New Strategic Position Alignment process (SPA)
SIUE will employ a new Strategic Position Alignment process (SPA) for all position requests (civil service, extra-help, administrative/professional staff, graduate assistants, and all faculty positions).
- Grant-funded positions are exempt from this process.
- Student worker positions are temporarily exempt from this process, pending further review.
- Hiring managers are required to submit a SPA form(s) for review and approval for all replacement or new positions.
- Before a SPA form is submitted in Qualtrics, it must be approved by a Vice Chancellor or member of the Chancellor's Council. Without prior approval, the SPA form will be removed from the system and not reviewed. Once approved by a Vice Chancellor or member of the Chancellor's Council, the SPA form may be resubmitted for review.
Instituting this process is part of a broader effort to realign resources with our institutional priorities and strategic plan. We appreciate your patience as we work to refine the details of this new process.
SPA Forms
The (3) steps of the SPA Process are as follows:
Step 1:
In each division, all Strategic Position Alignment (SPA) forms are submitted by hiring managers or academic deans to the Vice Chancellor or unit head for an initial review.
For staff positions: SPA form(s) approved at the Vice Chancellor or unit level are forwarded to Chancellor’s Council for review at the Chancellor’s Council Planning (CCP) meetings held each Friday.
For faculty positions: After careful consideration by individual deans, SPA form(s) may be submitted for consideration by the Deans' Council SPA Review Committee. The Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and the Director of Institutional Research and Studies will serve on the committee in a non-voting, ex-officio capacity.
Ggraduate assistantships (non-academic units and general assistants within Academic Affairs): SPA form(s) approved at the Vice Chancellor or unit level are forwarded to Chancellor’s Council for review.
Graduate assistantships in academic units (Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants): SPA form(s) approved at the Vice Chancellor or unit level are forwarded to the Deans Council SPA Review Committee for review.
Step 2:
For staff positions and graduate assistantships (non-academic units and general assistants within Academic Affairs): At the CCP meetings, Chancellor’s Council members will determine, by consensus, which positions are forwarded to the Chancellor. The Vice Chancellor for Administration will sign the form on behalf of Chancellor’s Council. Only approved forms will be forwarded to the Chancellor for review.
For faculty positions and graduate assistantships in academic units: The deans will choose a chair of their review process who will serve as the primary point of contact for the Provost.
At Deans Council, academic deans will determine, by consensus, which positions are forwarded to the Provost. The chair of the Deans Council SPA Review Committee will sign the form on behalf of Deans Council. Only approved forms will be forwarded to the Provost for review.
Step 3:
For staff positions and graduate assistantships (non-academic units and general assistants within Academic Affairs): SPA form(s) approved by the Chancellor will be submitted to human resources (HR) by the university Budget Director for processing. Upon receipt of the approved SPA form(s), a staff member in HR will initiate a new position request in HireTouch (this applies to all civil service, extra-help, administrative and professional staff positions).
Contracts for graduate assistantships, however, will be initiated at the unit/department level upon notification from the Vice Chancellor or unit/area director and continue through normal processes once approved.
For faculty positions: SPA form(s) approved by the Provost will be considered by the Chancellor. If approved, the Chancellor’s Office will route the signed forms to the Office of the Provost for processing. The Provost (or designee) will communicate next steps to academic deans.
Questions about the SPA process may directed to positionrequest@siue.edu.
