Academic Leave for Faculty - Responsibility for Approving

Effective August 23, 1997, the Chancellor has delegated responsibility for approval of a leave request to the academic deans. This action is consistent with the Two-Signature Rule and the decentralization of administrative responsibility. Approval of the leave involves final signatory authority on the Academic Leave Form (a revised version of which is attached.) For staff and administrators, approval of a leave is delegated to the Chancellor's direct report who has responsibility for that unit. The Chancellor will approve leaves for all direct reports.

The most common issues regarding leaves are discussed below in order to assist you in processing these requests. Note that the requirements of activities during a sabbatical and the reporting requirements upon return appear in the University Bylaws.
 

1. Time between faculty sabbatical leaves - Faculty are eligible for sabbatical leave after 12 consecutive semesters of service, or 12 semesters over 7 years with an approved leave. That is, the sabbatical clock is reset if more than 2 semesters of leave occur. Note that medical leaves do not necessarily impact the sabbatical clock. Example: A faculty member who has a sabbatical leave in the Fall of 1996 and is on leave without pay during the 1998-99 academic year is eligible for a sabbatical in the Spring of 2004. Had they not taken the leave, they would be eligible for a sabbatical in the Spring of 2003. But, if the faculty member received an additional Leave Without Pay in the Fall of 2001, they will not complete the 12 semesters in 7 years until Spril 2006. (The best way to do determine availability is to write it out and count the semesters.)

 
2. Sabbaticals for one semester at full pay - the department and school or college must assume responsibility for covering the faculty member's duties during the leave as no funds are released as a result of the leave. Regional campuses should budget temporary labor funds with the expectation that a certain number of such sabbaticals will occur in a given year.

 
3. Sabbaticals for one year at half-pay - Leaves of this type provide the school or college with 50% of the faculty member's salary and fringe benefits to hire replacements on either the regular or special payroll. For regional campus faculty, the dean must work with the campus director to determine the replacement needs of the campus. One-year sabbaticals may occur in any two consecutive academic semesters.

 
4. Sabbaticals for department heads - When department heads are granted sabbaticals, they revert to a 9-month appointment since they are relinquishing their administrative responsibilities. The acting head then receives a 10-month appointment. As the two salaries will almost certainly differ, the dean's office will bear either the burden or fruits of this transition. Note that the 10-month appointment is a rate of pay and does not imply one month of summer salary. The acting head will be paid based upon a 10-month rate for the duration of the head's sabbatical leave, be it one year or one semester. Note that the reversion to 9 months applies to any other faculty administrative appointment in which the incumbent is eligible for sabbaticals. Deans are not eligible for sabbatical leaves during their term of office. Payroll authorizations with specific dates are required for both the department head and the acting head at both ends of the head's leave.

 
5. Administrative delay of sabbaticals - Sabbatical leave is a privilege and can be delayed if the department or campus cannot afford programmatically to have all faculty who request sabbaticals away during a given semester. In such cases, the time to the next leave is decreased by the administrative delay.

 
6. Leaves with Pay (Research or research administration) - In certain situations, the host institution will reimburse the University for the faculty member's services. The salary and fringe benefits of the employee would become available to the dean for replacements. In these cases, the employee should request a Leave With Pay as they will remain on the University's payroll. The faculty member should understand the impact of the leave upon the sabbatical eligibility. (See item 1.)

 
7. Leaves without Pay - One-year leaves without pay are granted for a variety of justifiable reasons. The full amount of the salary and fringe benefits are available to the dean for replacements. The faculty member should understand the impact of the leave upon sabbatical eligibility. (See item 1.) If a second consecutive year of a leave without pay is requested, it can be granted only if the applicant agrees in writing that they will either return to the University at the end of the second year or resign their position.

 
8. Medical leaves - Requests for medical leaves require appropriate documentation from a physician. Eligibility for a medical leave with pay depends upon the employee's bargaining unit status and prior history. The dean gives approval to a medical leave request from a programmatic perspective. The Office of Human Resources will resolve eligibility issues. Note that paid medical leaves do not release any funds for replacement costs.

 
9. Tenure clock - The tenure clock stops for medical (including maternity) and personal leaves unless the faculty member explicitly requests that it continue. For other leaves, the original tenure decision date remains.

 
10. Distribution of funds freed by a leave- The head of a budgeted unit (school or college for faculty, school, college, regional campus, oradministrative unit for staff) has responsibility for distribution of the funds released by a leave. The Chancellor's Office will neither benefit from nor contribute to situations arising from leaves.

 
11. Approvals - For Storrs faculty, the department head and dean approve the leave request. For regional campus faculty, the department head and dean approve after consulting with the regional campus director. In both cases, the dean is responsible for financial issues, working with the regional campus director as appropriate, and for passing the request to Human Resources. For professional staff, the employee's immediate supervisor and the manager reporting to the Chancellor approve the request, again after consultation with the regional campus director. The more senior manager is responsible for financial arrangements and for passing the request to Human Resources. In all cases, two managers should approve the request. The Department of Human Resources will verify the completeness of the forms and prepare an agenda item for the Board of Trustees. Dean's offices retain the original and forward copies to Human Resources and the other departments listed on the application. Mary Ann Lally in Human Resources serves as primary contact for procedures on academic leaves. Please contact her if you need an Academic Leave Request Form.

Academic Leave Request Form