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Quick Guide to Employment Conditions and Terms

Employment Terms

  • Full-time - Salaried positions that are eligible for certain benefits.  Usually 40 hours per week. 
  • Part-time - Some part-time positions are salaried and are less than 40 hours per week, but more than or equal to 20 hours per week.  Certain benefits are available for salaried, part-time positions.  Other part-time positions are considered wage positions with an hourly rate of pay and do not offer benefits.  Wage positions are considered part-time even if the person works 40 hours per week for 37 weeks employed because of the 1,500 hour per fiscal year limit. 
  • Regular funding - Positions with regular funding are usually state-funded positions and have greater stability.
  • Restricted funding - Positions with restricted funding normally are contract or grant-funded. They have an end date or the continuation of the position is based on the availability of funds.
  • Academic year - These positions usually work 9 months, 10 months, or 11 months during the academic year, from Aug. 10 through May 10, June 10, or July 10.
  • Calendar year - These positions work 12 months during the year.
  • Temporary -  These positions are for a specified amount of time.

Employment Types

Classified Staff - A non-faculty, full-time salaried employee whose terms and conditions of employment are subject to the Virginia Personnel Act (Virginia Code  § 2.2-2900).  Classified positions are assigned to an Occupational Family and Career Group based on duties and responsibilities. 

Teaching and Research Faculty - The members of the faculty whose responsibilities include teaching and research as the majority of their duties.

Administrative and Professional Faculty (A/P Faculty) - Administrative faculty perform work directly related to the management of activities of the institution, department, or subdivision. Incumbents in these positions exercise discretion and independent judgment and generally direct the work of others.

Qualifications for administrative faculty positions include:

  • Advanced degree or training and work experience at a level that equates to an advanced degree
  • Performance of duties and responsibilities associated with this category more than 50 percent of contractual time
  • Regular exercise of discretionary actions
  • In general, vice presidents, vice provosts, deans, and their immediate staff are designated as administrative faculty. Also, directors of major administrative units reporting to a vice president are categorized as administrative faculty.
  • Professional faculty require advanced learning and experience acquired by prolonged formal instruction and/or specialized work experience. This category is normally limited to librarians, counselors, extension agents, coaches, physicians, and other professional positions servicing education, outreach, research, athletic, medical, student affairs, and development functions or activities.

Qualifications for professional faculty positions include:

  • Advanced degree or training and work experience at a level that equates to an advanced degree
  • Performance of duties and responsibilities associated with this category more than 50 percent of contractual time
  • Regular exercise of professional discretion and judgment
  • Production of work that is intellectual and varied in character, not standardized

Wage/Hourly - Wage employees receive pay for hours worked rather than a fixed salary. Wage employees are limited to working 1,500 hours per agency per year, which is calculated as the 365-day period beginning on the employee’s first day of employment; however, wage employees may be required to work 40 hours per week. The Manpower Control Act states wage employees are eligible to work an average of 29 hours/week from May 1 through April 30 each year.  Wage employees are normally hired to meet seasonal, temporary, part-time, or casual workforce needs and are not covered by the Virginia Personnel Act. Wage employees do not receive state benefits except for worker’s compensation and leave without pay for military service while on active duty or the reserve, but do have access to certain Radford University benefits.

Adjunct Faculty - A person who teaches at the university on a limited, special, or provisional basis, but in the role of an adjunct, is not required to perform other regular duties of a faculty member (I.e. scholarly activity or service).  Adjunct faculty members are qualified individuals hired for limited or special teaching assignments, such as teaching particular courses or sections.  In their adjunct role, they have no duties other than teaching.  Adjunct faculty members teaching undergraduate-level courses hold either a doctoral or masters' degree with a concentration in the teaching discipline OR hold a masters' degree and have completed at least 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline.

Employee Handbooks

Conditions of Employment

Criminal Background Investigation

  • All employment offers are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a criminal background check that will be coordinated by the Human Resources Department.
  • If convictions are found, the Department of Human Resources will partner with the hiring department to determine if the conviction is sufficiently job-related or of such a nature to prevent the candidate from being employed with the university.

I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification

  • All new hires and rehires of Radford University are required to complete Section 1 of the Employment Eligibility Verification Form, Form I-9 on or before their first day of employment.  For Section 2 of the I-9, employees must provide valid supporting documentation on or before their third workday*.  Details of this requirement will be sent directly to the new hire to the email used during the application process following the employment offer being accepted
  • *Important Notice: Radford University encourages the new hire to present identification documents as soon after completing Section 1 of the form as possible, but must allow the new hire up to three days after beginning work to present identification documents from the list of acceptable documents that are found in the instructions for the I-9 form. If the new hire does not present acceptable identification documents by the end of three business days, Human Resources will work with the supervisor to pause such employment for up to 7 additional days for an employee to provide proper documentation. However, continued failure to provide such documentation to ensure completion of I-9 will result in employment termination.

Statement of Economic Interests

  • Some university positions have duties involving substantive responsibility for procurement, audit, investment, or other activities that could be subject to abuse or improper influence as a result of the personal economic interests of the employee. Candidates selected for hire into these positions are required to complete a Statement of Personal Economic Interests upon hire. Annual filing of the Statement of Personal Economic Interests and periodic training on the Conflict of Interest Act are required of employees in these positions.

Child Support Disclosure

  • All new employees are required by Virginia law to disclose whether they are subject to an income withholding order for child support. If an employee is subject to an income withholding order, the University is required to withhold wages according to the terms of the order.

Essential Personnel

  • Employees designated as essential personnel must report to work during authorized closings.

Official Transcripts

  • Radford University maintains files of official transcripts for all faculty.  Individuals in these positions will be asked to arrange to have official transcripts of all post-secondary work, bearing the seal of the Registrar of the institution, sent directly to the Department of Human Resources.

Driver's License/CDL Check

  • A driver's license/CDL check is required for all final candidates in a position that requires driving as part of their normal job duties. The job announcement will state if this is a condition of employment.