Educational and Sabbatical Leaves of Absence for MUW Faculty Members

PS# 1306

Issue # 1

Page 1 of 5

TITLE: Educational and Sabbatical Leaves of Absence for MUW Faculty Members

AUTHOR: Vice President for Academic Affairs

EFFECTIVE: March, 1983

PURPOSE: To establish the various kinds of leave available to faculty members for professional improvement and the criteria used to determine if leave will be awarded.

REVIEWER: Vice President for Academic Affairs

OPERATING DETAILS:

1. Educational leave may be granted for a school year, semester, or for exceptional reasons, a part of a semester. This leave may be used for graduate or post-doctoral study. No salary is paid by the university for the for the period of the leave, except under the provisions of the Sabbatical Leave Policy. Faculty members who take leave at their own expense to acquire advanced degrees may use this leave time as employed time in determining eligibility for sabbatical.

2. Sabbatical leave may be granted for the purpose of professional improvement only. To qualify for one semester of sabbatical leave, a faculty member must have served full-time on the MUW faculty for six consecutive semesters of regular session work before the effective date of the leave.  To qualify for two semesters of leave, a faculty member must have served full-time on the regular faculty of MUW for twelve semesters of regular session work.

3. Faculty members qualifying for two semesters of sabbatical leave receive one-half of the salary they would have received for full-time service during the period of the leave. Faculty members eligible for two semesters of sabbatical leave may receive sabbatical leave for one semester at full pay in lieu of two semesters of leave at half pay. Faculty members eligible for one semester of sabbatical leave at regular one-half pay may receive two semesters of leave at one-fourth pay.

4. A faculty member granted sabbatical must agree to remain on the regular full-time faculty of MUW for one semester for each semester of leave granted. This agreement must require repayment of salary received while on leave by anyone given leave who does not return for the specified time required.

5. Faculty members on sabbatical leave remain full-time employees of MUW with all benefits and responsibilities continued. These rights and benefits include those of retirement, insurance, housing, longevity, and other benefits.

6. No more than four percent of the full-time regular faculty of the university of more than one member of a department or equivalent academic unit may be on sabbatical leave during any one semester. Board of Trustee approval of leave must be not later than June prior to the fiscal year in which the leave is to take place. Sabbatical leave may not be granted for summer school attendance only.

7. At the discretion of the President of the university, full-time faculty of the Division of Nursing may be given released time with full salary to pursue a master's degree in nursing at a university outside the State of Mississippi. The graduate program in nursing selected should be accredited by the national League for Nursing.

Also at the discretion of the President of the university, nursing faculty working on doctorates may be given released time with full salary to pursue the doctorate when the faculty member concerned occupies or is expected to occupy an administrative position for which the doctorate is deemed necessary.

8. Requests for leaves of absence for professional improvement should be made on the MUW form designed for this purpose. Copies of this form may be obtained in the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The request should be given to the university officer to whom the faculty member reports, who then will forward it to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The request must be approved by the President and by the Board of Trustees.

9. Recommendations for approval must meet the following criteria:

a. The purpose for which the leave is sought will advance both the mission of the university and the professional growth of the faculty member. This should be clearly demonstrated by the proposal which should identify goals, specific objectives (activities), and expected outcomes. b. The quotas established by this policy are not exceeded. If approving all the acceptable applications for leave would result in the quota being exceeded, a faculty member who has not been awarded leave for professional improvement ordinarily will be given precedence over one who previously has been awarded a sabbatical leave. c. The academic area of the applicant will be able to offer its program without interfering with the progress of students working toward degrees. d. The university has funds available to support the cost of appointing a replacement for the person going on leave.

10. Any person who is granted a sabbatical leave and who fails to comply with the provisions of such leave and who fails to comply with the provisions of such leave as approved by the university may have his or her leave terminated by the Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher learning.