Establishment

The University of the Virgin Islands was established by law as an instrumentality of the Government of the Virgin Islands in 1962. The Board of Trustees is the governing body. The President of the University, as the chief executive officer, has the power to appoint and remove all employees in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the Board of Trustees.

Purpose

The purpose of the Personnel Management System is to establish a system of employment that implements and perpetuates the following recognized principles of public employment:

• Recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees on the basis of their relative ability, knowledge, and skills, including open consideration of qualified applicants for initial appointment;
• Providing equitable and adequate compensation;
• Training employees, as needed, to assure high-quality performance;
• Retaining employees on the basis of the adequacy of their performance, correcting inadequate performance and separating employees whose inadequate performance cannot be corrected;
• Assuring fair treatment of applicants and employees in all aspects of personnel administration without regard to political affiliation, race, color, national origin, sex, religious creed, age, or handicap and with proper regard for their privacy and constitutional rights as citizens;
• Assuring that employees are protected against coercion for partisan political purposes and are prohibited from using official authority for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the results of an election or a nomination for public office.

Affirmative Action Statements

Equal Employment Opportunities

The University of the Virgin Islands is committed to fair and equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, creed, sex, national origin, age or disability.

Academic Freedom

Members of the teaching faculty enjoy the rights and duties of academic freedom as described in the 1990 Statement of Principles of the American Association of University Professors as amended in 1995 Recommended Institutional Regulations on Academic Freedom and Tenure.

Drug-Free Workplace

In compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, the University has established a Drug-Free awareness program. The Drug Education and Prevention Office informs employees and students of the University Policy and availability of drug counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs, and penalties that may be imposed for violations of the policy on Drugs and other controlled substances.

Sexual Harassment

The University does not tolerate any form of sexual harassment against employees. There is an established procedure for filing complaints of this nature. All complaints are assured of prompt response and confidentiality. The Human Resources Office provides information about this policy, the procedure used to investigate complaints, and the disciplinary action prescribed when applicable.

Americans with Disabilities

In accordance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the University does not discriminate against any qualified individual with a disability in hiring or promotion. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Employment Objectives

The University strives to provide its students with the best academic training and instruction available. Qualified staff personnel are essential to providing the services needed to operate a top level institution of learning. The employment objectives of the University of the Virgin Islands are:

• To attract and recruit qualified academic personnel;
• To recruit qualified personnel in staff positions;
• To promote and maintain high standards of performance;
• To develop and enhance skill, knowledge and capabilities of employees for effective performance on the job;
• To train employees at all levels to assure the delivery of quality services to the community;
• To promote and encourage the capacity for growth and self development;
• To create an opportunity for employees to develop and maintain a sense of job satisfaction;
• To provide an atmosphere for cooperation and coordination among faculty and staff for effective and efficient delivery of services.

Applicability

These policies apply to University employees as described in the individual policies. This policy document supercedes all previous policy documents, including manuals and handbooks, for all staff categories except Teaching Faculty.

Employment of Faculty members is governed as set forth in the policies and procedures in the Teaching Faculty Manual. Certain portions of this document will be applicable to Faculty as noted. In those situations where the Teaching Faculty Manual does not provide specific policies or procedures this manual will be used for making determinations about situations affecting faculty members.

Administration

The President of the University, as chief executive officer, and appointing authority is responsible for the administration of these policies.