The University invites comments on proposed revisions to Section 036 of the Academic Personnel Manual:
- APM – 036, Employment
Summarized below are the proposed key policy revisions that are being distributed for systemwide review.
The policy revisions respond to the need to address a new bill signed into California state law that adds section 66284 to the California Education Code, effective January 1, 2025 (reference AB 1905 “Public postsecondary education: employment: settlements, informal resolutions, and retreat rights”), and requires the University to adopt a written policy regarding official letters of recommendation, among other requirements, as a condition of receiving state funding. The proposed technical revisions are intended to bring the University into compliance with section 66284 of the California Education Code by incorporating the following changes:
- Revise title of policy to “Academic Employment” to clarify that the policy applies to academic employment and to remove the interim status of the policy
- Add section APM – 036-0 e. Official Letters of Recommendation
- This section prohibits academic appointees from providing Official Letters of Recommendation prior to consulting with the appropriate campus entities to determine if the employee is a respondent in a sexual harassment complaint filed with the University.
- Official Letters of Recommendation is defined in the policy and excludes other forms of recommendations (including surveys, phone calls, assessment letters for academic review file -, and personal references), from the definition of Official Letters of Recommendation.
- Administrator or Supervisor is defined in this section.
- Add section APM – 036-0 f. Personal References and Personal Letters of Recommendation
- This section expressly permits academic appointees to provide references or letters in a personal capacity. The academic appointee is not required to consult with the appropriate entities to determine if the current or former employee is a respondent in a sexual harassment complaint filed with the University. Examples of other letters of recommendation excluded from the definition of Official Letters of Recommendation are provided.
- This section provides sample language to be included in personal references and letters of recommendation for employment. This language, or similar, will need to be included in all personal letters of reference, such as those you might supply for a current or former student or postdoctoral scholar.
The proposed revisions to the APM – 036 are posted to the Systemwide Academic Personnel website.
Comments about the proposed policy should be submitted here.
So that we may meet the Office of the President’s response deadline, please submit any comments to the proposed policy revisions by Friday, March 14, 2025.
If you have any questions about the proposed policy, please contact Ilona Pak at ipak@uci.edu.
Sincerely,
Gillian R. Hayes
Vice Provost for Academic Personnel
Robert A. and Barbara L. Kleist Professor of Informatics