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Article 22 - Study/Research Leave for Faculty  

22.1    Study/Research Leave with salary is an essential means of enabling Faculty Members to maintain and enhance their quality as scholars. Such Leave enables the University to maintain and enhance excellence through the Faculty Member's subsequent contributions to its teaching and research programs. To satisfy the purpose of this Leave, it is necessary that scholarly objectives are being sought and that both study and research activities, whether singly or in some combination, are consistent with these objectives.

 

22.2    Full-time Faculty Members are eligible to apply for Study/Research Leave to commence after six (6) years of continuous faculty service (or its equivalent) since appointment at the University. Only tenured Faculty Members may take a Study/Research Leave.

 

22.3    A Tenured Faculty Member holding a Reduced Workload Appointment or Part-time Appointment, in accordance with the provisions of Article 54: Reduced Workload, is eligible to apply for Study/Research Leave, to commence after six (6) years of active employment with the University. The procedures and conditions which apply are those outlined throughout the remainder of this Article adjusted to accommodate the reduced workload/part-time appointment.

 

22.4   Prior eligible service for leave with salary as a Faculty Member at another university or acceptable institution may be counted in determining eligibility to apply for Study/Research Leave with salary. Credit will be calculated on the basis of one year for every two (2) years of full-time academic service at another institution, to a maximum of three (3) years. This equivalent amount of leave to be credited will be specified by the Dean in the Letter of Appointment as per Article 19: Faculty Appointments.

 

22.5   Following return from each Study/Research Leave, tenured Faculty Members are entitled to apply for one semester of Study/Research Leave after three (3) years of active employment, or for two (2) semesters after six (6) years of active employment.

 

22.6   Faculty Members who have held an academic administrative appointment since a previous Study/Research Leave are eligible to apply for Study/Research Leave when the sum of years of active employment both prior and subsequent to the term of administrative appointment (and excluding any period of academic administrative leave after the term of appointment) is equal to six (6) years.

 

22.7   A Faculty Member who has served in an academic administrative position may claim one semester of credit for each year of service toward Study/Research Leave.

 

22.8   A minimum of one year must have elapsed between a Transition Leave and a Study/Research Leave, unless otherwise approved by the Dean and the Provost.

Application for Leave

 

22.9   Application for Study/Research Leave must be in writing to the Department Tenure and Promotion Committee through the Chair of the Department. Such application will be submitted at least one year prior to the intended start date of the Study/Research Leave.

22.10   The written application for Leave will include:

a)   a statement of goals;
b)   a plan of scholarly activity;
c)   an indication of when and where the Leave is expected to be taken;
d)   an up-to-date Curriculum Vitae; and
e)   a plan of how contractual research responsibilities (including OMAFRA) will be handled during the period of leave.

 

22.11   The Department Committee will consider all written applications for Study/Research Leave as soon as is practicable following their receipt.

 

22.12   The Department Committee will assess applications on the basis of their merit and their consonance with the statement of goals of the Study/Research Leave. A Faculty Member’s record of using previous Study/Research Leave for scholarly purposes and the report from the previous Leave will be components in the assessment of the application.

 

22.13   The Department Committee, through the Chair, will make its recommendations to the Dean within twenty (20) days of receipt of the application.

 

22.14   The Dean will inform the Faculty Member and the Department Chair in writing of his/her decision to approve or deny the Leave within twenty (20) days of receipt of the Departmental recommendation. Reasons for denial, or for the need to delay the commencement of such a Leave, where this situation applies, will also be given in the Dean’s letter.

 

22.15   Under exceptional conditions determined by Department needs and priorities, and with the approval of the Dean, an approved Study/Research Leave may be delayed. Such delay, however, cannot be for a period exceeding two (2) years. The date to be used in establishing eligibility for a subsequent period of Study/Research Leave will be the date of return that would have occurred had the Leave not been delayed.

 

22.16   Under exceptional circumstances and with the approval of the Dean, the start date of a Faculty Member’s approved Study/Research Leave may be delayed, by the Member, for up to two (2) years. Any entitlement towards the next Leave accrued during such a delay is not jeopardized.

 

22.17   A Faculty Member whose application for Study/Research Leave has not received approval from the Dean may appeal to the Provost. Appeals are restricted to consideration of the academic merits of the case, and may not relate to a requirement to delay the Leave. An appeal cannot introduce new material that has not been seen by the Department Committee and the Dean.

Duration of Leave

 

22.18   Faculty Members who qualify under this Article may apply for a period of Leave of one or two semesters duration with salary and benefits. A Study/Research Leave will include the annual vacation entitlement appropriate to the length of the Leave.

 

22.19   On the completion of a period of Study/Research Leave, the Faculty Member will assume the responsibilities which would normally have been scheduled for that particular semester.

Conditions of Study/Research Leave

 

22.20   The scheduling of a Study/Research Leave is to be granted independently of any other Leave entitlement. Where University Service commitments will be affected by the granting of a Research/Study Leave, the Chair and Dean, in consultation with the Faculty Member, will be responsible for making any necessary administrative arrangements to enable the Leave.

 

22.21   Within sixty (60) days of the conclusion of the Leave, the Faculty Member will provide a written report describing what has been accomplished, in relation to the plan submitted. The report will be provided to the Chair and made available to the Department Committee and Dean.

 

22.22   It is expected that a Faculty Member will return to the University of Guelph for at least one year following a period of Study/Research Leave.

 
Last updated January 30, 2012