In response to current fiscal challenges and systemwide guidance from President Drake, UC Merced has implemented temporary staff position control measures. These efforts are designed to help the campus prioritize mission-critical workforce needs while ensuring responsible budget management. Measures will be reassessed in six months.
A. Scope & Review Process
Staff position control applies to the following actions:
- Classification requests for career, contract, and *limited appointments (new and backfill)
- Career conversions for contract and limited roles
All requests must be endorsed by the Division Head and submitted through the Position Control Request Form by the Division Partner.
Note: Limited appointments are subject to specific terms under applicable collective bargaining agreements. Departments should consult with Talent Acquisition at ucmjobs@ucmerced.edu if unsure about eligibility, duration limits, or conversion requirements.
B. Review & Decision Workflow:
The following steps apply to all classification and career conversion requests subject to position control:
- Requests submitted by Thursday at 5 p.m. will be reviewed by the Position Control Committee the following week.
- The Committee will review each submission and recommend one of three outcomes: approval, hold, or request for additional information.
- Approved recommendations will be forwarded to the Chancellor for final decision.
- Divisions will be notified of the Chancellor’s decision as soon as possible.
- Once approved, departments must follow standard procedures (e.g., submit a classification eDoc, as applicable).
C. Position Control Committee
The committee reviews all staff requests in scope and recommends actions to the Chancellor. Members include:
- Betsy Dumont, Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
- Kurt Schnier, Vice Chancellor & Chief Financial Officer
- Cori Lucero, Assistant Chancellor & Chief of Staff
- Fabiola Elizalde, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer
- Tom Hansford, Vice Provost for Academic Personnel
D. Timeline and Status of Recruitment and Classification Requests
i. April 4 – Divisional Reports Pulled from HR Queues (In-Flight Requests)
HR pulled a snapshot of all in-flight personnel actions—including classification, recruitment, reclassification, stipend, and equity requests—as of April 3 at 4:00 p.m. Reports were sent to division heads on April 4 to identify mission-critical requests and provide justification by April 14. All processing was paused pending committee review, except for positions at the offer stage with prior written VC or EVC/Provost approval, which moved forward.
ii. Recruitment Requests – Initial Review Completed
The committee met on April 16 to review all recruitment requests included in the April 4 divisional reports. Only those listed in the Chancellor’s May 5 decision memo are approved to proceed. All others remain on hold or require additional information. HR is reconciling these and will follow up with departments as needed.
iii. Classification Requests – Pending Chancellor Decision
The Chancellor reviewed the classification requests from the April 4 divisional reports during the week of May 12. HR is in the process of notifying divisions and departments of which requests were approved, placed on hold, or require additional information.
a. For any requests not approved during this initial review, Division Partners must submit a Position Control Form to initiate further consideration.
iv. Requests Submitted After April 4
As part of the position control rollout, departments were asked to pause new requests after April 4. However, some continued to submit requests, and others had actions already in progress with the Budget Office. These submissions were not included in the initial committee review and are being reconciled separately. As of May 12, HR has followed up with divisions to share which post–April 4 submissions fall within the current scope of review—limited to recruitment and classification requests. Divisions have been asked to respond by May 20.
a. To maintain consistency and ensure proper documentation, all requests requiring Position Control Committee review must be accompanied by a completed Position Control Form, submitted by the appropriate Division Partner.
E. Other HR Actions from April 4 Divisional Reports
While the Position Control Committee is reviewing only classification and recruitment requests, the April 4 divisional reports also included reclassifications, stipends, equity adjustments, retentions, and STAR nominations. These actions are not subject to position control review and may proceed if approved by the Division Head during the divisional report review. HR’s Compensation Analyst will follow up with Division Partners to confirm the details of any pending requests.
F. STAR Awards
All STAR award requests that met eligibility criteria have been approved and forwarded to Payroll for processing. The STAR program for Fiscal Year 2025–2026 is currently on hold pending program revisions.
G. Position Control Request Form
The Position Control Request Form is required for staff classification requests and career conversionsas defined in theScope & Review Processsection above.
Access to the form is limited to Division Partners. Division Partners are responsible for submitting requests on behalf of their Division Heads and must ensure that all required information is complete and that the Division Head has formally endorsed the request prior to submission.
The form has been shared directly with Division Partners. Requests submitted through alternate channels or outdated forms will not be routed for review.
H. Academic Affairs Units
The Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (EVC/Provost) serves as the division head for all Academic Affairs units. To ensure alignment across units and maintain leadership visibility into workforce planning, funding, and campus priorities, academic units are required to complete the Academic Affairs Position Control Form based on position type (i.e., staff or academic) for all HR- or academic personnel- related matters, including reclassifications, stipends, recruitments, equity adjustments, retention offers, career conversions, and independent contractor requests.
Process for Academic Affairs Units:
- Complete the appropriate Academic Affairs Position Control Form based on position type (i.e., staff or academic) for any of the following actions:
- Reclassifications
- Recruitments
- Stipends
- Equity Adjustments
- Retention Offers
- Career Conversions
- Independent Contractors
- Form submission should be limited to appropriate unit-level personnel with authority over staffing and funding decisions—such as Assistant Deans, Personnel Directors. This ensures that requests are vetted at the appropriate level before being routed for EVC/Provost review.
- Requests will route through the EVC/Provost’s Division Partner (currently Sharon Butler, Assistant EVC/Provost, Finance & Administration) for coordination and submission.
- If the EVC/Provost approves the request submitted through the Academic Affairs Position Control Form and it does not require review by the campus Position Control Committee, Sharon Butler will communicate the decision back to the unit. The unit will then submit the position request through eDoc or another appropriate avenue. All eDocs should be routed to Sharon Butler, who will verify EVC/Provost approval.
- If the EVC/Provost approves the request and it does require campus-level review, Sharon Butler will submit it to the committee. Sharon Butler will communicate final decisions to the unit. The unit will then submit the position request through eDoc or another appropriate avenue. All eDocs should be routed to Sharon Butler, who will verify EVC/Provost approval and Position Control committee approval.
I. Career Conversion Requests
Departments seeking to convert a limited or contract appointment to a career appointment must submit a Position Control Request Form. As part of the submission, departments are required to upload a completed financial analysis confirming the availability of permanent funding for the proposed career position. To fulfill this requirement, departments must complete the Career Conversion Financial Review Template (link template), which ensures long-term funding sustainability and alignment with institutional planning. This link is also embedded directly within the Position Control Request Form.
If you have questions about how to complete the template, please contact Financial Planning & Analysis (budget@ucmerced.edu) directly for guidance.
Review Timeline:
- Submissions received by Thursday at 5:00 p.m. (with the completed financial template attached) will be routed for review of financial information by the following Monday.
- Financial review recommendation is due to the Position Control Committee by Thursday at 5:00 p.m. (one week after submission).
- The request will be reviewed by the Position Control Committee the following week.
Example: If a request is submitted by Thursday, May 15 at 5:00 p.m., it will be routed for financial submission review by Monday, May 19. Financial review recommendation will be due by Thursday, May 22, and the request will be reviewed by the committee the week of May 26.
Departments are encouraged to plan and consult with their Division Partner and budget officer early in the process to avoid delays.
J. Quarterly Reporting
To support transparency and planning, HR will provide quarterly reports to Division Heads and the Chancellor summarizing transaction activity in the following categories:
- Reclassifications
- Retentions
- Equities
- Stipends
- Appointment extensions
Questions? Contact hr@ucmerced.edu for support.
