V. Other Policies for Faculty

1. Notification of Revision Process
2. Summer School Contracts
3. Extra Compensation for Full-Time Faculty and Staff
4. Sabbatical Leave
5. Leave of Absence

A. Notification of Revision Process

With the exception of the section on summer school contracts, all the section statements in this chapter are subject to Board of Trustee approval before changing.  The statement regarding revisions to such a section is as follows:

Revisions to this section may be proposed by a majority vote
of the University Faculty, which are then transmitted through
the Provost and President for vote by the Board of Trustees.

B. Summer School Contracts

Separate contracts with the faculty for teaching in the summer session are made by the President upon recommendation of the Provost and the Dean and the appropriate department or school.

(This section does not require Trustee approval to modify.)

C. Extra Compensation for Full-Time Faculty and Staff

Full-time faculty and staff will be permitted to receive extra compensation from the University of Richmond for the performance of services to the University in the form of teaching or instructional assignments to special conferences and seminar groups composed primarily of individuals outside the University community. Such activities must be performed on the individual's personal time, i.e., weekends, vacation or holiday time, and may not conflict with normal, ongoing job responsibilities. The performance of such services must be approved in advance by the appropriate Dean, Vice President, or the President. Any such service must be clearly outside the normal job responsibilities and expectations of the University.

It is expected that this type of activity will be coordinated by Executive Education or the School of Continuing Studies, and that Executive Education or the School of Continuing Studies will negotiate with the individual regarding compensation for services rendered.

D. Sabbatical Leave

The sabbatical leave program is provided by the University for the enrichment of the teaching capabilities and professional growth of its faculty members. The program is administered by the Provost, with the approval of the President and the Board of Trustees. Application forms for sabbatical leaves may be obtained from the office of the Dean for each division.

Sabbatical leaves for study or research are granted to members of the faculty subject to the following:

1. Eligibility
Full-time tenured faculty members become eligible for sabbatical leaves after each six years of service at the University of Richmond, with the sabbatical taken in the seventh year. Newly tenured professors become eligible to apply in their seventh year. Periods of leave do not count toward the six years of faculty service in determining eligibility. Work done on a sabbatical leave may be part of the fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree, but it is the responsibility of the faculty member to present a case that such a sabbatical is in the best interests of the University.

The time between sabbaticals normally will be six years. Under unusual circumstances when a faculty member is asked to delay a sabbatical leave for the benefit of the department, school or University, less than six years may be required for the subsequent sabbatical.

2. Compensation
One-half salary will be granted for a leave of one academic year (two semesters), or full salary for a leave of one semester. Medical and life insurance, disability, workman's and unemployment compensation are continued in full as usual and are based on the salary the faculty member would have received from the University had he or she not been on sabbatical. Payments to the retirement program are based on actual salary received from the University. Individuals taking a full year sabbatical at half pay may wish to make extra contributions to their retirement program at their own expense. All faculty members taking a sabbatical leave should contact Human Resources Services to discuss their benefit coverage.

Members of the faculty going on sabbatical leave must repay the University the amount of leave compensation (salary and benefits) if they do not return to the University for a period of at least one year.

In addition to the compensation outlined above, the University encourages the faculty member to apply for additional grant monies to cover travel, research costs, displacement costs, or any other expense connected with the leave and which he/she would not normally encounter in a normal teaching year. Such non-salary funds will not be deducted from the University's compensation. Any grant funds above these expenses, however, will reduce the University's participation dollar for dollar, in order that its limited funds may be used for the benefit of those unable to obtain grant monies. The Office of Foundation, Corporate and Government Relations offers help in obtaining grant funds. Sabbatical compensation paid by the University is not affected by extra income (e.g. consultation fees, investment returns) earned by the faculty during the regular teaching year.

3. Submission Deadline for Applications
The leave request should be initiated by the faculty member with the department chair's support and submitted to the Dean. The request must be filed in the first week of September in the fall semester preceding the session for which the leave is requested. Applications approved internally are submitted by the Provost through the President to the Board of Trustees at its Fall meeting.

4. Contents of Application
Applications for sabbatical leaves should contain the following information and supporting materials:

• A statement of purpose and an outline of the proposed program.
• A statement relating the program to the faculty member's teaching and research effectiveness, to the aims of the department, and to the needs of the University.
• A statement of places where the work is to be accomplished.
• A statement indicating whether remunerative employment is to be accepted during the period of leave and stating how this would be consonant with the program. The presumption is that the leave would preclude such employment.
• A statement by the department chair supporting the application and indicating how teaching adjustments will be made in the department.

5. Bases for Consideration of the Application by the Board of Trustees

• Will the faculty member's effectiveness as a teacher and scholar at the University of Richmond be directly enhanced?
• Will the leave help to enhance the faculty member's professional status through publishing, research, study, or service?
• What contribution will the program make to the needs of the department and the University?
• What is the faculty member's seniority in service since being hired or since the last sabbatical leave?
• Will the teaching program of the division be seriously impaired by the absence of the person on leave?

6. Post-Sabbatical Report
A full report on all sabbaticals, spelling out the benefits of the leave to the individual and the University, must be filed with the appropriate department chair and dean within the first month of the semester that the faculty member returns.

E. Leave of Absence

A faculty member may apply for a leave of absence without pay for a period of up to one year for either personal or professional reasons. Personal reasons may include, for example, care-giving for family members or for personal or family medical reasons. (The University will comply with the legal requirements for benefits continuation for leaves covered by the Family Medical Leave Act.) Unpaid personal leave also may be requested to fulfill the requirements for an advanced degree. Leaves may also be granted for professional reasons such as pursuing scholarly or artistic work under a grant or fellowship. In exceptional circumstances, such leaves may be extended beyond one year.

Faculty members on a leave of absence ordinarily do not receive a salary or benefits during the leave period. Those on personal leave may arrange to have their benefits continued at their own expense. (The University will comply with the legal requirements for benefits continuation for leaves covered by the Family Medical Leave Act.) The University will pay the full fringe benefits, except for contribution to the retirement program, of a faculty member on leave of absence under a grant or fellowship. A faculty member requesting a leave of absence should contact the Office of Human Resource Services to discuss benefits available during the leave.

Time on personal leave is not time spent in service to the University. Consequently, it does not count toward the years of service required for eligibility for tenure or sabbatical leave. However, a leave of absence for one semester will not ordinarily change the date of the tenure decision for an untenured faculty member nor the eligibility date for a sabbatical leave for a tenured faculty member. In unusual circumstances, leaves for professional reasons, depending on their nature, may be counted as service to the University and thus towards the years required for tenure and sabbatical. The Provost in consultation with the dean will decide whether the leave time will count.

See Chapter III, Probationary Appointments (Tenure-Track), for "stop the clock" leaves.

Individuals who wish to apply for a leave of absence should discuss the application with the Dean of their school. All leaves must be approved by the Provost.

Approved by University Faculty Council on April 29, 1999,
University Faculty on May 10, 1999, and the Board of Trustees on May 14, 1999