5.10 Coaches Employment Policies and Procedures
This section includes human resource policies that pertain specifically to intercollegiate athletic coaches. Athletic Coaches at Ithaca College perform both athletic instruction (coaching), administrative responsibilities and academic instruction functions; therefore, their terms of appointment, as well as their conditions and benefits of employment vary from those applicable to either faculty or staff members. The human resource policies pertaining to staff and administrators found in Volume III and Volume V pertain to College coaches unless otherwise noted or unless superseded by one of the policies specifically designated for coaches as presented in this section.
Coaches are primarily staff and have governance participation rights under Staff Council.
The official job classifications for coaches include full-time head coach, full-time assistant coach, part-time head coach, and part-time assistant coach.
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in conjunction with the Office of Human Resources at Ithaca College has developed job descriptions for all coach positions. Job descriptions are on file with the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and in the Office of Human Resources, or may be accessed online through the college’s talent management system “PeopleAdmin”.
5.10.2 Academic Status of Coaches
Full-time head will work 12 months per year and receive an annual letter of appointment. Specific sports identified by the director, will be 10 month appointments. The 10 month appointments will be considered to be fulltime coaching appointments, although the paid time away allotment will be pro-rated as will the years of service towards retirement to reflect the 10 month appointments.
Full-time assistant coaches will work 10 months per year unless specified and will receive an annual letter of appointment. The 10 month appointments will be considered to be fulltime coaching appointment, and paid time away will be pro-rated as will the years of service toward retirement as indicated with full-time head coaches.
Part-time assistant coaches receive a seasonal letter of appointment which specifies the number of hours to be worked and the number of weeks of the appointment. The part-time appointments are seasonal per sport, are not benefit eligible, and will be renewed annually at the discretion of the head coach.
Due to the professional nature of their responsibilities, fulltime and part-time coaches are classified as exempt employees (i.e., individuals who occupy positions which are “exempt” from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act) and as such are expected to devote as much time to their work as is necessary to fulfill their responsibilities and meet a high level of effectiveness in their positions.
The recruitment and hiring process for coaches shall follow the policies and procedures outlined in Volume III sections 3.0 through 3.8 in the Ithaca College Policy Manual
Benefits for coaches will follow the benefits group II policy and procedures outlined in Volume III, section 3.9 of the Ithaca College Policy Manual.
As an exception, coaches will not receive medical paid time way benefits. Coaching positions do not fall under the statutory New York State short term disability requirements (faculty are also excluded) which apply to most staff positions, coaches will receive full salary continuation for short-term medical absences as described in the next section.
5.10.4.1
A coach who is unable to perform his/her usual responsibilities due to personal illness or injury must notify the director of intercollegiate athletics. If an absence due to medical reasons will exceed one full pay period, coaches contact the director of intercollegiate athletics and the Office of Human Resources to discuss paid leaves of absence or reduced responsibilities for medical reasons, including childbirth (not applicable to part-time non-benefit eligible coaches or fulltime coaches hired on a temporary basis). Appropriate medical documentation must be provided.
A coach who is on an approved medical leave will be given the status of "paid leave" for a period of up to six months. After six consecutive months of illness, the College's long-term disability plan provides benefits to eligible employees who meet the definition of disabled as governed by the plan document. If an illness is likely to exceed six months, the application process for long-term disability benefits should be started at the three-month point. As explained in Volume III of the Ithaca College Policy Manual, in certain circumstances a leave may be extended for up to an additional three months.
An official personnel file for each coach is maintained by the Office of Human Resources in accordance with the policies and procedures in Volume III.
5.10.5 Compensation for Coaches
Compensation for coaches will be determined in accordance with the policies and procedures found in Volumes III and V of the Ithaca College Policy Manual. The College’s compensation program for staff and administrators includes a special salary structure for coaches, which is reviewed annually by the Office of Human Resources.
Performance review procedures for coaches shall follow Volume V, section 5.2.2 of the Ithaca College Policy Manual.
5.10.7 Problem Review
Problem review procedures will follow the policies and procedures outlined in Volume V, section 5.4 in the Ithaca College Policy Manual.
5.10.8 Dismissal and Progressive Discipline
Dismissal and discipline actions will follow the policies and procedures outlined in Volume V, section 5.5 of the Ithaca College Policy Manual.
5.10.9 Separation of Coaches from Ithaca College
Separation from the College will follow the policies and procedures outlined in Volume V, section 5.6 of the Ithaca College Policy Manual.
The same process to resolve complaints and problems as used by all staff and administrators of Ithaca College will apply to the full-time coaches. This process provides for access to outside arbitration in the case of dismissal.
Last Updated: April 1, 2020