{"id":36751,"date":"2026-01-15T10:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/?page_id=36751"},"modified":"2026-02-04T07:51:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T13:51:59","slug":"act15-frequently-asked-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/act15-frequently-asked-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Act 15 Faculty in High-Demand Fields Market Funds: Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\t
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What are the Act 15 Faculty Market Funds?<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2025\u201327 biennial budget (2025 Act 15) provides $27 million in each year of the biennium to the Universities of Wisconsin to support compensation for faculty in high-demand fields of study.<\/p>\n

These funds are intended to address market competitiveness and help attract and retain faculty in high-demand programs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How were funds allocated to each university?<\/span><\/p>\n

Funds were distributed to universities primarily based on undergraduate student credit hours (UGSCH), reflecting where instructional demand is highest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who is eligible for the Act 15 funds?<\/span><\/p>\n

Only Faculty, as defined in Wisconsin statute, in high-demand fields are eligible to receive these funds.<\/p>\n

Additionally, each university will have institution-specific eligibility criteria and procedures on how to administer these funds at their institution pursuant to systemwide guidelines.<\/p>\n

Contact your\u00a0Human Resources office<\/a>\u00a0for more information.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How are \u201chigh-demand fields of study\u201d defined?<\/span><\/p>\n

Institutions must rely primarily on the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Top 20 High-Demand Jobs requiring a bachelor\u2019s degree. These occupations are identified based on:<\/p>\n

\u2022 high projected job growth,<\/p>\n

\u2022 median salaries above the state median, and<\/p>\n

\u2022 high projected annual openings.<\/p>\n

DWD uses the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system to define these occupations. Universities match academic programs to SOC codes using Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes.<\/p>\n

Institutions were provided with a list of high-demand CIP codes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can universities suggest additional high-demand fields based on local needs and data?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. Because the statewide list does not capture every area of demonstrated need (e.g., chemistry and physics supporting healthcare programs), institutions may request alternative approaches for up to 15% of their Act 15 funding allocation.<\/p>\n

Examples include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 disciplines with failed faculty searches, or<\/p>\n

\u2022 fields needed due to regional labor market factors.<\/p>\n

Any alternative suggestion must be submitted to and approved by UW Administration.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why did some faculty receive increases while others did not?<\/span><\/p>\n

Act 15 funds cannot be distributed across the board. Universities must identify individual faculty members in high-demand fields and award market and retention adjustments.<\/p>\n

As a result, faculty outside high-demand categories\u2014or not prioritized based on the institution\u2019s assessment of market need\u2014may not receive increases.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who ultimately decides which faculty receive adjustments?<\/span><\/p>\n

Each university determines:<\/p>\n

\u2022 which faculty fall within the defined high-demand fields,<\/p>\n

\u2022 which individuals will receive adjustments, and<\/p>\n

\u2022 the amount of each adjustment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What types of pay adjustments are available?<\/span><\/p>\n

There are two types of pay adjustments:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Base salary adjustments<\/p>\n

\u2022 One-time retention bonus payments<\/p>\n

Faculty are eligible for one type of retention award, not both.<\/p>\n

However, when a faculty member receives a base salary adjustment, they will also receive a separate one-time payment to approximate earnings they would have received if the increase had taken effect earlier. This payment is not a retroactive payment; it is an administrative calculation to align earnings.<\/p>\n

To reach as many faculty as possible, no faculty member may receive more than 20% of their base salary as a base adjustment or a one-time retention bonus.<\/p>\n

Employees must be active on the date of implementation at the Universities of Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How is the one-time retention bonus amount determined for those faculty that do not receive a base increase?<\/span><\/p>\n

This is at the discretion of the individual campus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How is the separate one-time payment calculated for those faculty receiving a base salary increase?<\/span><\/p>\n

It is an approximation of what you could have earned based on your FTE and pay rate at the time of implementation, if the ACT 15 salary increase would have been implemented at the beginning of the current academic year (for 9-month faculty), beginning of current fiscal year (for 12-month faculty), or start date if more recent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What if I separated from employment prior to implementation?<\/span><\/p>\n

Employees who are not in pay status with the Universities of Wisconsin on the date the Act 15 Funds are processed (implementation date) will not receive payments.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Will the one-time payment or base adjustment impact taxes?<\/span><\/p>\n

Employees are encouraged to review their W4 allocation through the self-service resources provided in Workday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":6340,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-36751","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cfct-can-haz-build"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6340"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36751"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36754,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36751\/revisions\/36754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/ohrwd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}