GUIDELINES FOR NON-RENEWAL AND LAYOFF OF ACADEMIC STAFF EMPLOYEES

Departments must receive approval to nonrenew or layoff academic staff employees.  Contact your HR Associate Director with questions.

To begin the process of nonrenewal or layoff of academic staff employees for funding loss or a budget/program decision, departments should start by: 

• Listing all the academic staff in the operational area to be affected by the nonrenewal or layoff (the operational area is found in the letter of offer or a later document that notified the employee of a new operational area). 
• Determining the UW-Madison academic staff “seniority” date for all academic staff in the operational area. This can be found in OBIEE by running a query titled “Academic Staff Years in Service”.
• Sorting the academic staff according to their UW-Madison academic staff “seniority” dates from most senior to least senior.

Nonrenewals and layoffs are processed according to UW-Madison academic staff seniority dates (the least senior going first) UNLESS there are “program needs that dictate other considerations (the need to maintain specific expertise, responsibility level, or productivity level)”. 

• Complete a Nonrenewal or Layoff Review Form (using the following charts for notice periods) and send the form to your HR Associate Director together with copies of the organization chart for the operational area, the document that identifies the employee’s operational area and a draft copy of the letter of nonrenewal or layoff. Templates of these documents are located on the HR Policies KnowledgeBase:
              - Nonrenewal Letters and Memo
              - Layoff Letters and Memo

If a department believes it cannot follow seniority order in processing the nonrenewal or layoff, it must provide an explanation, i.e., the reason(s) why someone with more seniority is being terminated before someone with less seniority. The explanation must also include an explanation of why the person with more seniority cannot do the work of the person with less seniority. 

Nonrenewal Notice – must be given proper notice prior to 6/30 of the current fiscal year.

Years of UW-Madison Academic
Staff Service/Continuity Status*                           Minimum Notice

*Academic staff service means continuous years of paid UW-Madison academic staff employment without regard to percent of appointment. For C-Basis employees, an appointment on one or both semesters of an academic year counts as one year of service (summers are not counted).

Due to budget situations, however, departments may have to process layoffs.

Layoff Notice

Years of UW-Madison Academic              Minimum Notice for                       Minimum Notice for 
Staff Service/Continuity Status                  Funding Loss                               Budget or Program Decision

Nonrenewals must be approved by the L&S Dean’s Office and Layoffs must be approved by the L&S Dean’s Office and APO before letters of nonrenewal or layoff may be sent to employees. 
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Links to attachments which need to be sent to employee with notice of:

-LAYOFF
ASPP Chapter 5, Layoff for Reasons of Budget or Program 

ASPP Chapter 9, Academic Staff Appeals Committee 

Layoff letter, memos, and Referral Priority Brochure 

-NONRENEWAL
ASPP Chapter 3, Nonrenewal of Fixed-Term Renewable Appointments 

ASPP Chapter 9, Academic Staff Appeals Committee

Relevant excerpts from the Academic Staff Policies and Procedures (ASPP)

“Layoff”  is the termination of an academic staff member’s employment because of funding loss or a budget or program decision either prior to the end of the appointment or when proper notice of nonrenewal under ASPP 3.04 cannot be given.

“Nonrenewal” is the termination of an academic staff member’s employment at the end of the appointment because of funding loss, a budget or program decision, or unsatisfactory performance, when proper notice of nonrenewal under ASPP 3.04 is given.

“Budget or Program Decision” refers to the reallocation or termination of resources by a University management decision that requires a program to be discontinued, curtailed, modified, or redirected and may result in staffing reductions in a program or operational area. This is distinct from funding loss (see definition below).

“Funding Loss” is unanticipated cancellation or reduction of a contract or grant (usually from an external agency) or an unanticipated decline in an income account supporting a particular activity. Funding loss results from a decision neither made by nor within the control of University management.

“Operational Area” is the organizational level specified in the letter of appointment as having responsibility for supporting a position, such as a school, college, division, department, or smaller unit.