December 2025
Academic Personnel Deadlines
Important reminder: Please submit academic personnel actions to the APO by the below deadlines per the published APO Personnel Payroll Deadlines.
Date Due from School to APO
- APO Deadlines Calendar 2026- Monthly:
- December 5 for work completed in January 2026
- January 5 for work completed in February 2026
- APO Deadlines Calendar 2026- Bi-Weekly:
- December 2 for work completed from January 4-January 17
- December 16 for work completed from January 18-January 31
- December 23 for work completed from February 1- February 14
- January 13 for work completed from February 15- February 28
We would like to thank you for your continued efforts in ensuring that all academic actions are submitted by the deadline. Please continue submitting your actions as early as possible. Submitting your actions to APO on or before our deadline will allow adequate time to complete the review process as well as address/resolve issues in a timely manner. Any action submitted to APO after the deadline cannot be guaranteed to be processed and paid until the following pay period.
Case Material Deadlines
Friendly reminder, please submit case materials for academic personnel reviews to APO by the below deadlines per the published Schedule for Academic Personnel Actions.
Date Due from School to APO
- December 1
- Mid-Career Appraisal w/ or w/o Merit Review
- Promotion to Associate Professor, Lecturer SOE, Associate Adjunct Professor
- Promotion to Associate Professional Researcher, Associate Project Scientist
- January 15
- Promotions to Full Professor/Senior Lecturer SOE
- Promotions to Full Professional Researcher, Full Project Scientist
- All other promotions
- All other merits
CAP Meeting Schedule AY 2025-2026
CAP’s Spring 2026 meeting schedule is available on the Academic Senate website-
Fridays: January 16 - June 18 (Please note the June 18 meeting is on Thursday due to the June 19 Juneteenth holiday)
Exception: March 27 (Cesar Chavez Day)
Updated APO Work Areas
Effective December 17, APO Work Areas have been updated on the APO website. For a full list of areas that each Academic Personnel Analyst works on, please refer to People- APO Work Areas.
H-1B Guidance for Senate Searches
Active Senate search committees should share the following with all remaining candidates either before zoom or in person interviews, and point out that this language was included in the recruitment they applied to:
"Candidates must possess valid authorization to work in the United States. UC Merced is not currently able to sponsor individuals residing outside the United States who would require a new H-1B visa for employment. Applicants who do not hold valid U.S. work authorization are presently ineligible for this position."
This must be shared as a statement, not as a question. If interview candidates have any follow-up questions, the committee should refer the candidate(s) to Associate Director for International Students And Scholars Becky Mirza (bmirza@ucmerced.edu).
GLAAS- Clarification on TRS Reviewers/Approvers
As a friendly reminder, Time Reporting System (TRS) requires both Primary and Secondary Approvers. As per the ratified UAW contract, Academic Student Employees (ASE) and Graduate Student Researchers (GSR) are required to complete and submit monthly time records in TRS.
| TRS Reviewers/Approvers | TRS Reviewers/Approvers |
| Academic Student Employees (ASEs) (TA, TF, Readers and Remedial Tutors) | Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) |
| Reviewer/Approver: Instructor of Record | Reviewer/Approver: Principal Investigator (PI) |
| Backup: Department Chair or designee | Backup: Department Chair or designee |
| Second Backup: Dean or designee | Second Backup: Dean or designee |
Tracking Misconduct AP Background Checks in AP Recruit: Updated Instructions to include Search Waivers and Exemptions
Effective December 2025, for tracking purposes, we ask that AP Recruit Analysts enter a comment for each candidate that has passed their background check in AP Recruit via a search waiver or exemption. Here is how:
Once a search waiver or exemption has been approved and the candidate has completed the misconduct survey, you will be required to enter a comment in the search waiver or exemption in AP Recruit. This step will take place once school staff get the clearance email following the top candidate's completion of the misconduct survey. This comment should be added before the candidate is hired. See instruction document available: How to track Misconduct AP Background Checks in AP Recruit.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Esmeralda Martinez.
Stopgap Titles for UC ANR CE Specialists
Schools can use the research associate or research fellow titles as a temporary stopgap measure for incoming CE Specialists who need UCM access prior to their 0% adjunct appointments being finalized. UC ANR CE Specialists will continue to be required to hold appointments as 0% Adjunct Professor. Schools that opt to use the research associate or research fellow titles as a temporary stopgap measure should submit these requests for one year appointment with no renewal.
Research Fellow WOS and Research Associate WOS titles require no review and can be initiated and entered at the school/ORU level without APO review. The criteria for each title is as follows:
a. Research Associate: The candidate must hold the degree of Ph.D. or possess training substantially equivalent to that required for the Ph.D., and must have demonstrated exceptional fitness in independent research in addition to that required for the Ph.D. Degree.
b. Research Fellow: The candidate must hold the degree of Ph.D. or possess training equivalent to that required for the Ph.D., but need not have had experience as an independent research worker aside from research for the doctoral degree.
For additional information, please refer to the MOU and APO website: Courtesy and Without Salary Appointments
