Business Policies and Procedures Manual
Chapter 60: Personnel

Delegation of Appointing Authority

BPPM 60.10

For more information contact:
   Human Resource Services
   509-335-4521

Overview

Only WSU officials holding delegated appointing authority may hire employees and authorize other employment actions specified below. See below for the definition of appointing authority.

For the purposes of this policy, civil service positions and positions covered by collective bargaining unit agreements are referred to collectively as classified positions.

This policy:

  • Specifies the positions of individuals who are routinely granted appointing authority.
  • Provides the University processes for requesting appointing authority and designating authority to appoint temporary employees.

Appointing Authority

Definition

The WSU Board of Regents delegated to the WSU President “full authority to act for the Board of Regents for purposes of employment, appointment, discipline, or termination of any academic or exempt (administrative professional) employee of Washington State University.” This delegation also includes authority to delegate this authority to subordinates. (RCW 28B.10.528)

The President delegates appointing authority to executive officers for actions involving faculty, administrative professional, and classified employees in each division. Executive officers include the Provost, vice provosts, vice presidents and chancellors. The President may delegate appointing authority to other specified administrators as necessary.

Only the President and those individuals they designate may hold appointing authority. An appointing authority is authorized to hire and dismiss employees and to take the additional actions specified for each employee classification, i.e., faculty, administrative professional, or classified. Appointing authority authorization is required to create new faculty, administrative professional, or classified positions.

Additional Appointing Authority

An appointing authority may not designate another employee as an appointing authority. However, an executive officer may ask the President to designate additional appointing authorities. For example, the Provost may request a college dean be designated as an appointing authority.

See the Designation or Delegation Procedures below to designate additional appointing authorities.

Powers Held Only by Appointing Authorities

Only those individuals who have been designated by the President as appointing authorities may take action as appointing authorities. Such individuals may take actions for only the employee type(s) for which they have been delegated authority, e.g., faculty, administrative professional (AP), classified.

Such actions include, but are not limited to, the following actions:

  • Authorize creation of a new position.
  • Hire
  • Appoint temporary faculty and administrative professional employees.
  • Authorize layoffs, discontinuation of appointments, non-reappointments, and changes to full-time equivalencies (FTE).
  • Discipline, i.e., demote, dismiss, suspend, or reduce pay.
  • Modify previous disciplinary actions or withdraw disciplinary charges in accordance with the Faculty Manual, the Administrative Professional Handbook, and/or the Washington Administrative Code as applicable.
  • Reassign an employee.
  • Take any action to end employment, including terminate employment for cause, disability termination, or a make a finding of a presumed resignation.
  • Reject an employee during their probationary period.
  • Reject an employee during their trial service period.

Provost/Vice Provost Approval Tenure Track Faculty

Only the Provost and/or the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs may authorize an offer of employment to a tenure track faculty member. The WSU Faculty Manual provides guidance for determining when the Provost should be consulted regarding other decisions affecting faculty members.

Prior Authorization by President/Provost Required

Authorization is required prior to discussion OR extension of an offer to positions with direct appointments to vice presidents, chancellors, deans, or the WSU Athletic Director. Specifically, for direct appointments:

  • Deans must receive approval from the Provost prior to discussing an offer with a candidate.
  • Chancellors must receive approval from the President or Provost prior to discussing an offer with a candidate.
  • Vice presidents and the Athletic Director must receive approval from the President prior to discussing an offer with a candidate.

Employing Official

Classified Positions

An “employing official” is defined as: “An administrative or supervisory employee designated by the appointing authority to exercise responsibility for requesting certification, interviewing eligible candidates, and recommending appointment of individuals to classified positions.” (WAC 357-01-150)

Appointing authorities of classified employees are also employing officials for such employees.

Faculty and AP Positions

University appointing authorities may designate administrative or supervisory employees as employing officials to exercise responsibility for requesting certification, interviewing eligible candidates, and recommending appointment of individuals to faculty and AP positions.

Hiring Manager

The University also refers to the employing official as the hiring manager.

Additional Employing Officials

Appointing authorities may designate other administrators as employing officials.

Employment Actions

An employing official would typically be involved in the following employment actions regarding employees:

  • Recruit and interview applicants.
  • Approve requests for time off.
  • Approve requests for use of compensatory time.
  • Approve changes to a work schedule.
  • Appoint hourly employment if so designated by appointing authority (not temporary AP or faculty positions).

Temporary (Hourly) Employees

An appointing authority may designate a subordinate to approve temporary employment (hourly) appointments. See Designation or Delegation Procedures for designation procedures (see also BPPM 60.26).

In order to provide internal fiscal control, the designated subordinate should not be the same employee who is assigned responsibility for temporary employment payroll functions.

The subordinate may not delegate to other employees the authority to approve temporary employment appointments.

Designation or Delegation Procedures

Faculty, Administrative Professional, Classified Appointments

To request appointing authority, to replace an existing designation of appointing authority, or to nominate an additional appointing authority for faculty, administrative professional, or classified appointments, the executive officer completes and routes a Request for Appointing Authority Delegation form to Human Resource Services (HRS). 

If the request is for appointing authority for faculty, the executive officer must submit the form to the Provost for approval prior to routing to HRS.

Upon receipt of the Request for Appointing Authority Delegation, HRS verifies the information and forwards the request to the President. The President decides whether or not to issue a letter of delegation to establish the appointing authority. If such a letter is issued, a copy is sent to HRS for retention in the delegation files (see Delegation Files below).

Removal of Appointing Authority

Only the President may authorize the removal of appointing authority for an active employee.

Upon separation of employment, the department must contact HRS to request removal of appointing authority for the employee. The department may use a Request for Appointing Authority Delegation form to notify HRS, selecting Delete next to the indicated employee’s name (see the Request for Appointing Authority Delegation).

Upon receiving the written notification, HRS removes the appointing authority from the official list.

Delegation Files

HRS maintains the master file of delegations of appointing authority.

View the current list of delegations of appointing authority on the HRS website.

HRS also maintains the records naming employees who are designated to approve temporary employment appointments. See Designation or Delegation Procedures.

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Revisions:  December 2020 (Rev. 559) Nov. 2009 (Rev. 350); July 2008 (Rev. 325); July 2007 (Rev. 300); May 2006 (Rev. 278); Aug. 2005 (Rev. 265); Mar. 2002 (Rev. 204); Jan. 2002 (Rev. 201); Oct. 2001 (Rev. 195); July 1992 – new policy (Rev. 89).