Key Contacts

Please contact your Department’s Grant Support staff for assistance with the stipend supplement request form.  

Applicability

Tenured or tenure-track faculty who are applying for external grants or fellowships. 

Policy Purpose and Description

The College encourages faculty to apply for fellowships.  Stipend supplements are intended to support faculty members who have received certain prestigious external fellowships, making it possible for them to accept such awards without a reduction in salary. 

Definitions

NA

Procedure

A tenured or tenure-track faculty member who applies for an external fellowship may simultaneously apply to the College for a supplement that would fund the difference between their salary plus benefits and the amount of the grant or fellowship. The standard Stipend Supplement process applies to fellowships that either: 1) are paid to the institution and applied towards the recipient faculty’s total salary; or 2) are paid in one lump sum to the recipient faculty member, who can sign the check over to the institution to be deposited in an account applied towards the total salary. For Fulbright fellowships, the process is different, as these are typically paid monthly to the recipient to defray expenses in the host country, and thus cannot be signed over to the institution. For Fulbright fellows, the college will discuss on a case-by-case basis a reduction in appointment, possibly with some degree of supplementation to allow for maintenance of benefits. Fulbright applicants should still fill out the form, but indicate if the payment is monthly rather than lump sum. Consideration for a stipend supplement is also subject to the provisions below.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a stipend supplement, the faculty member must use the Request for Stipend Supplement / Fringe Benefits to route the application to their DEO(s) and the Dean’s Office before submitting the application for the external grant or fellowship to the funding agency.

Before receiving a stipend/fringe supplement, a faculty member must have completed the required payback period of regular duties from the last UI Faculty Development Award or previous period of stipend/fringe supplement support.

Criteria

Decisions concerning the scope and level of College support will be influenced by at least the following factors:

• The prestige of the award;
• The amount of the award;
• The ability of the award to be paid to, or signed over to, the institution;
• The likely impact of the released time on the faculty member’s career;
• The gap between the faculty member’s salary plus benefits and the amount of the award;
• The availability of College and departmental funding; and
• The impact of the released time on the teaching obligations of the faculty member’s department(s).

Awards

The stipend supplement will be decided upon by the Dean in consultation with the Area Associate Dean, following notification that the faculty member has been granted the external fellowship.

Payback

A faculty member who accepts a stipend supplement must agree to return to regular duties at the University for a period to be determined in consultation with the Area Associate Dean (up to two years).  The payback period and related requirements and restrictions will be consistent with those for UI Faculty Development Awards and with the Iowa Code.  The payback must be completed before the faculty member is eligible for a Professional Development Leave or another stipend supplement.  If the payback obligation is not fulfilled, the College must be reimbursed for the stipend supplement.

Forms

Request for Stipend Supplement / Fringe Benefits

Frequently Asked Questions

Should fellowship stipends be paid through the university?

Although determined on a case-to-case basis, in most circumstances faculty fellowship payments will be processed through university channels. In some cases, such as when the sponsor requires direct payment to the individual, the fellowship stipend may be paid directly to the faculty member, and it will have to be signed over to the institution for the stipend supplement process. Please note that this may have tax consequences that will be the sole responsibility of the fellowship recipient.

Related Information

N/A

Revision History

March 2020