OSU Extension Service
Resource Investment Plan
Organizational Policies
In Support of the
2004 OSU Extension Strategic Plan
June 20, 2005
The following policies serve as fundamental guidelines for governing conditions of work and
establishing standard processes for carrying out tasks, allocating resources, acquiring and sustaining
personnel, collaborating with colleges/schools to deliver education services, and relating to external
environments and partnerships. As Extension expands to address the three thematic areas and
emerging local needs, additional policies and procedures may be needed.
1. EXTENSION FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING
1.1 Colleges will follow explicit procedures in order to satisfy requirements for state, federal, grant
and county funding. The Fiscal Unit will provide training to facilitate these new procedures. (New
procedures are currently under development)
1.2 County-based Extension faculty writing grants that generate returned overhead may use a
county org code to direct all or part of the returned overhead to county accounts. This would allow
local expenses to be covered with grant dollars. When collaborative grant writing occurs among
county- and campus-based faculty, returned overhead may be directed as most appropriate.
1.3 The Dean and Director and the business manager will conduct a year- end budget meeting with
each college invested in Extension education as well as with Extension & Experiment Station
Communications.
2. STAFFING AND VACANCY
2.1 An approved biennial Plan of Work with expected outcomes, budgetary needs and staffing plan
is required of each college conducting Extension programs. Resources will be allocated to colleges
based on the approved Plan of Work and achievements as documented in the Report of
Accomplishments. The staffing plan of each college should consider an appropriate flexibility
between fixed-term and tenure/tenure track resources. Each college should develop a long-range
plan based on needs and identify an appropriate target to achieve a balance of faculty resources
between fixed-term and tenure/tenure track positions. Per the strategic plan, each college will
determine how to achieve the targeted balance.
2.2 The majority of Extension’s Plan of Work will support the three thematic areas identified in the
OSU Extension Strategic Plan. Extension’s Plan of Work will be compiled from the approved Plans
of Work submitted by colleges.
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2.3 When a position becomes vacant, the resources will remain in the college for reallocation to the
highest priority of the college’s Extension program. Colleges shall seek input from appropriate
constituents in the development of new positions.
2.4 The relocation by a college of an established position from a field location to campus or from
campus to a field location or from one field location to another field location or any change in the
total college FTE supported by Extension state and federal general dollars must be approved by the
Dean and Director through the plan of work process. Colleges are required to document
opportunities where communities of interest, communities of place, and funding partners and
collaborators voiced support and concerns before a change will be considered. The Executive Team
is responsible for monitoring overall Extension FTE and assuring that FTE limitations are observed.
2.5 The new funding model encourages cross-college and organizational priority setting, linking the
university’s expertise and experience with society’s needs. The Executive Team will have lead
responsibility for identifying/gathering critical issues, creating opportunities for increased
engagement, and connecting resources for action. This work will be done in collaboration with the
Cabinet and the Deans Council.
2.6 A dollar target will be established by the Dean and Director in consultation with the Deans
Council to provide a steady stream of resources to invest in innovative programming. Per the Dean
and Director’s decision, the targeted funds designated for innovative programming will be set aside
at the beginning of the fiscal year before dollars are allocated to the colleges.
3. RECRUITMENT AND HIRING
3.1 Program Leaders, collaborating with the prospective Department Heads, the immediate
supervisor and the assigned Extension administrator, are responsible for the recruitment and hiring
of county-based Extension faculty funded on state and federal general funds.
3.2 For faculty funded on locally generated dollars, Staff Chairs will collaborate with the Program
Leader, prospective Department Heads as appropriate and the assigned Extension administrator.
Staff Chairs are responsible for the recruitment and hiring of county-based Extension faculty
funded on locally generated dollars. Costs of recruitment and hiring will be paid for by local
dollars. Salary will be determined by the immediate supervisor, in consultation with the Program
Leader, Department Head, and assigned Extension administrator, utilizing such factors as the salary
worksheet, market value, experience and earned degrees.
3.3 Department Heads, collaborating with the Program Leader, are responsible for the recruitment,
hiring and orientation of campus-based Extension faculty, regardless of the source of funding.
When the academic home is uncertain, the Program Leader will take the lead in recruitment and
hiring and negotiating the academic home with the faculty member and the Department Head.
Extension dollars allocated to the colleges cover recruitment and hiring costs, as well as relocation
expenses. Any department has the discretion to add additional funding to recruitments or relocation
expenses when it seems appropriate. Extension Human Resources may provide recruitment
assistance for positions with .5 or greater FTE Extension appointment if requested.
3.4 Extension Human Resources will continue to coordinate recruitment, hiring, relocation expenses
and orientation of county-based faculty members, maintaining a budget centrally to cover the costs
of positions funded on state and federal general funds. The source of the funding (state, county,
grant, etc.) pays for the search, screening, recruitment and hiring process for positions within OSU
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Extension, including relocation expenses. Any college or department has the discretion to add
additional funding to recruitments or relocation expenses when it seems appropriate.
3.5 Starting salary for county-based faculty funded by state or federal general funds will be
determined at the college level in consultation with the Dean and Director or designee. Starting
salary for campus-based faculty will be determined in consultation with appropriate college dean or
designee. In all cases, salary decisions will be based on such factors as the salary worksheet, market
value, experience and earned degrees.
4. SALARY ADMINISTRATION
4.1 Colleges are responsible for salary administration per guidelines provided by Extension
Administration, OSU and OUS.
4.2 New money for salary and OPE increases is allocated to colleges prorated to each program area,
based on the salary base in the approved plan of work.
4.3 Extension Administration is responsible for maintaining a current salary study of peer
institutions for the purpose of assisting colleges in establishing starting salary and maintaining
competitive compensation.
4.4 Extension Administration is responsible for maintaining a current comparative salary analysis
tool to 1) expedite effective organization-wide response to issues of equity or fairness, 2) improve
consistency in merit-based salary compensation decisions across programs, and 3) provide
communications to inform managers and faculty regarding the salary compensation decisions.
4.5 Salary increases for promotion and bonuses for post tenure reviews will be the responsibility of
the individual colleges.
5. RECOGNITION FOR STAFF CHAIR LEADERSHIP
5.1 Funding for the staff chair FTE plus leadership compensation will be managed centrally. It will
allow Extension Administration to “purchase” program FTE for staff chair leadership, returning
dollars to the program. The goal is to have excellent leadership at the county level without harming
program impact.
6. PAYROLL MANAGEMENT
6.1 Extension Administration will maintain payroll management for county operations centrally.
These functions include:
 Timesheets audited, signed, copied and original submitted to OSU HR
 Time entry completed, audited and verified for funding distribution
 Check distribution to counties
 Work with OSU HR to reconcile pay problems (10-20 monthly)
 Initiate, update and record job forms
 Process fixed-term notices
7. POSITION DESCRIPTION
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7.1 The immediate supervisor (Department Head, Staff Chair or Assistant Director), appropriate
Department Head and Program Leader will be involved in the development or revision of a faculty
member’s position description. A position description, complete with signatures, is required to be in
the faculty member’s official personnel file within the first six months of employment. An annual
review of the position description is required as part of the PROF. The immediate supervisor will
take the lead in the review process.
7.2 Official personnel files for all county-based faculty and for any faculty who are on federal
retirement plans are maintained in Extension HR; campus-based faculty who are not on federal
retirement are maintained by their academic home/college.
8. PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS
8.1 Performance reviews are conducted in accordance with the OSU Faculty Handbook. The
immediate supervisor takes the lead, with input and agreement from the Program Leader(s) and
Department Head. Desired outcomes of the process include professional growth and advancement of
the faculty member, recognition and support of faculty achievements, and fair and consistent
evaluation across departments, programs and counties. The performance management system
focuses primarily on county-based faculty. Staff Chairs, as immediate supervisors, are held
accountable for following the guidelines. Campus-based Extension faculty members are reviewed
per the guidelines of their department.
8.2 An update of performance indicators reflecting the strategic plan goals and actions is needed for
2006 performance.
9. PROMOTIONS, TENURE AND POST TENURE REVIEWS
9.1 All Extension faculty members on professorial rank will follow their particular academic home
process, using the University Promotion and Tenure Guidelines as the standard. The faculty
member’s academic home administrator takes the lead in this process, involving the immediate
supervisor and Program Leader(s) as appropriate.
9.2 Oregon State University defines scholarship in a broad scope. Criteria and process of evaluating
scholarship of Extension faculty need to be clarified at the department and college levels in order to
ensure uniform and appropriate compliance with the adopted University policy governing scholarly
expectations.
9.3 Salary increases for promotion and bonuses for post tenure reviews will be the responsibility of
the individual colleges.
10. ACCOUNTABILITY
10.1 Colleges will develop overarching goals and objectives as a part of the Plan of Work process,
including expected outcomes and projected impacts. Colleges will be responsible for reporting
outcomes and impacts achieved annually to the Dean and Director via an organization reporting
system. * For programming that crosses college boundaries, the Program Leader serving as theme
leader will develop an integrated POW and report outcomes and impacts annually via an
organization reporting structure.
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10.2 Colleges failing to report outcomes and impacts as established in the approved Plan of Work or
significant progress made toward achieving the established outcomes and impacts will have their
funds withdrawn and returned to the Extension Dean/Director for redistribution. Dean/Director has
authority to reallocate Extension resources among program areas based on performance and
priorities.
* Details of the organization reporting system are pending completion of the strategic implementation team on
accountability.
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