IP/SIP

About four weeks before your start date, you will receive a few emails from our Academic Affairs Coordinator, Emily Caliendo, guiding you through the onboarding process in Workday. There is a more detailed guide here if you need further assistance while completing the tasks. If your questions are not answered in the guide, please email Emily at ecaliendo@uchicago.edu.

To receive your paycheck directly to your bank account, you will need to set up a direct deposit in Workday after completion of onboarding and prior to the monthly payroll deadline (typically the third Wednesday of each month). Instructions are here. If you do not set up direct deposit, a paper paycheck will be mailed to your primary address listed in Workday.

The University of Chicago offers a wide variety of benefits programs and resources to its employees. From the health plan options and wellness programs to the continuing education opportunities and competitive retirement plans, the University is committed to providing benefits that matter to employees at each stage of their employment. For specifics about the benefits available to University employees, visit the Benefits page on the UChicago Intranet. Note: Intranet access requires CNET ID and password.

You will sign up for insurance and benefits via Workday. After your onboarding is complete, you will receive a task in your Workday inbox to do so (it may take a few days for the task to be assigned to you). You must elect your benefits and insurance coverage within the first 31 days of your employment. Detailed instructions are here. You may contact benefits@uchicago.edu with any questions. 

There is an Open Enrollment period each year during which you may make changes to your benefits elections if desired. The Benefits Office will provide more details as the Open Enrollment period approaches.

A childcare supplement up to $1,000 will also be available to IP/SIPs who apply each quarter. Details and instructions for applying are forthcoming.

• Student Wellness Event
• Implicit Bias Training
• Free Expression in the Classroom Workshop
• Search Committee Training
• Workshop on Reappointment and Progression Cases

The IP/SIP Research Resources guide here.

Social Science Research Center (SSRC) here

Social Sciences Computing Services here

Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning here

IP/SIPs are eligible to apply for PI Status. PI status is necessary for 1) any IP/SIP who plans to mentor students conducting research that involves human subjects and requires an Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol; 2) any IP/SIP who wishes to serve as PI on an extramural funding proposal.

To apply for PI status:

1. Download the PI Status Packet provided by University Research Administration.
2. Review PI Responsibilities and the PI Compliance Responsibilities matrix
3. Complete Request for PI Status Form. If you are requesting PI status in order to apply for an extramural funding opportunity, please complete Project, Project Period and Sponsor fields. If you are requesting PI status in order to apply for an extramural funding opportunity, please leave the Project, Project Period, and Sponsor fields blank, and in the Reason for Request Field, state "I will serve as a mentor to students on student research project, some of which may include human subjects and require IRB protocols."
4. Obtain Dept Chair or Program Director signature.
5. Send one PDF document that includes the Request for PI Status Form and your CV to Emily Caliendo, Academic Affairs Coordinator (ecaliendo@uchicago.edu) for review no later than Friday, October 31, 2025 (deadline will be the last Friday in October each year).

The link below provides guidelines from the Office of the Provost for use of IP professional development funds (Section I) and eligibility for requesting a Professional Development Leave or a one-course teaching reduction (Section II). 

https://uchicago.box.com/s/yofbzt91ek0x9stnz0dwegmebz6zl48x

These guidelines specify that “The IP must apply for professional development leave using the procedures and deadlines applicable to Statute 11.1 faculty in the relevant unit.” The process for applying for all academic leaves in SSD is as follows. 

HOW TO APPLY 

Instructional Professors who wish to take a Professional Development Leave in a given academic year should express intent to the Department Chair in early autumn of the prior year (e.g., Research Leave plans for 2026-27 should be communicated in early autumn 2025). *NOTE: Because this is the first year in which these Professional Development Leaves are being considered, the deadline can be extended for applications for leave in 2026-27. However, requests for leave in 2027-28 must follow the schedule and process below. 

Discussion between the Instructional Professor and the Chair should address the following: 

1. the IP’s plans during the professional development leave;
2. if they plan to seek external funding to support the leave;
3. what impact his or her absence will have on the department; and
4. what steps he or she will take to ensure that a professional development leave will not impede the progress of any student advisees. 

At their discretion, Department Chairs may require in advance of the formal application a written elaboration of the Instructional Professor’s plans or any other supporting documentation they feel is appropriate. 

Once an Instructional Professor has discussed Professional Development Leave plans with the relevant Chair(s), he or she should fill out the Service Now Academic Leave Form by November 15 which will undergo pre-review by the Academic Affairs Team in the SSD Dean’s Office before being submitted to the Department Chair(s) for approval. Each Chair should submit an endorsement memo for their Department’s academic leave requests, as well as a statement that details the Department’s plans for operating with a reduced body, to the Dean’s Office by December 15. After approval by the Provost, the Dean’s Office will inform the Chairs in winter quarter or as soon as possible. 

Please note that requests from PIs of external awards will need to undergo an additional step; these requests must be approved by URA before they go to the Provost’s Office for final approval. 

Instructional Professors interested in seeking external funding to support additional quarter(s) of Professional Development Leave should contact the SSD Senior Associate Director for Research Development, June Hou (juneh@uchicago.edu), for assistance in identifying opportunities. To ensure maximum eligibility, and in order to avoid missing the deadlines for major funding sources, this conversation should begin no later than May 1 in the year prior to the prospective Research Leave (i.e. sixteen months before the anticipated leave), although we welcome consultation at all stages during the development of a fellowship application. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAVE APPLICATION DEADLINES 

Please note: these dates refer to the academic year before the desired Professional Development Leave year; for example, Instructional Professors requesting a Professional Development Leave for Academic Year 2026–27 would need to apply in 2025 for approval in early calendar year 2026. 

September 1: Preferred deadline for contacting SSD Senior Associate Director for Research Development regarding fellowship funding 

November 15: Deadline for submitting Research Leave request through the Service Now Form 

December 15: Deadline for Department Chairs to submit Academic Leave requests to Dean’s Office 

HOW TO MAKE A REQUEST FOR A ONE-COURSE TEACHING REDUCTION 

Article 22.4.B establishes that following three years of service as a Lecturer, a Lecturer may apply for a one-course teaching reduction for the purpose of either (1) creating high-quality instructional material that could not be created without the course reduction or (2) designing new courses that could not be created without the course reduction. Please note that eligibility for a course reduction for reason (2) is limited to Lecturers who have been assigned to design and teach at least two original courses during the academic year in which they would have the one-course reduction. If a Lecturer is granted a course reduction for either reasons (1) or (2), they will be eligible for a subsequent course reduction following four years of continuous service after the year in which the course reduction took place. 

All written requests for a one-course reduction must be submitted to the relevant Dean’s Office by January 15 of the academic year preceding the year in which the course reduction would take place. The requests must be approved by the Lecturer’s supervisor and chair (if applicable) in order to be considered by the Dean’s Office.

Initial CBA
(Updated CBA forthcoming)

TBD