>At our institution we sometimes encounter
>difficulties in setting or justifying salaries
>for those employed for grants.  The wide salary
>range, for example, of biology technicians,
>creates some problems between the numbers
>tossed out by our personnel department, the
>numbers used by our faculty researchers to
>attract skilled, experienced, workers, and
>the demands of the granting agency.  It would
>be of GREAT help to us if RESADM readers
>would participate in this SHORT Questionnaire.
>
>Responses will be accepted with gratitude in
>any format, snail mail, fax, or e-mail, to:
>Rick Francis, Office of Research, Univ.of
>Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, fax 419-537-7893,
>e-mail => xxxxxx@uoft02.utoledo.edu.  Thanks.
>
>===============================================
>
>QUESTIONNAIRE    Positions Supported by External Funding
>
>1.     Are professional positions created
>       for specific grant and contract activities
>       placed in same institutional classifications
>       as other University employees of the same type? Yes, sometimes this is
>extrememly difficult. I have had some success at getting Human Resources to
>create new classifications and job descriptions.
>
>      a.      Do these employees receive the same
>              benefits package? yes
>
>      b.      Do these employees receive the same
>              rate of pay increase as regular University
>              employees in the same classifications? Yes, this is university
>policy.
>
>      c.      Do these employees receive limited
>              contracts with no obligation from the
>              institution for continued employment? Yes, they are usually
>classified as tempory employees.
>
>      d.      Do these employees accrue vacation? yes, also sick leave.
>
>2.      Does your institution use any of the
>        following job titles for untenured,
>        professional positions?  (Please check
>        the ones applicable to your institution.)
>      ____
>      ____   Postdoctoral Fellow
>      ____   Research Technician
>      ____   Postdoctoral Research Assistant
>      ____   Research Assistant Professor
>      ____   Postdoctoral Research Associate
>      ____   Research Associate Professor
>      ___x_   Research Assistant
>      ____   Research Professor
>      ___x_   Research Associate
>      ____x   Director
>      ____   Dean
>      ___x_   Other,  Project Manager,  Project Coordinator
>_____________________________________
>                   _____________________________________
>
>
>3.      How is the compensation structure applied
>        to determining the salary of any of
>        these positions? According to a salary range determined by Human
>Resources Dept. This causes many problems. I understand why Human Resources
>wants and needs to set ranges, but normally the upper level is so low that it
>is very difficult to hire qualified technical people.
>
>      a.      Is the level of academic training
>              the deciding factor? (i.e. level
>              is determined by terminal degree.) Sometimes, but not always.
>Normally Human Resources wants salary to be tied to degrees earned, but for
>some technical positions, experience is much more important.
>
>      b.      Is there a discernable degree of
>              ability to work independently? Not sure what you are asking. The
>ability for an employee to work independently is a determining factor in the
>pay grade assigned to the position by Human Resources.
>              If so, how is it determined? The job description establishes the
>level of independence required to be qualified for the position. The person
>hiring the individual, not Human Resources, decides if the candidate can work
>independently.
>
>      c.      Is there a defined structure that
>              accommodates all the positions that
>              have been created by are supported
>              by externally funded grants
>              and contracts? Yes, all positions are required to be approved
>positions established by the Human Resources Dept. It is possible to create
>new positions that may be needed for a particular grant or contract.
>
>      d.      How are salaries determined for
>              University staff involved in work
>              at federal laboratories? Salary is always set by the University
>salary structure.
>
>-----------------END--------------------
>
>Please send responses in any format (snail mail,
>fax, or e-mail) to: Rick Francis, Office of
>Research, Univof Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606,fax
>419-537-7893, e-mail => xxxxxx@uoft02.utoledo.edu.