A&S Expenses Associated with Faculty Hires

There are variety of expenses attached to the onboarding and establishment of new faculty. These typically include relocation expenses, and startup expenses associated with office set-up, scholarship initiation, and/or laboratory establishment.

Typically, CAS covers relocation expenses as negotiated. Start-up expenses are shared between the college and the hiring academic department. Rate varies as a function of package.

• Relocation Expenses
• Start-up Expenses - Basic Package
• Start-up Expenses - Extended Package
• Additional Notes

Relocation Expenses

Domestic relocation expenses are negotiable for  fullfor full-time faculty hires (tenure track or instructional). Expenses may include packing/unpacking, transportation (dependent on distance and tonnage), temporary storage, and travel (mileage, motel). International relocation is similar, with additional considerations as needed.  To qualify for relocation assistance, faculty members must be relocating from an area outside of Athens County.

The college is willing to provide up to $3000 in relocation costs as negotiated at the time of hire based upon reasonable estimates of the above. Departments may choose to contribute additional funds for costly relocations, depending upon availability. Those relocating from Athens County are not eligible for relocation expenses.

Start-up Expenses - Basic Package

The basic start-up package is designed for faculty needing just an office and computational equipment to complete their teaching, research, and service obligations. Ordinarily, this includes most faculty in the humanities and social sciences, all instructional faculty, and faculty on short-term appointments (one-year or three-year). The basic package provides up to $3500.  Funding will generally be split with $3,000 from the college and $500 from the hiring academic department. This rate may be negotiated for departments with limited resources.

Faculty on short-term appointments (one-year instructional or three-year term appointments) will receive office space determined by the department, serviceable furniture, and a reappropriated late model computer reconfigured by OIT. Faculty on full-time appointments (tenure track or instructional) will receive office space determined by the department, serviceable furniture, and may request additional startup funds for a new computer (desktop or laptop) and office furniture (e.g., chair or bookcase).

All Basic Package start-up expenses must be used in the first AY following date of hire.

Start-up Expenses - Extended Package

Full-time tenure-track faculty (typically STEM and certain social science departments) may be provided with additional funds, beyond the basic package, as negotiated. Start-up funds are intended to support the establishment of a program of research, scholarship, or creative activity at Ohio University, and the faculty member typically exercises independent authority over the expenditure of these funds within university spending guidelines. The scope and scale of startup packages will vary within and among disciplines. Start-up funds are intended to launch, but not sustain a faculty member’s research. Extended package startups are generally split at a 3:1 ratio with departments (i.e., departments are responsible for 25% of funds for an extended package).

All Extended Package start-up expenses must be used in the first 3 AYs following date of hire. After this period of time, extramural grants written by the scholar are expected to defray the cost of scholarship.

Department chairs typically request a proposed start-up package from a prospective faculty member when they are negotiating salary and other details of a job offer. The start-up package must include an itemized and justified list of expenses that will support the early stage launch of a program of research, scholarship, or creative activities. The chair confers with the Senior Associate Dean during the recruitment process as a college-approved start-up budget is negotiated with the prospective faculty member.

Once a faculty member is recruited, chairs should establish clear expectations regarding expenditure of start-up funds. Again, it is expected that scholarship funds will be used within the first three years of employment as a faculty member's program of research is initiated. A one-year extension is permitted (consult with Senior Associate Dean) with sufficient justification.

Start-up funds CAN be used for the following:

• Research-related lab supplies and equipment
• Computers, software, and associated research technology
• Essential office furniture (e.g., chair or bookcase)
• Professional books and memberships
• Travel (for research, conferences, professional development)
• Undergraduate research assistant hourly labor*
• Graduate RA stipends* (CAS will provide tuition scholarship)
• Contract fees (e.g., gene sequencing)
• Limited lab remodeling
• Publication costs
• One month summer salary* of first summer (must be approved in letter of hire)

Start-up funds may NOT be used for the following:

• Faculty salary (during academic year)
• Post-doctoral associates
• Salary for dedicated technicians or lab managers
• Instructional equipment
• Visa fees
• Expenses to develop a new academic program

*When negotiating any form of salary (undergraduate research assistant hourly labor, graduate RA stipends, and/or summer salary), the negotiated package must include a breakdown of compensation and benefits (up to 16.189%, includes 14% for retirement, 0.739% for Workers’ Compensation, and 1.45% for Medicare). 

Additional Notes

Faculty who negotiate an extended startup package should include the same materials as a basic startup package along with additional equipment and supplies as necessary. In other words, an extended start-up package is considered to contain all the elements of a basic startup package. No additional funds are available.

Those who negotiate travel funds are ineligible for regular faculty travel funds during the academic year during which startup funds are being employed.

 When a department chooses to offer a reduced teaching load to a pre-tenure faculty member, it is the department's responsibility to cover departmental teaching needs, i.e., additional instructional support may not be requested from the college to meet curricular needs.

These guidelines are designed to represent best practices. Certain aspects may be negotiable under specific circumstances.

Policy last reviewed: 7-May-2024