Bd. Min. 1-31-08; Amended 2-06-09; Amended 12-10-10; Amended 7-27-12; Amended 2-9-17; Amended Bd. Min. 4-12-18; Amended Bd. Min. 9-26-19.
- Professional Leave – Within the specifications described below, each campus will develop an application and review process to approve leaves and stipulate the duration (not to exceed one year) and support associated for each leave aligned with institutional priorities and commensurate with available resources. All faculty members who accept a paid leave must state their intention to return to the University for the same amount of time they plan to be gone. Return of the faculty member for such period of time does not guarantee that the period of such leave shall be taken into account as service credit for purposes of any University retirement plan. Exemptions to returning to the University at the conclusion of the leave can only be granted by the president upon recommendation of the chancellor. Additionally, all faculty members must file a report on the accomplishments during the leave period as specified by their chancellor or chancellor’s designee.
- Research Leave. Tenured, tenure-track, and full-time, ranked non-tenure track research faculty members with established scholarly, artistic or research records are eligible to apply for a research leave. A research leave may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. If a faculty member receives an external fellowship or grant support for a research leave, the University may supplement such support to provide full regular salary; if such external support is not received, the University may provide full regular salary. Additional travel funds and leave related expenses may be provided as deemed appropriate.
- Development Leave. Tenured, tenure-track and full-time, ranked non-tenure track faculty members are eligible to apply for a development leave to pursue personal, professional, instructional, or administrative development. Development leave may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. If a faculty member receives external fellowship or grant support for a development leave, the University may supplement such support to provide full regular salary; if such external support is not received, the University may provide full regular salary. Additional travel funds and leave related expenses may be provided as deemed appropriate.
- Sabbatical Leave. Tenured faculty members are eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave after six or more years of service, and can reapply for subsequent sabbatical leaves six years after the prior sabbatical leave. Sabbatical leaves may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. A faculty member on a sabbatical leave will receive up to one-half their regular annual salary. Additional travel funds and leave related expenses may be provided as deemed appropriate.
- Personal Leave – Within the specifications described below, each campus will develop an application and review process to approve personal leaves and stipulate the duration (not to exceed one year) and support associated for each leave. All leaves must be documented in writing, recorded, and approved by signature of the provost or designee.
- Leave of Absence. Faculty members may apply for a personal leave without pay. A leave of absence may be granted in cases of exceptional personal or institutional reasons, such as medical leave beyond the requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). A leave of absence without pay may be granted for a period not to exceed one year and may not extend past the ending date of the faculty member’s appointment. Any extension of the one year limit must be approved by the chancellor.
- Paid Family and Medical Leave
- A tenured, or tenure-track faculty member, or full-time, ranked non-tenure track faculty member as defined in Section 310.035, who is eligible for family and medical leave (see Section 340.010) will be paid, up to 12 weeks, during any portion of such leave that occurs during the faculty member’s normally scheduled work duties. Paid family and medical leaves cannot exceed more than two 12-week paid leaves within a six-year period. Additional leaves during any six-year period will be unpaid. However, if such faculty member is covered by another approved University vacation/sick leave policy, the provisions of such vacation/sick leave policy shall apply in determining the extent to which the family and medical leave shall be paid.
- Under no circumstance can a faculty member exceed 12 weeks of family and medical leave within any 12-month period unless such leave is for covered service member leave for which the maximum is described in Section 340.010. However, given that the traditional semester is 16-weeks in duration, it is important not to interrupt the teaching and learning environment of students. Therefore, any faculty member who would normally have teaching responsibilities and is returning from a family and medical leave mid-semester will not be expected to return to the classroom until the start of a new term. In order to receive pay upon the return from a 12-week family and medical leave or a 26-week covered service member leave, a differentiated work load must be negotiated. This differentiated work load must be documented in writing and approved by the department chair, dean[1] and the provost or designee. If negotiated, the faculty member may be eligible to receive pay for the remainder of the semester. Faculty members who take family and medical leave, either paid or unpaid, shall not, because of such leave, be assigned heavier work load or be otherwise discriminated against.
- Military Leave – See Section 340.010 and the HR Policy Manual for further information regarding military leave.
[1] On campuses with no schools or colleges and, therefore, no deans, there is no requirement for approval by the dean.
