In the life of any academic institution, a small proportion of faculty members will depart for other opportunities each year. We hope the following resources will be of help to you if you are considering such a departure.
Q: Are there any resources available to me regarding finding another job, or preparing my CV or job interview skills?
A: Yes, such resources are available on the web; useful links may be found on the website of our Office of Faculty Development.
Q: If I do decide to leave, how much lead time (advance notice) should I give?
A: In general, the more advance notice the better! The SMD Regulations of the Faculty ask that faculty give sufficient notice to ensure that her/his responsibilities can be properly covered after the faculty member leaves. The duration required varies by the type of faculty appointment. Please review the section of the SMD Regulations relevant to your appointment, and also please review the language in your initial job offer letter or any subsequent letters or contracts, which also may stipulate the advance notice period required.
Q: What happens to my benefits when I leave?
A: Please discuss this directly with a representative from Human Resources, either your department-assigned HR Business Partner or HR Benefits Office personnel.
Q: Will I get paid for my unused vacation time?
A: No, faculty are not entitled to a payout for unused vacation time.
Q: Can I just use up my vacation time at the end of my employment, that is, stop working before the end of my employment at UR?
A: In general the answer to this question is no. Faculty may not use vacation time at the end of their employment unless they have the explicit permission of their department chair to do so.
Q: What do I need to turn in before I leave?
A: Please review this with the appropriate administrative staff person in your department. This generally will include your UR ID card, keys, and any other UR-owned property (such as computers purchased with UR funds). For clinicians, this also includes any paper charts or other records kept on patients seen as part of your UR employment; you must return these before you depart.
Q: Is there any kind of “exit interview”?
A: The answer is “yes, if you wish.” While the School does not formally require such an exit interview, you are welcome to contact Dr. Jeffrey Lyness (Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs) to set up an appointment for an exit interview; we are always interested in your appraisal of what we do well and what we can do better for our faculty and our institution. We also hope that you will take the chance to let your department chair, or other relevant supervisor or mentor, know your candid assessment of your work experiences at URMC.
Q: What else do I need to do before I leave?
A: All faculty should discuss this with the appropriate administrative staff person in your department (ask your chair's office if you are uncertain who this is). All faculty must return their UR ID card, keys, and any other University-purchased or University-owned property, such as computers or technical equipment purchased with sponsored research funds. As well, discussions for all faculty should include consideration of the future plans for personnel in your area (staff, trainees, and faculty colleagues), and for your supervisory, teaching, and administrative roles. For clinicians, you must return any paper charts or other records kept on patients seen as part of your UR employment before you depart. For funded investigators, please work with the departmental administrator, chair or chair designee, ORPA-assigned administrator, and any funding agencies to plan for the timely close-out and subsequent transfer of grants or contracts, a process that may take several months. Other research-related issues may include coordination with your new institution of transfers of grants, the disposition of equipment, protocols, requirements, record retention, material transfer agreements, or intellectual property, and discussion with the RSRB and UCAR regarding human subject and animal use approvals/closeouts and the disposition of data deriving from human or animal research.