Purpose
Paid leaves of absence are intended to support extended academic projects that would be difficult or impossible to undertake without suspension of other contractual responsibilities. These guidelines describe only leave opportunities supported by the Quality of Instruction Council QIC) and the University Research Council (URC). Other forms of leave (e.g., for illness, personal reasons, or a temporary position elsewhere) should be handled through college offices in the manner prescribed by them and the
Provost.
A leave of absence is a suspension of all contractual responsibilities (unless otherwise negotiated in advance) for one or more complete academic terms. Paid leaves are granted for one quarter or one semester at full pay, for two quarters at up to seventy-five percent of normal salary for the period, or for a full academic year (three quarters) at up to half of contract salary. A faculty member who accepts a leave of absence at less than full pay is understood to be amending his/her annual contract.
Planning
Planning within the various academic units is necessary. Faculty should notify their departmental chairperson and other appropriate administrators of their intention to apply for a leave. Further, to ensure university-wide equitable distribution of leaves, such participation should be encouraged and enabled for all academic units. Junior faculty should take advantage of this leave in advance of their tenure review.
Faculty are encouraged to attend one of the leave orientation workshops offered in the spring and fall to be aware of the current application procedures. Faculty are expected to follow the Outline of Proposal below and submit all requested information. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Faculty members planning a leave should consider external sources of funding as well as the QIC and URC programs. External fellowship deadlines usually occur 18 to 24 months before the intended start-date of the fellowship. For example, the deadline for NEH Fellowships for 2008-09 is October 1, 2007. Therefore, faculty should start planning for a paid leave 2 years before the planned leave. Faculty members are encouraged to contact the Office of Sponsored Programs & Research for assistance with external funding.
Application Deadline
Applications for leaves to be taken during 2008-09 must be submitted to departmental chairpersons (if applicable) and reach college deans by December 15, 2007 (or other date set by each dean). Deans must forward recommendations and supporting documents to the Councils' Chair by January 10, 2008. Late applications will not be processed.
Online submission of applications to the Councils is required. An initial application should be submitted by December 15 when the proposal is provided to the department chair. Requested revisions are permitted but all revisions and a final copy must be submitted by January 8. Click here or below for entry to the online application website. After submission, faculty proposals will continue to reside on our database and will be available for referencing by the faculty who submitted them. Each faculty member will have his or her personal “portfolio” of internal grants and leaves.
Eligibility for Paid Leave
1. Full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply for paid leave if they will have completed three consecutive years of full-time tenure-track service at DePaul as of the time that the requested leave will commence. Eligible faculty may apply for either a Competitive Instructional Leave or a Competitive Research Leave. The selection criteria for each type of leave are described in paragraphs 7 and 8 below.
2. Faculty previously awarded a Competitive Instructional Leave or a Competitive Research Leave may take another leave after having completed at least three years in residence at DePaul. This three-year period begins subsequent to the completion of the prior leave. In addition, (a) no individual may receive more than a total of three quarters or two semesters of leave during a six-year period (the six-year period will start when the first leave begins), and (b) total salary payments provided by the University for leave(s) taken during a six-year period may not exceed one-half of a faculty member's prorated annual contract salary.
Example #1
Professor X requested and received a one-quarter, fully paid Competitive Research Leave for the autumn quarter of 1992. Three years later the same professor wants a paid leave to pursue an instructional improvement project. Professor X is eligible to apply for a one or two quarter Competitive Instructional Leave to be taken during the winter quarter of 1996 or after, but may receive only one-sixth of annual salary for the second leave, whatever the length, because full pay (2/6 of annual salary) was received during the first leave. As with all applications, Professor X's eligibility does not guarantee that leave will be granted.
Example #2
Professor Y, a member of the Law School, requested and received a fully paid Competitive Instructional Leave in the fall semester of 1992. Professor Y now seeks another semester of leave during the spring semester of 1996. Because this professor already has been paid one-half of annual salary for the first leave, the second leave--if granted--must be without pay or be paid completely by external funds.
Example #3
Professor Z requests and receives two quarters of leave in autumn 1992 and winter 1993 at seventy-five percent of the regular salary for that period (totaling 1/2 of annual salary). After three years of service have passed, Professor Z is eligible to apply for one additional quarter of unpaid leave, or may wait to apply for paid leave to be taken in autumn 1998 or later.
3. Leaves must be requested and taken in units of whole terms. Leaves may not spread out as "course reductions" over additional terms.
4. Faculty operating on the quarter system, who teach seven or more classes, will receive a three course reduction for their one-quarter academic leave. Faculty teaching seven or fewer courses will teach two courses each quarter when not on leave. Faculty with course reductions related to administrative or other duties will work out the terms of their leaves with their dean.
5. Neither the Quality of Instruction Council nor the University Research Council will accept leave applications from faculty who are overdue in submitting final reports for projects previously supported by either Council.
6. The University is not obligated to provide a leave of absence to any member of the faculty. The final decision on
Leaves rests with the Provost, who funds Leaves based on economic
resources.
Funding Priorities
7. Competitive Instructional Leaves are granted to support curricular design, pedagogical experimentation, or other activities that will significantly enhance degree credit teaching at DePaul.
Requests to lecture in other countries under the Fullbright Programs
should be submitted to the QIC. The QIC judges requests for Competitive Instructional Leaves according to three primary criteria:
(a) likelihood that the project will improve teaching or strengthen curricular offerings in degree credit programs at DePaul (faculty proposing to develop a course that has not yet been taught must submit a letter from the responsible chairperson/dean indicating that the course has been approved for inclusion in the curriculum or that such approval is anticipated);
(b) breadth of applicability at DePaul;
(c) necessity of leave for successful completion of the project.
(d) international or institutional collaboration.
8. Competitive Research Leaves are granted for projects involving significant scholarly inquiry or creative work. All book projects, including textbooks, should be submitted to the University Research Council rather than the Quality of Instruction Council. The University Research Council judges requests for Competitive Research Leave according to four primary criteria:
(a) promise of quality in the proposed project;
(b) significance of the project's likely contribution to knowledge, art, or professional practice;
(c) probability that the project's outcomes will be published, performed, or otherwise disseminated; if proposing a book or textbook project, include publisher's correspondence or other evidence of likely publication;
(d) necessity of leave for successful completion of the project.
Applicants should also refer to the general guidelines - criteria for council programs. Research projects involving human or animal research subjects must receive institutional review and approval before Leaves can be awarded. Applications for IRB/IACUC/IBC approval should precede the Leave application.
9. Paid leave may not be requested under this program for work toward a graduate degree or acquisition of basic knowledge in one's field of specialization, or for research of a commercial, proprietary, or classified nature.
Terms and Conditions
10. Normal University regulations remain in effect regarding
decisions and notice of reappointment or termination for the faculty
member on leave. The untenured faculty member does not, through a leave
of any type, break the continuity of years of fulltime faculty
appointment at DePaul required as a probationary period before
eligibility for tenure. The year during which an untenured faculty
member is on leave for one quarter or longer is not considered as a year
of probationary appointment, unless the approval of the Provost explicitly provides that the leave year be calculated as one of the years of probationary appointment.
11. Faculty seeking paid leave are expected to apply for external financial support if such is reasonably available. In cases where an external grant or contract provides partial salary support for a faculty member on paid leave, any external money ordinarily will be used, first, to restore to the faculty member any portion of normal contract salary not being paid by the University during the leave, and then, if funds are sufficient, to replace compensation already being provided by the University during a leave.
12. Faculty on paid leave will continue to participate in the employee benefit plans in which they were enrolled prior to the beginning of the leave, subject to the terms of the applicable plan documents and/or insurance policies. To continue coverage, the required employee contribution must continue to be made through payroll deduction. If an open enrollment period occurs during the leave, the faculty member may make any changes which are available to all other plan participants.
Faculty members who are eligible and enrolled in the university's Basic and/or Supplemental Retirement Annuity Plans may continue to make contributions at the same level they made prior to the beginning of the leave, subject to limits required under applicable Federal regulations. The university's contribution will continue, provided the faculty member makes his/her minimum contribution. The Human Resources Department will calculate the salary reduction amount using the actual salary earned while on leave. However, if the faculty member notifies the Human Resources Department that he or she wishes to have both the university's and his/her own contributions based on full contract salary, a recalculation will be done. Both the faculty contribution and the university's contribution are subject to limits required under applicable Federal regulations. The Human Resources Department will prepare a letter describing the options outlined above when notified of the leave.
13. Faculty on paid leave may continue to use the University's services, including routine clerical support, libraries, and computer facilities. Office space and travel funds may be provided or withheld at the discretion of each college dean. Faculty seeking any special types of support from the University, including a typical clerical help, must make arrangements with a college dean, preferably as part of an application for leave, or else acquire needed services through external funding or a grant from the Quality of Instruction Council or University Research Council.
14. Faculty on paid leave may not engage in consulting or unrelated activities for more than the equivalent of one day per work week unless arranged as an integral part of an approved request for leave. In accordance with standing policies and procedures, the University may limit the activities of faculty on paid leave.
15. Faculty accepting a paid leave must return to the University for at least one full year of service after completing a leave, or else be liable for refunding salary paid by the University during the leave.
16. Faculty accepting a paid leave may change (or reduce) the quarters scheduled for their leave by notifying the Council Chair prior to May 1 following the award notice in March. Changes will not be accepted after May 1. If an approved leave is delayed for illness or other unforeseeable cause, the leave will be held in reserve for up to 18 months after the original start date, pending rescheduling of the leave at a time agreeable to the applicant and college.
17. Faculty accepting a paid leave must submit a report within 30
days after completion of the leave. One copy is to be sent to the
Chair of the Quality of Instruction Council or University Research
Council, as appropriate, and one copy to the college dean. The report
should not exceed 4 pages in length and should address work accomplished
during the Leave.
Procedures
18. In colleges with a departmental structure, applicants are to submit requests to departmental chairpersons, who will append a letter of evaluation and forward all materials to the college dean. Faculty in colleges without a departmental structure should submit applications directly to the dean.
19. Applications for leaves to be taken during 2008-09 must be submitted to departmental chairpersons (if applicable) and reach college deans by December 15, 2007 (or another date set by each dean). Deans must forward recommendations and supporting documents to the Council Chair by January 10, 2008. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered. The Quality of Instruction Council and University Research Council will evaluate requests and send recommendations to the
Provost by March 1, 2008.
20. Since the number of requests for support may exceed the number of paid leaves able to be granted, it is each applicant's responsibility to describe, in detail, the objectives, activities, and anticipated outcomes of a leave of absence, to assess the work's probable significance, and to include any supporting documents appropriate to the request.
21. Department chairpersons and deans are asked to rate leave applications as highly recommended, recommended, recommended with reservations, or not recommended at this time. Chairs are requested to provide a letter of recommendation discussing the likely contribution to the discipline. Chairpersons and deans should explicitly indicate the basis of qualitative judgments or practical objections, being especially careful to distinguish between factors of academic merit and financial or scheduling considerations. A form is provided for use by deans (click here to download the Dean's Form).
Please send any forms and attachments via e-mail to the Council
Chair.
22. No applicant has a right to appear before either Council.
23. The chair of each Council will discuss its recommendation with
the Provost for formal approval. At this interim stage, deans have the option to propose alternative means of funding any leaves which are judged academically meritorious but exceed the Councils' resources. Final decisions are communicated to applicants only after formal approval by the
Provost.
24. Leave funds do not appear in the base budgets of colleges. Leave funds administered by the Quality of Instruction Council or University Research Council are held in a special account.
25. Paid Leave budgets are based on course replacement at $3500 per
course.
Final Report
A final report must be submitted within 30 days of the conclusion of the leave. The report should describe the activities conducted during the grant and address the achievement of the leave outcomes. Failure to do so will result in the faculty member being ineligible for future funding from the councils.
University policies
Any published work resulting from a QIC/URC Paid Leave must include a credit to DePaul for support. Please consult the faculty handbook for University policies regarding a wide array of issues related to research, scholarly, and creative work.
Outline of Proposal
Faculty in a college with a departmental structure should submit this application to your chairperson, who will append a letter of evaluation and forward it to the dean. In other colleges, submit your application directly to the dean. Applications must reach deans by December 15, 2007, unless stipulated otherwise by your college.
Submissions to the Council must be an Online Application. All proposals must be in an editable text format. Only the CV may be submitted in PDF format. An initial application should be submitted by December 15 when the proposal is provided to the department chair. Requested revisions are permitted but all revisions and a final copy must be submitted by January 8. Applications for Paid Leaves are not reviewed anonymously. Please submit one document that includes items 2-5 below and a second document that comprises item 6.
A complete online application will include the following:
1. Online application website.
2. List of pending external support for the leave. Please indicate if you wish your leave to be contingent upon receipt of some form of external support and note if the funding will be partial salary support. Please contact the Director of Faculty Support (x2-7570) as soon as you receive notification that you have received funding.
3. An abstract, not more than 10 lines long. The abstract should include the dates of the proposed leave and a description of the project.
4. Project Description: In 5 double-spaced pages, describe the project you will undertake or problem you will investigate. Highlight the significance of your work and indicate any specific outcomes (instructional improvements, artistic works, publications, etc.) you expect to result from the requested leave. You also may emphasize aspects of your experience that bear on this application.
- State the Theoretical problem or guiding idea. Explain the significance of your project to researchers who are not experts in the field. Place your project in a disciplinary context, i.e., link theoretically to related research. Define key conceptual terms so that the basis of your project is clear.
- Explain your Method such as your choice of subjects, instruments, and procedures. Indicate the information to be analyzed: observations, interviews or text. The systematic nature of your study should be evident.
- Describe your Outcomes in terms of its contribution to your field of study.
- Indicate the relation of the work to your teaching or research objectives.
- Include a short bibliography or reference list. (1 page)
- Work plan. In general terms, describe how you will use the leave period.
5. If requesting a Competitive Research Leave, list up to three publications, compositions, artistic works, etc., that exemplify your prior work in the proposed area. If none, please list other types of work which demonstrate your general ability.
6. Attach a current curriculum vitae as a separate document.
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