Board Approves Merit Bonus for Classified Staff

Arkansas Tech University will provide a one-time merit bonus payment for classified employees under the provisions of a plan approved by the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees on Thursday.  
 
Trustees approved the merit bonus payment for classified employees of Arkansas Tech under the following guidelines:
 
*The employee must have been employed at Arkansas Tech University since June 30, 2011, in a classified position. The salary for part-time employees will be pro-rated based on the percent of full-time equivalent.
 
*New hires as of July 1, 2011, and after are ineligible for the merit bonus payment.
 
*Grant classified employees are included.
 
*Auxiliary classified employees are included.
 
*The payment will be made June 30, 2012.
 
*The payment is a one-time payment and does not become part of base pay.
 
*The merit bonus payment follows the guidelines issued by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
 
*The merit bonus payment is based on the employer’s current year evaluation and is awarded in the following amounts — exceeds standard, 3 percent; above average, 2 percent; satisfactory, 1 percent. 

*The merit bonus payment is limited to no more than $1,000 per employee. 
 
Classified employees include many of the support staff personnel on campus.  
 
Trustees had previously approved a one-time bonus of $1,000 per unclassified employee during their April 2012 meeting. Faculty members and many professional staff members are unclassified employees. 

In other business on Thursday, the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees approved:
 
*the sale of revenue bonds in the amount of $1.5 million to fund the renovation of Tech Field, the home facility for the Arkansas Tech baseball program;
 
*issuance of a contract in the amount of $135,376 to Blackstone Construction of Russellville for re-paving the north parking lot at Tucker Coliseum;
 
*a letter of notification that calls for the establishment of a supply chain management option within the Associate of Applied Science degree in business technology at Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus, an option that would provide graduates with the training necessary to function as entry level technicians in warehouse operations, inventory management, systems management, customer service, dispatching and product distribution;
 
*a proposal to create an administrative unit for the organization and administration of the Associate of Applied Science degree program in human services at Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus.
 
In personnel-related matters, the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees took the following action regarding full-time appointments:
 
*approved the hiring of Dong-Soo Lee as assistant professor of hospitality, Rene Couture as assistant professor of college student personnel, Brenda Tyler as visiting assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, Shaana Escobar as visiting assistant professor of nursing, Jan Fletcher as visiting assistant professor of nursing, Suzanne Martin as visiting instructor of health information management and Tonya Mays as visiting instructor of health information management for the 2012-13 academic year;
 
*approved the hiring of Tommy Fields as assistant director of housing in the Office of Residence Life effective June 1, 2012; 
 
*approved the hiring of Sabrina Billey as area coordinator in the Office of Residence Life effective July 1, 2012;

*approved the hiring of Andrew Allen as department chair in viticulture and enology at Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus for the 2012-13 academic year;
 
*accepted the retirement of Judy Davis, a member of the adult education faculty at Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus, effective Dec. 11, 2012.

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