CU Boulder Background Check Requirement

As per campus policy, a background check must be completed by prospective Employees/POI/Affiliates/Volunteers before they begin working. Please note that for employees being entered into HCM with an effective date, we consider this date to be when they begin working, regardless of whether they begin logging hours at that time.

Student Employment & Student-to-Temporary Employment Roles

Students hired into a student job code will need a background check if they have ‘security sensitive’ duties, as per campus policy. These employees should not begin working/have an effective date until the background check is completed. Please allow two weeks for completion and submit requests accordingly to ensure timely completion.

Graduating student employees with active appointments will be terminated at the end of the semester. If you wish to have a student who is graduating continue in the same role as a temporary employee, they will need to complete a background check if they have not already done so. As noted above, we ask for two weeks to complete all screenings—please plan accordingly and submit these requests as early as possible to avoid delay.

Temporary Faculty

Any Temporary Faculty hires that are not posted on the CU Boulder Jobs/Avature site, please submit the request to the HR Service Center, allowing two weeks for the completion of the screening process. As with all other roles, the Temporary Faculty hires should not begin working until the check is completed.

POI/Volunteers

If a background check is needed for POI or Volunteers as per the background check policy or the child protection policy, please submit the request as early as possible and note that the person should not begin their affiliation with CU Boulder until the check is complete. We ask for two weeks to complete the screening process.

• Please submit POI requests to the HR Service Center.
• Please submit requests for Volunteers to hr-bgc@colorado.edu.

Faculty Hired with Tenure

An additional reference check is conducted for TTT Faculty hires made with tenure. Please notify your HR Recruitment Coordinator or hr-bgc@colorado.edu when a verbal offer has been accepted for a hire with tenure and we will initiate the reference checking process.

Background Check Unit Contact & Information

• Staff Hires: The background checks for staff hires made in conjunction with Talent Acquisition will be part of the standard workflow and do not require additional action.
• Faculty/Research Hires: For faculty or research hires executed via CU Boulder Jobs/Avature, please contact your HR Recruitment Coordinator to initiate the background screening and all other related post-offer steps.
• Research: If you are hiring for a research role that is not posted on the CU Boulder Jobs/Avature site, please contact resfachr@colorado.edu to request the background check, among other actions.
• Other: For all other actions not listed above and not ticketed with the HR Service Center, please reach out to hr-bgc@colorado.edu.

Policies

• /policies/background-check-policy
• /policies/child-protection-policy
• /hr/hiring/faculty/faculty-reference-check-program

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I-9 Employment Eligibility 

Employment Verification

• As required by federal law and by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (“IRCA”), The University is required to complete and retain a Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification document for all regular and temporary employees hired after November 6, 1986.

Risk of Non-Compliance

• Risk I-9 violations may result in civil and criminal penalties. employer knowingly hired or continued to employ a worker without work authorization, the penalties to pay range from $698 to $27,894 per worker. Departments that fail to comply shall be responsible for any fines may be levied against the University. In addition, non-compliance can result in the loss of federal contracts.

Department Responsibilities

• For departments not supported by HRSC or hired through Avature, the department is responsible for notifying the I-9 office of all new hires prior to their start date. Departments should email i-9forms@colorado.edu with the new employees legal first and last name, email address, and start date to initiate the Form I-9 HireRight invitation. Departments are responsible for verifying new employees are meeting the Form I-9 federal deadline. I-9 completion details can be found in HCM Personal Information within Modify a Person in the CU Personal Data I9 Tab. Once the Form I-9 is completed the completion date will automatically populate into the I-9 Completion Date field within 24 hours. For immediate confirmation departments can also contact the I-9 office to confirm Form I-9 completion by email or phone.

Out of State or Out of the Area

• Please direct employees who live 100 or more miles away from Boulder ( fully remote) to email the I-9 office. If they are working a hybrid work schedule, this does not apply to them. 

  Please email i-9forms@colorado.edu and they will assist you

• The I-9 office has automated I-9 email notifications set up to inform supervisors when employees are in non-compliance. Supervisors are instructed to immediately remove the employee from the work schedule until Form I-9 is completed. HRL’s that wish to also receive these notifications must contact the I-9 office so they can be manually added to receive notifications for their respective department(s).

I-9 Federal Deadline

1. Employee Accepts Offer of Employment:  I-9 Office, HRSC, or Department HRL will send HireRight email invitation for employee to begin completing Form I-9.
2. Employee’s First Day of Work: Employee must complete Section 1 no later than this date.
3. Third Business Day Following Employee’s First Day: Employee must physically present original un-expired documentation into an I-9 office on campus no later than this date. An I-9 Partner will review documentation and complete Section 2 for Form I-9 completion. Appointments are not needed.

I-9 Office Contact Information

Please contact CU Boulder HR I-9 office at 303-735-8191 or I-9forms@colorado.edu. For additional I-9 information, office location, and hours visit the CU Boulder HR I-9 Webpage.

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   Plan For Your Professional Development 

Professional development is pursuing learning opportunities to improve skills and grow knowledge. Professional development has many benefits, including skill building, career growth, and relationship building. 

Attend an employee learning program through the Department of Human �ƹ���Ƶ

Organization and Employee Development offers a full range of learning opportunities for the 2024-25 school year. We have courses and programs for everyone. Check out supervisor training with some essential courses to get you started on the right foot. Some are no cost or low cost. Check out the link below to learn more. 

Learn More and Register for Courses

Take advantage of On-Demand learning

• Available through the MyCUinfo Portal, provides a vast online library of instructional videos covering the latest software, creative and business skills.
• is a unique offering of 200+ Coursera courses taught by faculty across CU Boulder, CU Anschutz Medical Campus, CU Denver, and UCCS. These courses are available at no cost to all faculty, students, and staff.
• The University Libraries have millions of materials in their collection. Borrowing materials from University Libraries is simple with your Buff OneCard.
• The CU Boulder Buffs One Read fosters intellectual community and cultural exchange among students, faculty, and staff.  This year’s (2024-2025) Buff One Read is, Solito: A Memoir, by Javier Zamora

   Prioritize Your Wellness 

Focusing on your wellness is more critical now than ever before. Influencing your own health, quality of life, and mental well-being leads to you giving your best. The following programs can help you start your wellness journey or strengthen the path you are already on. 

Take Time to Relax and Rejuvenate 

It's important to put your personal well-being at the top of your to-do list. Use your vacation days to take a trip, rest and recharge, and/or spend time with family and friends. Summer hours will take effect on May 13 and provide some flexibility in the afternoons. Health and Wellness Services have explained the many benefits of taking vacation time.  Our CPO Robyn Fergus and Associate VC for Health and Wellness, Jess Doty, want you to be flexible with summer scheduling and utilizing vacation time. We truly want vacation time to be a normalized perk that all faculty and staff take advantage of at CU Boulder. 

Utilize the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program

The Faculty & Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) is dedicated to serving the emotional and psychological needs of the campus community. All FSAP staff are trained as generalist counselors and are equipped to deal with a wide range of personal and work-related issues. FSAP services are no cost to all CU Boulder faculty and staff members.

Learn More and Schedule an Appointment with FSAP

Explore More Health and Wellness Options 

FSAP has partnered with local community experts to offer a wide array of workshops and seminars designed to support areas of mental, physical, relational, and environmental wellness. Wellness events are free to attend. Registration is open for summer events: 

Learn more about Staff and Faculty Wellness �ƹ���Ƶ

   Maximize Use of Your Perks 

Perks for CU Boulder faculty and staff range from childcare to transportation. Consider ways to use your perks to the fullest this summer. 

Explore the Full List of Employee Perks

For those with caregiving responsibilities

Bright Horizons

CU Boulder has partnered with Bright Horizons to help employees better manage work, family, and personal responsibilities. Eligible faculty and staff have 10 uses per calendar year for backup child, adult, and elder care in addition to several other discounts provided by Bright Horizons. You can also use your 10 uses for tutoring--at a very discounted rate!

CU Children's Center

 The CU Children’s Center offers full and part-time schedules and is open to children of CU graduate and family housing residents, students, faculty, staff and alumni. 

Other Care Discounts

As a state employer, CU Boulder employees are eligible to participate in the State of Colorado’s employee discount program. childcare and eldercare discounts may include:

• Brookdale Senior Living 
• Synergy Home Care 
• The Learning Experience 
• The Learning Group Brands 
• KinderCare
• Everbrook Academy

For those looking to travel

As a state employer, CU Boulder employees are eligible to participate in the State of Colorado’s employee discount program.  discounts for the traveler may include: 

• Rental Cars: Budget, Hertz, Sixt, Enterprise, Payless, Alamo, Dollar, and Thrifty
• Hotels: Great Wolf Lodge, Legoland, Choice Hotels, Wyndham, LaQuinta, Comfort Inn, Ramada, Micotel, Super8, Travelodge and Motel 6
• Airport Parking: The Parking Spot and WallyPark
• Tickets: Disneyland, Disney World, Universal Studios, Legoland and Elitch Gardens

​Don’t forget your Eco-Pass! The Eco Pass provides eligible CU faculty, staff, and retirees bus and light rail service (including Local, Regional and Express service). This includes the SkyRide bus service to DIA. 

Visit a Museum:

• CU Art Museum - The CU Art Museum is a place to exchange ideas, inspire collaboration, foster compassion, fuel imagination, and transcend boundaries.
• Museum of Natural History - Visit one of five exhibition galleries to explore natural and human history through engaging and interactive displays.

As employees of the State of Colorado, your state ID allows you to seven History Colorado museums statewide! Participating History Colorado museums include:

• History Colorado Center // Denver
• Center for Colorado Women’s History // Denver
• El Pueblo History Museum // Pueblo
• Trinidad History Museum // Trinidad
• Fort Garland Museums & Cultural Center // Fort Garland
• Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin // Leadville
• Ute Indian Museum // Montrose

Take to the trails

• Explore 300 miles of captivating trails, 45,000 acres of unspoiled open space, or the Boulder Creek Path, which runs through the middle of town. those wanting to get outdoors. Download the app to find your next hiking adventure!

Catch a show, or two

• CU Presents is the home of performing arts on the beautiful University of Colorado Boulder campus. With hundreds of concerts, plays, recitals, and more on our stages each year, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. . 
• Fiske Planetarium offers a diverse range of full-dome films, star talks, live talks, laser and liquid sky shows, concerts, and special live events. Find showtimes on the Fiske website. 

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The campus calendar for 2023 has been updated to reflect three additional administrative leave days. Please click on the link for more information. 

Holiday calendar can be accessed here

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On Sunday, August 20, the Boulder campus will return to its regular academic year operating hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. These hours will remain in effect through Sunday, May 12, 2024. 

The standard operating hours are core business hours for student-, employee- and customer-facing services/offices. Student-, employee- or customer-facing offices should attempt to maintain a consistent schedule and be open during these hours to provide support and services to our campus community.

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Human �ƹ���Ƶ offers a variety of training programs this fall!

Grounded in a growth mindset culture, our goal is to empower all employees to take an active role in their professional development through continuous learning. Our courses are designed for individuals at all stages of their career, from individual contributors to first time supervisors, to experienced leaders.

View your options below and contact perri.longley@colorado.edu with questions.

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The latest in a series of actions taken by CU Boulder to improve staff and faculty compensation took effect July 1 and was reflected on employees’ end-of-month paychecks.

Included were a 5% across-the-board pay increase for classified staff in line with the state of Colorado and the classified staff employee partnership agreement with COWINS, as well as increases in the CU Boulder minimum wage to $18 per hour for staff and $16 per hour for hourly student assistants.

These increases precede a 4% across-the-board increase for eligible university staff and a 4% merit pool for faculty and research faculty that will take effect Jan. 1 and that were approved by the CU Board of Regents in June. Coming this fall will be a 4% across-the-board increase to the standard campus rate for graduate student assistantships.

“As a university, we continue to make strides to address compensation among our faculty and staff. The FY23-24 pay increases are the largest we’ve seen in over a decade,” Chief People Officer Robyn Fergus said. “This initiative is paramount, as we strive to retain our talented employees and provide validation for their work and affinity for CU Boulder.” 

CU Boulder leadership is currently working on a long-term compensation plan for the campus which includes consistent and transparent pay setting practices.

“These moves allow the campus, at a critical time of economic recovery and expansion of the job market, to make a vital investment in the stability of our workforce - stability that results in a more enriched and impactful student experience to solidify CU Boulder as a more competitive employer,” Fergus said.

For more information regarding these increases, please reference the employee compensation FAQs on the Human �ƹ���Ƶ website. 

Past and upcoming actions to address compensation among faculty and staff include:

2024

• January: 4% merit compensation pool increases for faculty including research faculty
• January: 4% across-the-board increases for university staff meeting or exceeding performance expectations and for temporary contract by course faculty compensation

2023

• Fall: 4% across-the-board increase to the standard campus rate for graduate student assistantships
• July: 5% across-the-board increases for classified staff
• July: Minimum wage increases to $18 an hour for staff
• July: Minimum wage increases to $16 an hour for hourly student assistants
• Spring: 3% across-the-board increases to the standard campus rate for graduate student assistantships and temporary faculty contract by course compensation
• Spring: Pay increases for some staff to address pay range and job family compression issues
• January: 3% pool for merit-based increases for regular faculty, research faculty, and university staff 
• January: Tenured faculty promotion and tenure compression adjustments 

2022

• January: 3% across-the-board increases for regular faculty, research faculty, and university staff
• January: 1% one-time payment for regular faculty, research faculty, and university staff
• January: Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act pay adjustments
• Spring: 3% across-the-board increases to the standard campus rate for graduate student assistantships and temporary faculty contract by course compensation
• May: Second round of one-time retention payments for critical frontline staff
• July: 3% across-the-board increases for classified staff
• July: increased raise amounts for promotion to tenured associate and tenured full professor go into effect
• October: $1,300 one-time payment (prorated for part-time appointments) for regular faculty, research faculty, university staff, and classified staff 

2021

• July: Campus minimum wage increases to $15 per hour, including related compression adjustments
• July: 3% across-the-board increases for classified staff
• November: CU Boulder announces remission of mandatory fees for graduate students on appointment
• December: One-time retention payments for critical frontline staff 

Information on the upcoming increases for faculty and university staff is available in the FY23-24 Employee Compensation FAQs.  

Please contact CU Boulder Human �ƹ���Ƶ at hr@colorado.edu if you have questions.

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Applications can be submitted through June 30, 2023, at 11:45 p.m.​

Click to apply.

Since 1987, the University Perspective program has developed and deepened the leadership capacity of staff on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Participants gain firsthand knowledge of the university through meetings with senior leaders on the Boulder campus and each of the other three campuses in the CU System and the CU System Office. The program is sponsored by Organizational and Employee Development (OED) in the Department of Human �ƹ���Ƶ. Applications are being accepted for the 2023-24 program.

Learn More About the University Perspective Program

Program Information

• Duration: The University Perspective program is a nine-month program that runs from September 2023 through May 2024.
• Schedule: The schedule of program topics is posted here. The University Perspective program is a robust yearlong experience. You can plan on spending 4-8 hours per month participating in program activities and meetings from September through May.
• Format: We anticipate an in-person program, with some virtual meetings. Events are scheduled based upon leadership preference and availability. Please note, events are subject to change. Meetings will not be recorded.

How to Apply

• Completed applications must be received by Human �ƹ���Ƶ by Friday, June 30th, 2023, at 11:45pm. Click  for the application. No additional letters or documentation besides the application will be required or accepted.
• Final selections are reviewed by the applicant's leadership division. The University Perspective program manager will notify applicants of their status in mid-August, prior to the start of the fall semester.

What We Require

• Be a permanent staff or faculty member at CU Boulder for a year or more.
• Have support of immediate supervisor to participate in the program.
• Be able to fully participate in all program sessions (estimated to be a time commitment of 4 to 8 hours per month from September 2023 through May 2024).

What We Would Like You to Have

Ideal candidates for this program possess one or more of these characteristics:

• Current and emerging leaders who are advancing in their career and who intend to continue to work in higher education.
• Mid-level managers who have come to the university from outside higher education.
• Experienced professionals prepared to learn and appreciate how the university functions as a complex organization, and how their role relates and contributes to the organization.

Who to Contact

For questions, contact the University Perspective Program Manager:

Lisa Nelson, JD

Senior Training and Development Specialist

Organization and Employee Development

lisa.nelson@Colorado.EDU

303-735-8335

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The Human �ƹ���Ƶ training team supports employee's professional development by providing learning opportunities in a variety of workplace topics, including management skills, inclusive practices, and personal productivity.

Below are the available training programs offered this summer. Click the course title to learn more about the learning outcomes and upcoming dates. Click the "register" button to sign up for the training in Skillsoft. Contact our coordinator, perri.longley@colorado.edu, with any questions.

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