Faculty Leaves
Faculty members are potentially eligible for different types of leave: Sabbaticals, Parental Caregiving with Modified Duties or Parental Leave, and Leave of Absence Without Pay. Resources and more information on each are available below. Links to the direct policies are available to the right.
Sabbatical Leave
Eligibility: Tenured faculty with at least 6 years of full-time faculty employment with a minimum rank of Associate Professor; non-tenure-track faculty with at least 6 years of full-time faculty employment and a minimum rank of Assistant Professor.
Re-Application: Faculty who have previously been awarded a sabbatical will be eligible to apply for a subsequent sabbatical after 6 full years of additional service following the completion of that leave.
Selection: Criteria include the merit of the proposed use of the leave, the faculty's past performance at SUU, and available resources. Potential projects include time spent in industry enhancing professional skills and competencies, engaging in scholarly/creative endeavors, advancing one's education, or improving teaching.
All qualifying proposals will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and ranked by the University Faculty Leaves Committee in order of merit. Applications are further prioritized based on the degree to which the sabbatical will enhance the faculty's ability to contribute to SUU's student-centric mission. Preference may be given to terminally qualified faculty members to revitalize themselves through scholarship, writing, or professional/artistic development.
Salary: 80% for a two-semester sabbatical; 95% for a one-semester sabbatical.
Process: To be considered for a sabbatical leave, faculty must submit the Sabbatical Application, statement of leave plans, and a current CV. The faculty's Department Chair will review the application, attach an evaluation letter, and forward the materials to the Dean. The Dean will review the application and evaluation and issue a recommendation before forwarding those materials to the University Faculty Leaves Committee (UFLC). The UFLC will make a recommendation for each application and ranks the recommended applications, before forwarding that ranked list to the Provost. The Provost will then submit the recommended applications to the President and Board of Trustees for approval. Following action by the Board of Trustees, the Provost will notify the applicants of approval or denial of their application.
Application Deadline: Faculty must submit the Sabbatical Application to the Department Chair for review by the Friday of the 5th week after faculty contracts begin each academic year.
Parental Caregiving with Modified Duties/Parental Leave
Faculty must select either PCMD or Parental Leave. Once the faculty member has elected and/or utilized one of the benefits, even in part, for a "qualifying event," they are no longer eligible for the other benefit.
Please note that the following chart is a very brief overview of each policy, and each policy contains subtleties and nuances that may modify a faculty member's eligibility, time period, and/or salary. Faculty should refer to each policy in full for their specific situation.
| Type | PCMD | Parental Leave |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Full-time faculty members on regular, benefit-eligible appointments with instructional duties | Active, benefit-eligible employee who has been employed at SUU for at least 6 months |
| Time Period | Primary Caregiver: 1 semester (full release) Equivalent Caregiver: 1 semester (half release) |
Primary Caregiver: 6 weeks (30 work days) Secondary Caregiver: 2 weeks |
| Salary | 95% | 100% |
| Process | Faculty fills out PCMD application via the HR Portal and provides all necessary documentation. | Employee fills out Parental Leave application via HR Portal. Employee also fills out FMLA application and submits to HR. |
| Policy | Policy 6.15 Faculty Leaves | Policy 9.12 Parental Leave |
Leave of Absence Without Pay (LOAWP)
Process: Faculty who desire leave without pay will apply in writing to their Department Chair (or equivalent). The Chair, Dean, Provost, and President must each evaluate the application and make recommendation for approval by the Board of Trustees.
Application Deadline: There is no specific application deadline, but the application must allow sufficient time for making suitable replacement arrangements.
Extending Leave: Faculty must negotiate individually any leave extension with their Department Chair. Extensions will not be granted without approval of the respective Dean, the Provost, the President, and the Board of Trustees.
Upon Return: The faculty member will retain the position they left insofar as adjustments in staff will permit, but identical positions are not guaranteed. A good-faith effort will be made to provide returning faculty a smooth transition back into the classroom and any other previously assigned duties. If the faculty member does not return to the University for at least one (1) year immediately following the leave and extension, if any, the University will regard the faculty member as having resigned on the date the leave began.
Other Leave
Faculty are eligible to take leave under the following policies, as needed and applicable:
- Policy 9.3 Emergency Leave
- Policy 9.4 Bereavement Leave
- Policy 9.7 Family and Medical Leave
- Policy 9.8 Military Leave
Faculty may also be held to the standards as outlined in Policy 9.1 Absent without Leave.