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INFORMATION
FOR NEW FACULTY
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| Welcome to the University of Pennsylvania! On this site you will find information to assist you in planning for your transition to Penn. Some items have time implications, so it is advisable to read this information before your appointment begins. |
| PAYROLL |
| Each Department has a regional Business Office whose staff will create a payroll record for you. About 1-2 months before your appointment is to begin, please contact this office to complete forms such as a W-4, I-9. Your salary may be distributed over 9 months (September through May) or 12 months (July through June). Paychecks are issued on the last workday of the month and may be directly deposited to a bank account. |
| If you are on a visa, there is additional documentation that will be needed by the Business Office before a paycheck can be produced. Please be sure to work early with your Department Chair and the Office of International Programs to arrange the proper visa. |
| BENEFITS |
| The Human Resources Department is the office with overall responsibility for the University’s benefit plans. However, the University has contracted with ADP Benefit Services (phone: 1-888-736-6236) to administer medical, prescription drug, dental, and group life insurance benefits as well as your health care and dependent care pre-tax expense accounts. Enrollment may be done via phone or website . Retirement matters are handled by the Retirement Call Center (1-877-736-6738). Tuition benefits are administered by the Human Resources Office (1-215-898-4812). |
| Benefit enrollment is possible about 1 week after your departmental business officer has entered your appointment information into the payroll system (ADP’s system is updated each Thursday from the University’s payroll data that is in place on Monday of that week). ADP will mail you a benefit information packet with a PIN number which will allow you to enroll via phone. If you have obtained your PennNet ID/Pennkey (see these items below), you can enroll on-line. It is important that you enroll no later than 1 month after your appointment date, otherwise your choices are limited to a default set of benefit plans. Please note that while you are eligible to enroll in a medical plan upon your appointment date, the coverage does not begin until the following month. Therefore, it may be necessary for you to arrange COBRA coverage from your previous institution for the first month. |
| On the Human Resources website, a good beginning point for a summary of your benefits is Benefits At-A-Glance (Monthly Paid). Comparisons of the various medical and dental plans are also available. These sites are updated each year during the open enrollment period in April. So, it would be good to revisit them as the year progresses. On the homepage of the Human Resources website is a major category entitled “Benefits”. Both this word “Benefits” and the items under it are hyperlinked to give you detailed information. The summary plan descriptions for Health and Welfare and the Tax-Deferred Retirement Plan (TDR) are also found on the Humanr Resources website. |
| Changes in your choice of plans may be made during the April open enrollment period each year, to become effective the following July 1. If there is a qualifying life change event (such as marriage or divorce, birth of a child, loss or gain of coverage due to change in employment status of a spouse/domestic partner’s employment status) enrollment elections may be changed within 1 month of the occurrence. |
| Questions that may not be answered by the above material may be directed to Patricia Burns, Human Resources Administrator for the School (phone: 1-215-898-1915; email: burnspat@sas.upenn.edu). |
| PENNCARD |
| Access to many services at Penn is via the PennCard (an ID card). This may be obtained 24 hours after your payroll record has been created. You will need to be on campus because a picture is taken. For information on how to obtain the card, please refer to the PennCard website. At the bottom of the card is a set of 3 numbers; the center one of which is the Penn ID number assigned to identify you to many of the systems at Penn. |
| COMPUTERS AND EMAIL ACCOUNTS |
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| When you receive your PennCard, you will also be able to obtain your PennNet ID and PennKey which will give you access to Penn’s computer systems. Your Department’s local support provider will assist in setting up your email address and account. Information on how to obtain remote access to your email and other Penn systems is under Penn’s computer systems website. |
| MORTGAGE LOANS |
| The University offers mortgage and home improvement loans for faculty who purchase a home in west Philadelphia under the Enhanced Mortgage Program, the Guaranteed Mortgage Program, and Home Improvement. Information on these plans is located at the website of the Community Housing Program which is administered by the Executive Vice President’s Office. |
| For a list of lenders who offer specials on mortgages both within and outside west Philadelphia, please see the Community Housing matrix. |
| MOVING ARRANGEMENTS |
| For faculty who were authorized moving expenses, please contact Neal Hebert (1-215-746-2712; email: nhebert@sas.upenn.edu) in the School's Financial Services Office who will arrange for estimates. It is recommended that this be done several months before your planned move even if you have not yet found a new home or apartment. The companies will be able to give us estimates based on weight and distance based on the general Philadelphia metropolitan area. By arranging your estimates early, we are better able to ensure your preferred move date. |
| TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING |
| For faculty who will commute to campus, please review the website of the Office of Transportation and Parking. At the top of the site is a link to Partnership Services that includes information on public transportation to the campus. Participation in the Compass program provides a 10% discount for public transportation via payroll deduction. The tabs titled Using Transit Services and Transit Map includes information on free University service within the campus boundaries. Under the Parking section is information on parking lots and their corresponding fee schedules. |
Last updated: 07/20/05