List.xls.
There are a few differences in the benefits for each of these categories.
All SAAO Tier 1 employees are given 26 days of annual leave and may
participate in either the State Retirement System or select an approved Optional
Retirement Plan.
SAAO Tier 2 employees have 24 days of annual leave (with a reduced
provision for employees who leave within 24 months of appointment to an SAAO
Tier 2 position). They may also choose between the State Retirement Plan or an
Optional Retirement Plan.
All other EPA Staff have 24 days of annual leave (with a reduced
provision for employees who leave within 24 months of appointment to an EPA
Staff position). At this time, EPA
Staff other than SAAO Tier 1 and Tier 2 positions do not have a choice in
retirement plans and must participate in the State Retirement Plan.
This handbook includes information for all EPA employees, including EPA
Faculty positions. Although the EPA
Faculty information may not be directly applicable to an EPA Staff position, it
is helpful in understanding the University structure.