The University of Waterloo acknowledges staff members who provide service to the university as members of the UWSA Board of Directors (BoD) and recognizes the significant amount of time required to take part in these duties. This document establishes the amounts of time the university is prepared to release BoD members from their regular duties, and the protocols for announcing and applying this release for university service. The figures contained herein do not represent the total time the positions below require and the university acknowledges that a significant amount of volunteerism is required of BoD members.
Release time for university service: In addition to the time that BoD members spend in university-level committee meetings, the university grants the following BoD positions with the following amounts of release time:
- President, 100% release time. Salary paid as per Funding Agreement between the Office of the Provost and the UWSA.
- President-Elect, three days per month.
- Past-President, three days per month.
- Secretary, two days per month.
- Treasurer, two days per month.
- Directors (excluding the Officers listed above) on the BoD will have an average of one personday/month for each director to attend to UWSA business.
- The member-at-large on the Staff Relations Committee will receive an average of one personday/semester to attend to UWSA business.
Application of release time: The amounts of release time are specified in days/month or semester with the understanding that it is the responsibility of staff members and their supervisors to determine how this time is to be distributed within any given month. As well, the amounts of time are understood to be averages, and may vary upwards (perhaps during salary discussions) or downwards (perhaps over the generally quieter summer months).
Advisory communication to staff members and supervisors: The associate provost, human resources will send a letter to each BoD member’s supervisor, copied to the staff member, outlining the expectation and approval of a specified amount of release time for participation in the BoD. This letter will be followed by a telephone call.
The UWSA president will send a letter to all BoD members, copied to their respective supervisors, indicating the positions that the staff members have assumed within the BoD and outlining the staff members’ responsibilities, committee obligations and commitments for which they are expected to be released from their regular job duties.
The University agrees that service to the UWSA shall be considered as service to the University. Accordingly, coincident with annual performance appraisals, the associate provost, human resources, will send a letter to BoD members’ supervisors calling attention to the value of the work and contributions of the UWSA. The UWSA agrees to make written assessments available to the respective supervisors, if requested, in a timely manner, copied to the staff member.
In seeking nominations for candidates to serve on the BoD, the UWSA will indicate the time commitment required, the availability and amount of release time for the position, and a recommendation to discuss the subject with a supervisor, as a courtesy and to aid in planning.
Review of this document: It is understood that this document will be reviewed yearly at the May meeting of the Staff Relations Committee.
Revised/approved by the Staff Relations Committee, 26 May 2005.
Confirmed 22 June 2006.
Revised/approved by the Staff Relations Committee, 8 January 2009.
Revised/approved by the Staff Relations Committee, 7 February 2014.