Morgridge Institute for Research (MIR) Faculty Hires

The information outlined in this KB relates to faculty hires made in basic science departments who go on a temporary assignment/leave of absence to work for the Morgridge Institute for Research (MIR) - https://morgridge.org/.

Background

The Morgridge Institute for Research (aka Morgridge or MIR) works with departments at UW-Madison to bring in individuals who will make a significant contribution in medical research. For additional information on this employment set up, see information below, within Faculty Policies & Procedures, 1.02 University Faculty and within the Academic Affiliation Agreement.

Appointment Setup

A SMPH department provides a UW appointment and tenure home for the MIR hire, while Morgridge pays all expenses (salary, fringe, startup funds, etc.). The individual will be hired through UW via a PVL Waiver (reason “Other”), contingent upon approval from campus. The candidate receives two offer letters - one from UW/SMPH and one from MIR. The offer letters should be issued to the candidate at the same time. While the candidate works at MIR, they will be on a 100% temporary assignment (if Assistant Professor rank), or a standard leave of absence (if senior rank) from UW. See additional details about this process below.

Hiring Processes for HRBP

Candidates hired to work at Morgridge will be hired via a PVL Waiver (reason: "Other"). 

Step 1: HRBP - Gather Information/Position Request/Draft Offer Letter

The HRBP will follow the standard waiver hire steps outlined in the Direct Hire PVL Waiver & Hire Workflow KB, which includes a reminder that once steps 1 and 2 of the PVL Waiver Hire KB have been completed, you can begin drafting the UW offer letter which will need to go through the faculty offer letter review process. Note: there are specific offer letter templates to use for MIR hires on the SMPH Letter & Memo Templates KB, under Faculty > Appointment > Tenure Track.

Note: it is most helpful for the department/HRBP to also send the Morgridge offer letter at the time they are sending the UW offer letter for review (even if the Morgridge letter is still in draft status). This way, the reviewers can see the whole picture, specifically the start up funds offered through Morgridge. If we have that letter, it often replaces the need to include any start-up fund information in the UW offer letter’s Enclosure B.

Once the faculty offer letter review processhas been completed (i.e. the candidate signs the offer and the signed letter has been sent to Faculty HR to distribute to campus/upload to ImageNow), the HRBP will proceed with processing the temporary assignment/leave of absence as outlined in step 2 below.

Step 2: HRBP - Process 100% temporary assignment/leave of absence

The HRBP will work with the department to put the new hire on a 100% temporary assignment/leave of absence, effective the same day as their UW appointment start date. Note: A temporary assignment for probationary faculty (Assistant Professor rank) is similar to a leave of absence, but it does not interrupt the tenure clock (FPP 7.20.). Temporary assignments include leaves where the probationary faculty member is participating in research or instructional activities (and is therefore continuing to establish a scholarly record) but is not on the university payroll.

Temporary assignments (Assistant rank) or leave of absences (Associate or full Professor rank) that exceed one year require an initial submission to and approval by the University Committee (which for MIR hires will always be the case).

  1. For the initial leave request, the HRBP will work with the department to complete/sign the SMPH LWOP/Temporary Assignment form. In addition, the department will compile the other necessary documents for processing a temporary assignment or leave of absence, which are outlined on the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty's "Waivers" website under “Temporary assignment – Assistant Professors” or "Leave of absence - Tenured faculty".
    1. Length of leave:
      1. For Assistant rank: per the Secretary of the Faculty's office, best practice is to align the initial leave end date with the appointment contract end date (typically a max of three years from start date).
      2. For Associate or full Professor rank: per the Secretary of the Faculty's office, the department can decide the length of time for each extension, however, the leave should not be left open indefinitely (and should be for no greater than 7 years at a time). The SOF suggested a 7-year timeframe for extensions which aligns with the timing that Morgridge reviews their faculty. Otherwise, if the department prefers to extend on an annual basis for example, that is okay too.
      3. NOTE: Per the Secretary of the Faculty's office, only one submission to/approval by the University Committee is required for faculty on a leave of absence to work at Morgridge. After the initial approval, leave extensions do not need to be submitted to the University Committee, instead, they just need to be approved at the department and school level. Extensions would require a positive vote by the department's executive committee, and approval by the department chair and SMPH Dean. Extensions would require completion of the SMPH LWOP/Temporary Assignment form. As noted on the form, the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development approves/signs on behalf of the SMPH Dean.
  2. Once all documentation has been compiled for the initial request (note: one of the documents is a Chair's letter which should include the date and results of the department's executive committee vote), including the faculty member/supervisor/chair signed SMPH LWOP/Temporary Assisnment form, the HRBP will send all documentation onto Faculty HR who will obtain the signature of the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development. Faculty HR will also obtain the SMPH Dean's signature on the Chair's letter, endorsing the leave request. 
  3. Once Faculty HR has obtained the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development's signtaure on the LWOP form, and the Dean's signature on the chair's letter, Faculty HR will return the signed documents to the HRBP
  4. The HRBP will upload the documentation/request to the University Committee for approval – submitted via this link located here under “Temporary assignment – Assistant Professors” or "Leave of absence - Tenured faculty". Once submitted through the online form, the request will go to the Secretary of the Faculty who will pass along to the University Committee, and eventually the Provost for final approval. The department chair and Dean will be notified by the Provost once approved.
  5. Once the department has received UC/Provost approval, the HRBP will process the unpaid leave of absence in HRS (using reason - "Leave of absence - professional"). 
    1. Note: for extensions, once the LWOP form has been completed/approved, the HRBP should extend the leave of absence end date in HRS.

Step 3: HRBP - Notify department contacts (if applicable) and upload leave documentation to ImageNow

  1. Notify any departmental contacts of the leave of absence, including the SMPH departmental Payroll & Benefits Specialist
  2. Upload leave request form and documentation submitted to the UC, along with the Morgridge offer letter to ImageNow
    1. Note: Faculty HR will upload the UW offer letter and candidate's CV to ImageNow, per the faculty offer letter review process steps


KeywordsLWOP, LOA, leave, Morgridge, MIR, Investigator, temporary assignment   Doc ID138217
OwnerCourtney G.GroupSMPH Human Resources
Created2024-07-03 09:51:28Updated2024-08-09 08:11:35
SitesSMPH Human Resources
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