Faculty Retention

UNC derives its excellence from the teachers and researchers that comprise our faculty. We exist within a competitive academic market and our faculty are frequently recruited for external opportunities. It is the goal of the Office of the Provost to retain excellent faculty at Carolina.

In 2006, the UNC System Office established a Faculty Recruitment and Retention Fund to retain faculty members at UNC System institutions. The funds are intended for tenure-track/tenured faculty only.  The instructions below provide guidance for how to process retention requests that involve use of the System Office Recruitment and Retention Fund.  Other requests for faculty salary adjustments for retention purposes should be routed to the EHRA HR Consultant.

To request support from the UNC System Office Retention Fund, deans (or department chairs with authorization from the dean’s office) should complete the following:

• The Office of the Provost Faculty Retention Worksheet.
  • Before you complete the worksheet, make sure you have all the items listed in this document: Items Required for Retention Worksheet.
  • The Faculty Salary Increase Request Form (rainbow form) using code 7.

Once the Faculty Retention Worksheet and the Salary Increase Request Forms are completed, the materials will be reviewed by the Executive Vice Provost before submission to the System Office for review.

If approved by the System Office, you will receive a letter stating the approved salary increase amount. The System Office will then work with the University’s Budget Office to transfer the funds to the requesting unit.

If the request for retention fund support is not approved, you may still make a counteroffer using your own funds. You are encouraged to contact the Executive Vice Provost to support additional retention options.

If the retained faculty member leaves UNC, any awarded funds from the UNC system Office are returned to the central account.

At any stage during this process, you are encouraged to discuss retention options or strategies with the Executive Vice Provost.

For information on SHRA or EHRA Non-faculty employee retention, visit the Office of Human Resources website.