• Mid-Year Appointment Guidelines (General Campus) Also see Mid-Year Election Form

• Worksheet for Departmental Use in Preparing Appointment Files Updated December 2016

• File prep checklists for various review actions- Updated December 2016
• File prep worksheet
• LPSOE/LSOE Review Process

• Glossary of Academic Personnel Terms

Effective this academic year/academic personnel cycle (2025-26), UCSD retired the Academic Coordinator/Academic Administrator Review Panel (AARP) and the Project Scientists Specialist Review Panel (PSSRP). This change is part of a broader effort to streamline academic appointment workflows and reduce redundant review steps.  Please find below a set of frequently asked questions related to the removal of AARP and PSSR.

• How should late files from AY 24–25 that would have otherwise gone to AARP/PSSRP be processed?

These files will be redirected to the standing campus-level review authority (Dean/SAVC, as appropriate). 

• What happens to files that were already under review by AARP/PSSRP but not completed (e.g., a Request for Additional Information or Preliminary Outcome in process)?  

These files will transition to the current review authority for completion.  RFIs will be responded to by the dean/department.

• Are there other types of appointment/review files that must be considered for 2025–26? 

Any appointment or review file effective 2025–26 (including new hires, reappointments, promotions, and merit increases) should follow the updated Academic Personnel Authority & Review Chart and Academic Personnel Process Manual. 

 Please note, academic appointment and review actions involving close relatives, as defined in Academic Personnel Manual (APM) Section 520, academic appointees who report directly to the dean (or equivalent) are Executive Vice Chancellor – Academic Affairs and/or Sr. Associate Vice Chancellor – Academic Affairs authority actions. 

• About establishing Market Off-Scale (MOS) salary components:

In alignment with university practice, Market Off-Scale (MOS) salary components must be established at the time of appointment or in response to outside interest (retention).  If a department or school wishes to recognize substantial effort during the review period they may do so via an accelerated merit in compliance with their department’s review criteria or a Half-Step Bonus Off-Scale component. Please note, BOS are a temporary salary components and last for the duration of one (1) review period.

• What about elevated MOS requests? 

Academic appointments proposed with an increased or elevated Market Off-Scale salary component (MOS) must be discussed with and receive pre-approval from the Sr. Associate Vice Chancellor – Academic Affairs prior to the issuance of an appointment letter. 

 The discussion and request for review should include a draft of the department recommendation letter including a clear explanation and justification for the elevated salary component, an analysis of internal salary equity, and address concerns of salary compression. This applies to temporary Academic Coordinator appointments as well.

• About Continuing Merit Advancement for Academic Coordinators and Academic Administrators:

Academic Administrators and Academic Coordinators are eligible for continued merit advancements once they reach the top of their respective salary scale, see PPM 230-370 and PPM 230-375.  Continued merit advancement beyond the top of the salary scale does not bestow the designation of “Distinguished” on Academic Administrators and Academic Coordinators.

• Can academic appointees previously reviewed by PSSRP and AARP be proposed for an off-cycle academic review? 

Off-cycle academic reviews are not permitted without submission of a formal exception request to Academic Personnel Services (APS).

•  About the different Academic Administrator and Academic Coordinator levels:  

In reference to Academic Administrators and Academic Coordinators, movement between levels should not be considered akin to a promotion.  Movement between the levels is dependent on the scope and complexity of the program for which academic appointees are responsible (APM 375 Appendix A). 

•  Are Academic Administrators eligible for temporary emergency appointments like Academic Coordinators (see AP Process Manual Section 2.3.6)?

No, emergency appointments as described in Section 2.3.6 of the AP Process Manual are limited to Academic Coordinator titles.  

•  Will special EVC/Sr. AVC Interfolio templates be created for cases where an academic appointee reports to a dean (or equivalent) or is a dean near relative?

 A new template will not be created.  Current templates will be updated to remove any APS, AARP, PSSRP review steps.  In scenarios where a case needs to be elevated to APS/EVC/Sr. AVC, the appropriate workflow steps will be added by the originating department or school so the file can be submitted to APS.  Once received, APS will take care of adding the appropriate workflow steps for review by the EVC/Sr. AVC and issuance of an outcome.

•  Are cases involving academic appointees who report to the dean (or equivalent) or who are dean near relatives considered exceptions?  

 These scenarios are not exceptions, and APS would not expect to see an exception request for the submission of a near relative or dean reports to file for review by the EVC or Sr. AVC.

•  Previously, the EVC or Sr. AVC would become the final authority in scenarios where there was disagreement between the department and dean (or equivalent) on the final outcome of a review file.  Will this practice continue?

No.  With removal of PSSRP and AARP review, the authority for files involving Academic Coordinators, Academic Administrators, Specialists, and Project Scientists is fully delegated to deans (or equivalent).  As such, scenarios involving disagreements will be dean (or equivalent) final authority if they do not involve an academic appointee who reports directly to the dean or who is a dean near relative. 

•  Will my departmental and school Interfolio Templates be updated to reflect the removal of PSSRP & AARP?

Yes, all pre-existing PSSRP and AARP Interfolio templates have been modified to remove APS, PSSRP, and AARP workflow steps and have been renamed as follows: