Appendix 3: Definitions

ACCELERATED MERIT INCREASE:
Advancement in step in advance of eligibility, or to a higher step than normal, constitutes acceleration and requires evidence of unusual achievement.

ACCELERATED PROMOTION:
Promotion in advance of eligibility or to a higher rank or higher step than normal constitutes acceleration and requires evidence of unusual achievement.

APPOINTMENT:
As distinguished from a promotion, occurs when a person is initially employed in a series, if the individual's immediately previous state was:

• 1. not in the employ of the university; or

• 2. in the employ of the university but not with a title in the same series.

DECELERATED MERIT INCREASE:
Occurs when an appointee serves for more than the normal number of years at a step before advancement.

DECELERATED PROMOTION:
Occurs when a person serves in rank for longer than the normal period at rank before advancement.

EQUIVALENT RANKS:
A position which carries equal status under a different title, and utilizes similar criteria because of academic specialty or emphasis. For example, the Astronomer and Supervisor of Physical Education Series are equivalent to the Professor Series.

GREATER THAN NORMAL:
Actions resulting in salary increases of more than one step equivalent, e.g., advancement from Step 2 to Step 3 off-scale.

MERIT INCREASE:
Advancement in step within a given rank; advancement to an above-scale salary at the Professor rank or to a further above-scale salary at that rank. For appointees who are paid on a salary range, a merit increase is an advancement in salary rate, without a change in rank or title.

OFF-SCALE SALARY:
A salary for an appointee at a certain rank and step which is not associated with the given rank and step in the published salary scales for the relevant title series and is not above the highest published salary for that series. (Refer to sections 803.620, 804.620 and APM 620.)

ON-SCALE SALARY:
A salary published in the Academic Salary Scales for a certain rank and step for the relevant title series.

OVERLAPPING STEPS:
Re-instituted for use on the Santa Cruz campus effective 1993-94. Refer to section 407.690 of this Manual.

PROMOTION:
Advancement from one rank to a higher rank within a series. A change from a title in another series (possibly involving an increase in salary) is not defined as a promotion or merit increase, but as an appointment.

RANK:
The level of a position in the series, e.g. in the Professor Series, the ranks are, in ascending order -- Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor.

REAPPOINTMENT:
The renewal of a previous appointment immediately following the ending of the previous appointment in this series. A reappointment may or may not be accompanied by a promotion or merit increase.

STEP:
Indicated by a number (or Roman numeral) after the rank, e.g., Professor, Step 1 (or I). It is an indicator of the stage of advancement of the individual, and is used primarily to keep a record of such advancement.

TITLE SERIES:
All of the positions within a title grouping, e.g. Professor Series, Professional Research Series, Specialist Series, and Supervisor of Physical Education Series.