Overview
Significant revisions to Section 300 of The UNC Policy Manual and The Code listed below were approved by the Board of Governors (BOG) on January 25, 2024.
- 300.1.1 - Policy on Employees Exempt from the North Carolina Human Resources Act
- 300.2.22 - Leave Programs for Faculty and Staff Exempt from the North Carolina Human Resources Act
The summary below is designed to provide a shareable summary of key changes. It is not all-inclusive of all updates and revisions to Policy 300, but focuses on the following:
- Nomenclature
- Discontinuation and severance
- New Personal Leave plan
- Leave and separation from employment
Click here for a printable version of this summary.
Who is impacted?
Employees deemed Exempt from the Human Resources Act of NC (EHRA) are impacted by these policy changes, including:
- Senior Administrative and Academic Officers (SAAO)
- 12-Month EHRA Faculty
- EHRA-Non-Faculty
However, Commissioned Police Officers are not impacted, and faculty in 9-, 10- and 11-month positions that do not earn leave, are not impacted.
Nomenclature
The category of employees deemed Exempt from the Human Resources Act of NC includes Senior Administrative and Academic Officers (SAAO ) and Exempt Professional Staff (EPS). The terms “EHRA Faculty” and “EHRA-Non-Faculty” are now obsolete. The table below describes how the old terms are now defined.
WAS | Defined as | NOW | Defined as |
| EHRA Non-Faculty, and EHRA-Faculty | Exempt from the Human Resources Act of NC included employee classifications unique to employees of the UNC System Institutions, including faculty | EPS | Exempt Professional Staff includes: Associate and Assistant Vice Chancellor, Chief/Officer, Faculty, and Institutional Research and Information Technology positions |
SAAO T2 | Senior Administrative and Academic Officer - Tier 2 included Associate Vice Chancellor, and Chief/Officer positions | ||
| IRIT | Institutional Research and Information Technology positions | ||
| SAAO T1 | Senior Administrative and Academic Officer - Tier 1 included Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Provost, Dean, and other senior leadership positions | SAAO | Senior Administrative and Academic Officers include Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Provost, Dean, and other senior leadership positions |
Discontinuation and Severance
The table below outlines changes to the discontinuation and severance policy for EHRA employees.
| If… | And the Position is Discontinued, then… |
| the employee was hired at App State in an EHRA position AFTER July 1, 2024 | the University will issue a discontinuation letter with at least thirty (30) days advance notice and place the employee on Administrative Leave With Pay (ALWP) for the 30 days (includes salary and benefits). |
| the employee converted from SHRA to EHRA or was hired at App State in an EHRA position BEFORE July 1, 2024 | the University will issue a discontinuation letter that includes a lump sum pay-out based on the employee's years of service at App State in an EHRA position (includes salary but not benefits). |
Note: The Chancellor has the authority to offer up to 90 days of salary in a lump sum pay-out if the employee signs a Release of Claims. | |
Annual Leave vs. Personal Leave Plans
The table below compares the traditional Annual Leave Plan and the new Personal Leave Plan affecting EHRA employees.
Traditional Annual Leave Plan | New Personal Leave Plan | |
WHO | All full-time, permanent employees hired BEFORE January 1, 2025 in an EPS position (does not include SAAO). | All full-time, permanent employees hired AFTER January 1, 2025 in an EPS position (does not include SAAO). |
| WHAT | Will earn 24 Annual Leave days
| Will earn 26 Personal Leave days Will NOT earn Annual Leave |
| WHY | To be used for vacation. | To be used for vacation. |
| WHEN | Each year, AFTER December 31
| Each year, BEFORE December 31 May carry forward to the next year a maximum of 20 workdays of Personal Leave to be used as Personal Leave, and does not convert to Sick Leave. |
Leave and Separation from Employment
When an EHRA employee leaves their current position, voluntarily or involuntarily, the following applies.
If… | Hired AFTER January 1, 2025 and on Personal Leave then… | Hired BEFORE January 1, 2025 and on Annual Leave then… |
| Transferring to another EHRA position at App State | All leave balances transfer with the employee. | |
| Transferring to another EHRA position within the UNC System | No leave is paid out. Employee must work on the last day of employment. A maximum of 20 days of Personal Leave will transfer with the employee to the new institution. Employee will remain on the Personal Leave program at the new institution. | App State will pay out up to 30 workdays of Annual Leave to the employee. Employee must work on the last day of employment. No Annual Leave will transfer to the new institution. Employee will switch to the Personal Leave program at the new institution. |
| Resigning | No leave is paid out. Employee must work on the last day of employment. | App State will pay out up to 30 workdays of Annual Leave to the employee. |
| Separated from employment involuntarily | ||
| Transferring to another position at any State Agency in NC | ||