Market adjustments are authorized to adjust a base salary to reflect market conditions for tenured and tenure-track faculty members of the bargaining unit. Specific information on requesting a market adjustment based on the criteria above is outlined in the Sec. 13.250.
Faculty can review the salary data for their discipline in the CUPA report for faculty. 24-25 CUPA data provided 4.3.25.
Eligibility
Beginning in the Spring 2024 semester, effective for the 24-25 AY, the Office of the Provost will be dividing the market adjustment funding into two distinct allocations: one for individuals showcasing marketability without a concrete offer, and another for addressing urgent requests, such as having an offer in hand or a campus interview invitation.
Funding Pool #1 | 24 April Submission Deadline
Faculty can submit requests at the end of the current academic year to take effect at the beginning of the following academic year. In this review process, priority will be given to new requests where the individual has not requested a market adjustment in the previous three years.
Funding Pool #2 | Rolling Deadline for Time-Sensitive Requests
The second pool of funding will be for time-sensitive market adjustments where there is a credible threat that but for an immediate market adjustment, the faculty member will leave the University for another opportunity.
PROCESS
(Updated 04.03.2025)
Beginning in Spring 2025, the Market Adjustment process will be facilitated through the Interfolio system.
1. Faculty Initiates Request
The faculty candidate completes the to notify the Office of the Provost of their intent to seek a market adjustment.
2. Case Created in Interfolio
Based on the submitted form, the Office of the Provost creates a Market Adjustment case in Interfolio and notifies the faculty member by email when the case is ready.
3. Faculty Submits Materials
The faculty member gathers compelling evidence of marketability and uploads the following materials to their Interfolio case:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Market Adjustment Request Letter
- Evidence of Marketability
- CUPA Salary Data
4. Chair/Director Secures Faculty Vote
The Chair/Director is notified via Interfolio of the market adjustment request. They secure and document the endorsement of a majority of the tenured and tenure-track faculty in the academic unit. This should be done with a Qualtrics survey.
- The unit may hold a meeting to discuss the request, with or without the faculty member present.
- The faculty member may choose whether or not to share their marketability evidence with colleagues.
5. Chair/Director Uploads Vote Results
The Chair/Director uploads the vote results to the faculty member’s Interfolio case.
- If the academic unit does not endorse the market adjustment request, the Chair/Director must still upload the vote results and the faculty member’s request to the case.
6. UFA-ADM Committee Review
The UFA-ADM committee is notified via Interfolio to review the request. For end-of-academic-year submissions, the committee applies the following rubric:
- Tier 1: Offer letter for comparable position or invitation for an in-person interview
- Tier 2: Invitation to participate in first-round interview or personalized invitation to apply for a specific position
- Tier 3: Generic invitation (e.g., from a search firm) to apply for a position or evidence that the faculty member’s skillset/specialty is especially marketable or difficult to replace
7. Final Decision by Provost
The Provost makes the final decision regarding all market adjustments, including the approved amount. The Provost may consult with the dean before making a final determination.
8. Faculty Notified
The faculty member is notified via Interfolio that a final decision letter is available in their case.
Qualtrics Survey Instructions
- Log in to Qualtrics via my.umt.edu (not the Course Evaluation version) using your NetID.
- Click "Create New Project" in the lower right-hand corner of the main screen.
- On the next screen, under "From Scratch," click the "Survey" button. A menu will pop up on the left-hand side of the screen. Click "Get Started."
- On the "Create a New Project" screen, title your survey "[Faculty Lastname] - Market Adjustment."
- Under "How do you want to start your survey?" select "Import a QSF file" and import the Market Adjustment Template file linked here (right-click the link and "Save Link As..."). Then hit "Create Project."
- If there are any issues with the download, please contact officeoftheprovost@umontana.edu for the file.
- The survey has one question and the security settings are already in place to ensure participants can only vote once, anonymously. Update the question to include the Faculty member’s name and hit "Publish."
- A pop-up window will appear indicating "The survey is published and activated." Copy the link and distribute it to the faculty.
- Once the time period for completing the survey has expired, go to the "Results" menu and export the second dashboard with vote counts by clicking on the […] in the upper right-hand corner of the widget and selecting "PDF."