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Faculty
Regulations
17. Leaves of Absence
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| a. Justification for Leave |
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The University endeavors,
to the extent which is possible and practicable, to allow
for full‑time members of the faculty to be released
temporarily from their assigned duties for activities such
as:
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| • study in institutions of higher learning
for the purpose of completing requirements for a higher degree
or for post‑doctoral study; |
| • research and writing, scholarly, and creative
activities; |
| • teaching as a visiting member of the faculty
of another college or university; |
| • service in government and other public
or private agencies if such service is clearly related to the
teaching assignment or research interests of the faculty member; |
| • military service and essential national
defense activities; |
| • recuperation of health; |
| • temporary residence in another area when
a spouse's employment and consequent family considerations
require that a faculty member accompany his/her family. |
| • family and medical leave |
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| Generally, leave requests
must be supported with appropriate documentation demonstrating
why the request should be granted.
A leave of absence is granted on a selective basis and
must depend on the ability of the Washington College of Law
to organize its work to permit the leave without significant
additional expense to the University and without detriment to
its programs. |
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| Faculty members with
administrative assignments at all levels must understand that
their absence on any type of leave may affect the ongoing operations
of the University so adversely that otherwise laudable requests
for leave may have to be denied on administrative grounds.
All leaves and the related terms must have the prior
written approval of the dean of academic affairs. |
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| b. Limitations and Conditions |
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| The University cannot
permit any member of the full‑time faculty to be away
from his/her duties on any type of leave (or combination of
types of leave) for more than two consecutive years at a time
except in cases of serious illness or required active military
service. Ordinarily,
a faculty member who chooses to extend a leave beyond two years
will forfeit his/her position at the University, even if s/he has not submitted a formal letter of resignation. |
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| When a leave of absence
is granted, a “Faculty Personnel Action Form” will
set forth the precise terms of the leave consistent with the
recommendations made by the Committee on Rank and Tenure and
the dean of the Washington College of Law.
The faculty member's name and position will continue
to appear in faculty listings printed in catalogs and other
official publications during the period of his/her leave of
absence. |
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| c. Types of Leave |
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| A leave of absence
will be designated in one of the following ways: leave without
pay; leave with partial pay (which is so designated); research
leave; sabbatical leave; family and medical leave; or terminal
leave. |
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| i. Leave
Without Pay |
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A full‑time member
of the faculty who has completed at least one academic year
of service may apply for complete or partial leave of absence
without pay by submitting to the dean and to the Committee
on Rank and Tenure a written request describing in detail
the purposes and duration of the leave and the activities
in which s/he will be engaged.
Leave Without Pay applications and extensions should
be submitted by the established deadline and will be processed
in the same manner as all faculty personnel actions. If a grant application is unresolved by the
deadline for requesting Leave Without Pay, the dean of academic
affairs will accept a statement from a faculty member of
intent to apply for leave if the grant is forthcoming.
The statement of intent must be filed by the announced
deadline.
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The University does
not make contributions to employee benefit programs of a
faculty member on leave of absence without pay.
However, the faculty member may continue group insurance
benefits by paying the full cost.
Retirement plan contributions cannot be made on a
tax‑deferred basis for a faculty member for whom no
salary is being paid by the University.
The Benefits Office contacts each faculty member
who is beginning a leave without pay to notify the individual
of the options available. Tuition privileges will be continued, but only
in those cases where faculty members certify their intention
to return to the University after the leave has terminated.
Any exceptions to this general policy must be clearly
expressed in writing and approved by the dean of academic
affairs.
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A Leave Without Pay
is not included either in accrual of service for sabbatical
eligibility or promotion in rank or as part of pre‑tenure
service unless written approval is obtained from the provost
prior to the leave's inception. The provost will grant or deny approval or grant
approval of specific conditions, based on his/her determination
of the best interests of the University.
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Faculty members are
sometimes presented with a significant scholarly, creative,
or professional development opportunity funded from a prestigious
award or other notable source outside the University.
In such cases, they may be eligible to apply for
a Research Leave. A faculty member on Research Leave shall be
paid by the university a Research Leave stipend equal to
ten percent of the faculty member’s pre-research leave
annual salary. During the period of a Research Leave, the
University will continue its contribution to the faculty
member's retirement program and other employee benefits,
subject to contributions from the faculty member, if so
required.
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| An application for
a Research Leave requires a substantial demonstration of scholarly
merit, prestigious recognition, and timeliness.
Research Leave applications are to be reviewed by the
Committee on Rank and Tenure and the Office of the Dean prior
to consideration by the Provost for final action. |
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A Research Leave carries
with it accrual of eligibility for promotions in rank, but
not for sabbaticals. A
research leave normally accrues as part of pre-tenure service
consistent with the provisions in section 12.c
above. Exceptions must be approved in advance by the
dean of academic affairs.
During the period of a Research Leave, the University
will continue its contribution to the faculty member’s
retirement program and other employee benefits, subject
to contributions from the faculty member on Research Leave. FICA, federal and state taxes are applicable
to certain of the University payments and privileges for
this section.
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| iii. Sabbatical
Leave |
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| A full‑time tenured
member of the teaching faculty of the Washington College of
Law who has served the University for a period during which
six years of successive full‑time teaching has accrued,
excluding periods during which s/he is on any other approved
types of leave of absence for which there is no accrual of eligibility
for sabbatical leave, is eligible for sabbatical leave. A faculty member may apply for Sabbatical Leave
by addressing a written request to the dean and to the Committee
on Rank and Tenure and by completing the Sabbatical Leave Form
available from the dean of academic affairs.
The application for a Sabbatical Leave accompanying the
“Faculty Personnel Action Form” must outline in detail
an educational program which the applicant agrees to follow. This program must be approved by the Committee
on Rank and Tenure as feasible and consistent with the applicant's
professional responsibilities. |
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| Sabbatical Leave is
not granted for the purpose of taking remunerative employment
of any sort without specific justification of such employment
as an educational endeavor, and approval by the Dean, the Committee
on Rank and Tenure, and dean of academic affairs. |
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| A Sabbatical Leave
is granted for a period of one or two regular academic sessions. A faculty member will be paid his/her full budgeted
salary during a Sabbatical Leave for one academic session or
one‑half of the
budgeted salary during a Sabbatical Leave of two academic sessions.
While on Sabbatical Leave, the faculty member accrues
time towards promotion. |
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| In unusual cases, a
Sabbatical Leave may be authorized for two summers for faculty members appointed for service on a twelve‑month
basis. The faculty member
on such a Sabbatical Leave receives his/her usual budgeted
salary during two summers and the leave is recorded as a Sabbatical
Leave for one academic session.. The two‑summer Sabbatical Leave is authorized
primarily for the benefit of persons with administrative duties
which make it difficult to release them for purposes of their
own research and study during the Fall and Spring sessions. |
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| The fact that a faculty
member has fulfilled the stated requirements for a Sabbatical
Leave or that the applicant is strongly supported does not guarantee
that the leave can be scheduled at the time preferred by the
applicant. The needs of the Washington College of Law as
well as budgetary and administrative considerations are important
factors in the final determination. |
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| A Sabbatical Leave
cannot be extended beyond the period for which it was ordinarily
granted. A faculty member on Sabbatical Leave who wishes
to extend his/her leave may, however, apply for Leave Without
Pay. If that is granted, the faculty member will
be subject to all conditions governing such leaves. |
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| Faculty members who
accept a grant of sabbatical leave are obligated not only to
pursue the educational program for which the leave was granted but also to continue in the service of the University
for at least one academic year following the leave period, unless
other arrangements are agreed to by the University. |
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| After completing a
Sabbatical Leave, a faculty member will not be eligible for
another Sabbatical Leave until s/he has completed another period
of six successive years of full‑time service, excluding
the periods of leave for which there is no accrual of eligibility
for Sabbatical Leave, and after the faculty member has made
application in the usual way. An exception may be made in the
case of a faculty member who has been requested to defer a Sabbatical
Leave for the convenience of the University. Such a faculty
member may be considered for another such leave after the expiration
of a period of years following the deferred leave calculated
by subtracting from six years the number of years by which the
Sabbatical Leave was deferred (excluding other types of leave
for which there is no accrual of eligibility for Sabbatical
Leave). |
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| In order to define
clearly the University's position and to protect the interests
of faculty members who are asked to defer sabbaticals, the provost
must approve and confirm agreements for deferral of sabbaticals
for the convenience of the University.
Requests should be directed to the provost with documentation,
including a statement of the Sabbatical Leave project of the
faculty member and a statement by the dean of the Washington
College of Law of the reason for deferral. |
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Regardless of the total
number of years of service, faculty members who elect not
to take Sabbatical Leaves are at no time entitled to other
types of leave or payments in lieu thereof.
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iv. Family and Medical Leaves
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| Please refer to the
Faculty/Staff Benefits Manual for details on this type
of leave. |
v. Terminal
Leave
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| Terminal leave may
be provided for through agreement between the faculty member
and the University or granted as a recognition of service in
exceptional circumstances. Whether pay is continued during terminal leave
will depend upon the circumstances in which the leave is granted. Exceptionally meritorious faculty who have served
the University for a relatively long period of time may be granted
terminal leave with pay during the regular academic semester
immediately preceding retirement in anticipation of that retirement
as an expression of the University's gratitude for past service. |
