SECTION H. Advanced Academic Research Leave (revised 2/2006)

In accordance with Board of Regents Policy 802.0804 (“Educational and Professional Leave”), the following guidelines are intended to clarify the application and approval processes for tenured faculty seeking advanced academic research leave. Pending availability of funds, the President may grant leave with negotiated salary and benefits for a maximum of one academic semester. With the additional approval of the Chancellor and the Board of Regents, leaves for an academic year may also be considered.

Eligibility Requirements:

1. Applicant must be a full-time tenured faculty member at AASU.

2. Applicant must have a record of six years of continuous teaching at AASU with no history of leave of absence with pay granted in the previous six years.

Documentation Requirements:

1. A scholarly proposal submitted to the applicant's immediate supervisor at least six months prior to the requested date of leave using the guidelines described below.

2. A statement by the head of the academic unit explaining how the applicant's teaching and other professional responsibilities will be covered by the unit during the time period in which leave is sought. [If the head of the academic unit is not able to provide coverage, he or she should document why that is the case.]

3. A recommendation by the head of the academic unit that includes an evaluation of the quality of the scholarly proposal.

4. A recommendation by the dean of the applicant’s college/school in which these criteria are addressed:

Application Review Procedure:

1. Application materials will be submitted to the Vice President and Dean of Faculty, who will solicit evaluation of the proposal by the Research and Scholarship Committee.

2. Following that evaluation the Vice President will review the applicant's eligibility, the quality of the research proposal in light of the scholarly product promised by the proposal, and the completeness of the application. The Vice President and Dean of Faculty must also take into consideration the effect that the leave will have on the applicant’s academic unit. As stated in BOR Policy 802.0803, “if the employee’s work cannot be handled by other employees,” the request for leave may be refused or deferred.

3. The Vice President and Dean of Faculty will communicate his or her recommendation to the President.

Compensation and Obligations:

1. Faculty members on a one-semester Advanced Academic Research Leave will receive full salary and benefits for the project period. (Faculty members on a two-semester Advanced Academic Research Leave will receive half-salary during the leave.)

2. While on Advanced Academic Research Leave, a faculty member may not accept additional remunerative employment without written permission from the President or his/her designee.

3. The faculty member must complete a minimum of one year of teaching at AASU following a one-semester leave (and a minimum of two years of teaching at AASU following a two-semester leave). If the faculty member fails to complete this obligation, the faculty member is obligated to return the additional costs (compensation and other expenses paid by the university) the institution incurred resulting from the leave.

4. Once leave has been granted, the recipient will be required to sign an agreement stipulating the conditions of the leave.

Post Leave Requirements:

1. Within two months following the period of Advanced Academic Research Leave, the faculty member must present a report of the research conducted to the head of the academic unit, dean of the college/school, the Vice President and Dean of Faculty, and the President.

2. The faculty member must present and/or publish a relevant scholarly product within two years (or a predesignated time period) following the semester in which leave was taken.