Subd. 1. Process. For purposes of assignment of positions to salary ranges, the Employer agrees to continue to use the following instruments: MSUAASF/Excluded Staff Position Description form; Position Analysis Questionnaire; Administrative Procedures for MSUAASF /Excluded Staff Position Evaluations; and the System MSUAASF benchmarks. The Employer will provide three (3) copies of each of these to the Campus Association President, and a copy will be available in each human resources office.

Subd. 2. Evaluation Committee. A local evaluation committee will be established by the President and it shall include a Campus Association representative.

Subd. 3. Benchmark Range Assignments. Positions are assigned to comparable benchmarks and are assigned to salary ranges A through E as specified in Section B. Such assignments shall continue for the duration of this Agreement unless reassigned pursuant to Subd. 4 of this Section.

Subd. 4. Position Reassignments. The documents referred to in Subd. 1 above are for informational purposes only. They are not part of the collective bargaining agreement, and are not negotiable or grievable. Positions created during the term of this Agreement will be evaluated for the purpose of assignment to salary range. An ASF Member or supervisor may request to have a position reevaluated if such a request is based upon changes in the position and such request shall be acted upon unless the position has been evaluated in the previous twelve (12) month period, in which case endorsement of the request by the President's designee will be required before a reevaluation is undertaken. All requests for reevaluation shall be in writing. The Employer agrees that an opportunity to appear before the evaluation committee will be provided to the ASF Member. The Employer further agrees that an opportunity shall be provided to each ASF Member and to the Campus Association President to discuss the evaluation of the position with the Human Resources Director. The Campus Association President and the ASF Member shall be notified of the results of the campus recommendation. The effective date of the reassignment to a different salary range shall be the date the appropriate Vice President receives a formal written request for reevaluation of the position, with all appropriate agreed upon documentation.

Subd. 5. Position Description. The Employer agrees to provide each ASF Member a copy of his/her position description and position analysis questionnaire, and all such position descriptions and position analysis questionnaires shall be available to the Campus Association President upon request. The format of position descriptions and position analysis questionnaires shall be uniform for all ASF Members in the bargaining unit and shall be made available upon request to all ASF Members through the human resources office.

Subd. 6. Discretion. The ultimate authority of assignment to ranges is reserved to the discretion of the Employer.

Subd. 1. Promotion. A promotion occurs when a current ASF Member is selected to fill a vacant position in a higher salary range. Compensation will be determined at the time of the new appointment.

Subd. 2. Reassignment. A reassignment occurs when, as a result of increased levels of responsibility within a given job, that job is reevaluated in accordance with the procedures set out in Section A and reassigned to a higher salary range. The ASF Member will be compensated at a salary which is, at a minimum, the nearest higher salary in the new range plus one (1) additional step.

Subd. 3. Downgrade. A downgrade occurs when an ASF Member voluntarily accepts a position in lower salary range. The ASF Member shall have his/her salary reduced to the maximum of the new range, or if his/her salary is within the new range, to the salary which is nearest but not less than his/her current salary. In no event shall the ASF Member receive an increase in salary as a result of the downgrade.

Subd. 1. To be eligible for this program an ASF Member must have been employed at his/her university for ten (10) years and in essentially the same position for seven (7) years. Each year of the agreement no more than ten percent (10%) of the eligible ASF Members may have plans approved under this program.

Subd. 2. An eligible ASF Member is expected to demonstrate exceptional achievement under criteria "a" Demonstrated Ability to Effectively Perform Responsibilities, as well as in a minimum of two additional areas. A mutually agreed upon plan between the ASF Member and his/her supervisor is the first step in this process. Once the plan has been mutually agreed to by the ASF Member and his/her supervisor it shall be submitted to the appropriate Vice President. If the Vice President recommends approval of the plan, he/she shall convene a meeting of all the Vice Presidents on his/her campus within a reasonable period of time. If the Vice Presidents recommend approval of the plan it shall be submitted to the President whose decision shall be final. If the ASF Member's Vice President, the group of campus Vice Presidents or the President rejects a plan he/she/they shall provide a written statement of the reasons for the rejection to the ASF Member within two (2) weeks of their decision. The decision to approve or not approve a plan shall not be grievable.

Subd. 3. Criteria. The criteria to be used shall be:

High achievement in performing one's current responsibilities is a necessary condition of an exceptional achievement incentive plan. A pattern of consistent high achievement on performance evaluations may be considered appropriate documentation.

(b) Scholarly activity, creative achievement or research.

Evidence of an ASF Members continuing contribution to his/her profession is necessary for the completion of this criteria. The fundamental principle is high achievement as demonstrated by professional recognition by peers at a state, regional or national level. This involves appropriate dissemination of new knowledge, scholarly and artistic work as well as applied research.

ASF Members can demonstrate continuing professional growth in a number of ways such as: completion of a degree or certificate program; evidence of active participation as a presenter in state, regional or national professional meetings; post graduate seminars; participation in workshops and training sessions; and additional graduate coursework. Such continuing preparation and study should be relevant to the individual's position responsibilities or continued professional growth.

ASF Members can demonstrate high achievement in this area through evidence of advising excellence, unusual success in recruitment, retention or placement of students; counseling excellence; residential life programming excellence; facilitation of student groups and student leadership, student research projects or internships; comments from alumni; or involvement in department, center or extra-departmental student activities.

Service to the university can be demonstrated through service on departmental, division, or university committees; service on search committees, service for professional organizations, or with specific projects on the university's behalf; unusual success in fundraising, conducting workshops, developing and maintaining effective working relationships with teaching faculty; teaching courses not part of position responsibilities; and assisting with cultural diversity. Normally service to the external community is understood to be service consistent with, or growing out of, one's professional expertise yet beyond the expectations of one's position responsibilities. This can include administrative leadership. Effective communication to the public through various media is an important form of community service.

Subd 4. Salary Adjustment. Upon the successful completion of the approved Exceptional Performance Incentive Plan the ASF Member will receive a lump-sum payment equal to a five percent (5%) increase. This lump-sum payment shall not be added to base salary and can continue to be paid annually on a lump sum basis as long as the approved project continues to be performed. ASF Members at the top of the salary schedule will be eligible for a lump-sum payment.

Subd 5. Task Force. The Employer and State Association agree to form a task force to review the program outlined in Section I to recommend how to make the program work best. It shall be composed of three administrators and three ASF Members.

Subd. 1. For additionally assigned responsibilities in the bargaining unit not reasonably covered by the ASF Member's position description which the ASF Member performs for six (6) weeks or longer, vacation exempted, appropriate additional compensation shall be provided.

Subd. 2. Acting Appointment. An ASF Member who is assigned on an acting basis to a position in a higher range in the bargaining unit shall be compensated at a salary which, at a minimum, is the nearest higher salary in the new salary range, plus one step.

Any acting appointment with an expected duration greater than one year shall be subject to meet and confer with the local Association.

Subd. 3. When any additional assignments involve classroom teaching, compensation shall, at a minimum, be at the rate of $520 per credit hour or the negotiated adjunct faculty pay rate, whichever is greater.