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The University of Texas at Austin

Summer Research Assignments (SRAs) for 2009

SRA DEADLINES

Applicant submits completed application to chair. Friday, October 3, 2008
Chair submits approved applications to academic dean Determined by your academic dean.  Your chair should contact your dean's office for this deadline.
Academic dean submits approved applications to Faculty Development Program (FDP) office Friday, October 10, 2008
Reference letter due in FDP office Friday, October 10, 2008
Results announced Monday, December 15, 2008
Purpose

Summer Research Assignments provide faculty members with the equivalent of two months' salary (based on the academic rate during the year of the award) while they concentrate on research and writing during the summer session.

Eligibility

Only tenure-track assistant professors are eligible for these awards. Applications from others will be returned.

Information about Application Forms

SRA applications are available online (SRA Forms).  They can be completed online, printed, and assembled with the additional information requested, before submitting to your department chair for signatures. If you are unable to complete and print the online forms, you may obtain copies of the application packet, which includes the Faculty Development Program Application Form for 2009 Summer Research Assignments, as well as detailed information about the awards and application procedures, from the Faculty Development Program (mkeeshen@mail.utexas.edu) in the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, Main Building 101, G0400, 232-3608, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Applications submitted on earlier versions of the application form will be returned to the applicant for revision.

Application Procedures

All Summer Research Assignment applications must be received and approved by the applicant's department chair and academic dean prior to submission to the Faculty Development Program. Your chair will review your application and, if he or she approves it, refer it to your academic dean for further review. Your academic dean will submit those applications he or she has approved to the Faculty Development Program. You should submit your original proposal and six copies.

Connection with the Dean's Fellows Program

In 1996-97, the Dean's Fellows Program was established in an effort to give departments new opportunities to award leaves to their faculty. This has more than doubled the number of faculty leaves funded annually by the university. There is no formal link between the Dean's Fellows Program and the Faculty Development Program, and faculty members who have received Dean's Fellowships are free to apply for SRAs. However, the SRA Review Committees are aware of the applicant's record of past support from the Dean's Fellows Program, and the recent award of a Dean's Fellowship for the support of one's research may influence one's chances of being awarded an SRA.

Amount, Tenure, and Terms of the Award

Summer Research Assignments provide a maximum of two months' salary based on the recipient's nine-month academic rate during the year of the award. An award may be paid over any two or all three months of the summer session. If the award is taken full time for two months (June 1 through July 31 or July 1 through August 31) it is expected that you will devote full time to your research during the entire two month period and, to prevent encroachment of teaching and/or administrative duties on research time, you may not hold concurrent teaching and/or administrative appointments during the award period. If the award is taken two-thirds time for the entire summer session (June 1 through August 31), you are expected to devote two-thirds time to your research; the other third may be used for any combination of research, teaching, and/or administration. If you also have outside support during the summer, the combined SRA and outside support may not exceed the equivalent of three months' salary. SRAs may not be carried over into the following fiscal year (September 1 through August 31).

One of the considerations in awarding a Summer Research Assignment is the benefit that will accrue to the university. The recipient is, therefore, expected to return to normal duties at The University of Texas at Austin for at least the academic year (September 1 through May 31) following the SRA. A recipient who elects to leave the university without returning for an academic year, whether because of resignation or retirement, is obligated to reimburse the university for funds (gross salary plus fringe benefits) expended in support of the SRA (see Section 3.10 of The Handbook of Operating Procedures for The University of Texas at Austin). The University Payroll Office, in consultation with the System's General Counsel, has informed us that the recipient is considered to be an employee of UT Austin for the period of appointment to the Summer Research Assignment. In consequence, the recipient's W-2 from the university will show his or her income and withholding tax for the period of the appointment. If the recipient elects not to return to the university he or she is considered to be in breach of his/her contract with the university with the result that the repayment is considered a "penalty payment." It is the recipient's responsibility to inform the IRS of his or her situation and to negotiate with them any adjustments in reported income and withholding.

If you hold an SRA and wish to be on approved academic leave the year following your SRA, but plan to return to your normal duties at the university the following academic year, then an exception to the return policy above may be granted. Such a request must be submitted in writing, must include a description of your plans and your reason for not returning the year following your SRA, and must be endorsed by your chair and dean. It should be submitted to Marvin L. Hackert, Director, Faculty Development Program, Office of Graduate Studies, Main Building 101, G0400. Requests are handled on a case-by-case basis and, if an exception is granted, it will be contingent upon your subsequent return to your normal duties at the university as outlined. If you fail to return, you will be expected to reimburse the university for the amount of the SRA, including any fringe benefits involved.

Method of Payment

Summer Research Assignments are salary awards paid on a monthly basis through the Payroll Office. Paychecks are issued on the first working day of the following month. For example, if you elect to have your award paid over June and July, your June paycheck will be issued on July 1 and your July paycheck will be issued on August 1. These awards are subject to all of the deductions that apply to teaching salary payments.