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| SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES INFORMATION FOR NEW FACULTY |
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 adviseable to read this information before your appointment begins.
| PAYROLL |
| BENEFITS |
| PENNCARD |
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| MORTGAGE LOANS |
| MOVING ARRANGEMENTS |
| TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING |
| 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 online. Retirement matters are handled by the Retirement Call Center (1-877-736-6738). Tuition benefits are administered by the Human Resources Office. |
| 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. 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). The Human Resources Benefits homepage lists the benefits in the left column which are hyperlinked to give you detailed information. |
| PENNCARD |
| Access to many services at Penn is via the PennCard (an ID card). This may be obtained 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. |
| 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 |
| For faculty who purchase a home in West Philadelphia, the University offers a Closing Cost Reduction Program and an Enhanced Forgivable Loan. Information on these plans is located at the website of Penn Home Ownership Services. |
| MOVING ARRANGEMENTS |
| For faculty who were authorized moving expenses, please contact Dani Howard (1-215-898-3009; email: relocations@.sas.upenn.edu) in SAS Finance and Administration, who will arrange for estimates. It is recommended that this be done in the spring even if your new home or apartment has not yet been found. Summer is the busiest period for moving companies so by doing the estimates early, your preferred summer move dates can be ensured. The companies will be able to give us estimates based on weight and distance based on the general Philadelphia metropolitan area. |
| TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING |
| For faculty who will commute to campus, please review the website of PennTransit. At 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 link also includes information on University service within the campus boundaries. Under the PennParking site is information on parking lots and their corresponding fee schedules. |
Last Updated: September 1, 2009