Faculty Support Funds Guidelines

All Tenure Track, Instructional and Clinical Track faculty of Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, regardless of rank, may be provided faculty support funds each fiscal year, depending on funds availability. Eligible faculty, in collaboration with their department chair, should plan to use these funds to support their work for the college. Individuals with appointments in more than one unit/department will have support funds budgeted in only one of the units/departments. Administrators who receive faculty appointments in conjunction with their administrative position are not eligible for additional support funds.

Use of Support Funds:

Department chairs are responsible for approving the use of support funds.

Examples of appropriate uses of support funds include, but are not limited to the following:

• State Medical Board and DEA licensures and renewals
• CME requirements to maintain licensure
• Board certification requirements
• Membership fees in specialty or professional organizations relevant to the faculty member’s discipline*
• Academic conferences
• Journal subscriptions
• Medical texts
• CME registration(s) and/or travel expenses within allowable limits

Examples of limitations and areas of discernment include, but are not limited to the following:

• Expenditures must comply with all University and Heritage College policies and procedures.
• Support funds cannot be used towards salary or benefits.
• All tangible items purchased with support funds remain the property of the college.
• Typically, new requests for access to faculty support funds are not permitted after a formal notification of retirement or separation from the college has been submitted.

*Faculty members with a D.O. degree may have their American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and Ohio Osteopathic Association (OOA) membership dues paid from the department’s operating budget.

Questions regarding the appropriateness of usage of faculty support funds should be directed to the department chair or budget support staff.

Allocation of Support Funds

HCOM Finance will determine the allocation of individual faculty and department support funds on an annual basis.

Basis for Position Support Fund Allocations

1. All Tenure Track, Instructional and Clinical Track faculty with an academic FTE of 0.40 or greater are eligible for faculty support funds.
2. Departments may also receive additional support funds based upon the number of eligible faculty members in their departments.

Department Request for Carry-Over of Support Funds

To request carry-over of departmental support funds, the department chair must submit a specific plan for use to HCOM Finance for approval. Chairs will be notified of the decision in a timely manner.