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Staff & Professionals - Policies, Governance & Professional Development

If you don't find what you're looking for here, try the VIMS Faculty & Staff Gateway or the W&M Faculty & Staff Gateway.  Have a suggestion for an addition to this page? Let us know!
VIMS-Specific Policies

VIMS operations and employees are governed by VIMS Policy & Procedure Documents (PPDs; composite document is available through the Faculty & Staff Gateway, under "Working Here") and by William & Mary University policies (see below). The VIMS PPDs serve to establish policies and procedures unique to VIMS and/or to provide additional information and guidance regarding the application of University policies at VIMS.  

Other Policies & Guiding Documents

For all employees, benefit and leave information is available from W&M Human Resources.  The Office of Compliance & Equity provides a centralized collection of current university policies. Policies are organized by major topic and cover areas such as Compliance, Human Resources and Personnel, Research Activities, Safety and IT & Security.

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Key W&M Employment Policies for Staff and Professionals
  • Classification Policy - provides guidelines and responsibilities for the classification of Executive, Administrative Faculty, Professional and Operational positions (“University Staff”), and Hourly positions.
  • Compensation Policy -  provides guidelines for establishing and administering a compensation plan for Covered Staff.
  • Compensatory and Overtime Leave - provides uniform guidelines for the accrual, use, and payment of compensatory leave and overtime leave. This policy works together with the Hours of Work and Overtime Policy to compensate non-exempt employees for overtime worked and helps the university comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act. 
  • Employee Reasonable Accomodations - William & Mary is committed to providing individuals with disabilities equal opportunities in all phases of employment.  
  • Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - policy ensures that the university complies with the Family and Medical Leave Act, which guarantees eligible employees with unpaid leave in certain situations.
  • Hours of Work & Overtime - purpose of this policy is to (i) define work hours (schedules) for University Staff, (ii) describe the circumstances under which overtime is allowed for Hourly and Non-exempt employees, and (iii) specify the practice for lunch and other breaks. 
  • Performance Planning and Evaluation for Professionals - establishes a system for (1) setting performance goals and objectives as well as career development goals; (2) monitoring employee progress, providing constructive feedback and evaluating performance; and (3) aligning performance plans with the university’s and units’ strategic plan to the extent practical.  
Staff Assembly

Quick link (W&M, external): W&M Staff Assembly

The W&M Staff Assembly represents William & Mary and Virginia Institute of Marine Science operational, classified and non-student hourly employees.

The Staff Assembly consists of 24 members and has 5 Standing Committees that are open to the Staff for membership. The Assembly advises the senior administration to include, the President and the Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration on matters affecting the operational, classified and hourly wage employees.

The Staff Assembly meets on the second Wednesdays of each month at 10:00 AM. Monthly meetings are open to all Staff members. 

Visit the W&M Staff Assembly on Facebook. 
Professionals & Professional Faculty Assembly

Quick links: W&M Professionals & Professional Faculty Assembly (external); VIMS PPF Council (intranet)

The W&M Professionals & Professional Faculty Assembly is a 21-member elected board that represents William & Mary and Virginia Institute of Marine Science staff members who are professionals and professional faculty (PPFs).  The VIMS PPF Council (intranet) provides leadership, information and resources to support Professionals & Professional Faculty at VIMS. 

The PPF Handbook is an informal collection of W&M policies compiled by the Professionals and Professional Faculty Assembly for the convenience of PPFs.
 Professional Development
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W&M Opportunities & Resources

W&M Human Resources – Talent Development offers courses, tools and trainings to help you meet your goals in areas such as leadership, communication, and personnel hiring and management.   Leadership training is available for all levels of experience.  Other trainings and workshops such as Employee Relations 101, Revitalizing Your Resilience, Creating Desktop Procedures Workshop and Enhancing Your Presentation Skills broaden the scope of offerings. Check the Learning Opportunities page for more details.  Many of the programs are offered on the Williamsburg campus, but with enough interest, some of them can be brought to VIMS.  Contact the Assistant Director for Administration in the Office of the Dean & Director, for more information.

As a member of the W&M Community, you also have access to LinkedIn Learning in Cornerstone, the online learning management system for faculty and staff. Topics cover a range of business, creative and technical topics, from leadership “soft skills” to design principles to programming. 

W&M Diversity & Inclusion celebrates inclusive excellence champions and supports professional development through a Lunch & Learn series, IDEA grants, Cornerstone Learning and an Annual Diversity & Inclusion Symposium.

The Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation (STLI) provides resources and teaching-related professional development opportunities.  They also offer one-on-one consultations.

The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) provides W&M compliance committee members (IACUC, PHSC, and IBC, RAD), principal investigators, students, and staff with on-line trainings that document compliance with various federal mandates.  For more information on how to access the correct training modules for VIMS employees, visit Research Support.
VIMS Opportunities & Resources

Through this portal, VIMS provides guidance and resources to support work across Research, Advisory Service, and Academic, Teaching & Student-Advising.

Information on promotion pathways and job families at VIMS is provided by VIMS Human Resources (intranet).

VIMS staff are regularly invited to participate in professional, skill-building, and other workshops or trainings hosted at VIMS or W&M.  Examples of recent offerings include a GIS and Remote Sensing Workshop Series and a Sharing Science through Social Media Workshop.  Keep an eye on your email and the W&M Digest for information about these opportunities as they arise. 

The VIMS Diversity & Inclusion Committee (known as Dive-In) offers trainings and hosts events that are open to faculty, staff and students. Watch email for announcements.
VIMS Professional & Staff Development Fund

VIMS professionals and staff have access to funding for professional development through the Professional and Staff Development Fund (intranet).  An application is required.  Announcements are made via VIMS e-mail and applications are due in the summer.  Visit the VIMS PPF Council webpage (intranet) for details.

Here are some examples of external professional development opportunities VIMS staff have pursued with support from this fund:

Atlantic Estuarine Research (AERS)  Society Meeting
Course in R Graphics
Crystal Reports Online Boot Camp 
ESRI International Developer Summit
LANDesk Systems & Security Management Boot Camp
Marine Aquarium Conference of North America
Marine Systems Certification MS 400
Mid-Atlantic Education Assoc Conference
MSCE Certification Exams plus training review program
Primer (statistical software) workshop
SETAC Annual Meeting
Statistical Analysis of Real-time PCR Data
VA  Association Science Teachers  Annual Professional Institute
VA Contracting Association Officer Certification Program - registration costs
External Resources (Science-focused)

Professional scientific societies offer a broad range of professional development opportunities.  If you haven't already tapped into these resources, check out the list of opportunities we compiled for graduate students.

Making the Right Moves (pdf) is an older publication, but it remains a valuable resource for early career faculty, postdoctoral and professional scientists. 
Awards & Recognition
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W&M Awards & Opportunities

Quick links: W&M Employee Appreciation; Inclusive Excellence Champions

Employees on the VIMS campus are invited to W&M's Annual Faculty & Staff Convocation as an expression of the university's appreciation for its employees.  Years of Service Recognition Awards for VIMS employees are awarded at the VIMS Award Ceremony in May (see below).
VIMS Awards

The VIMS community gathers in May every year to recognize and honor exemplary performance by faculty, staff, and students during the previous calendar year.  Learn more about how we celebrate service and excellence at VIMS. 

  last update: 7/1/24 by LCS