University Leaves of Absence with Pay

a. Sabbaticals

Sabbatical leaves are considered to be a privilege, not a right, and will be granted only when the University is assured that the leave will not have adverse effects on departmental teaching, administrative responsibilities, or research, including the supervision of dissertations.

Sabbatical leaves may be granted "for the primary purpose of enhancing the value of the recipient's further service to the University and his or her profession through the media of study, research or publication undertaken to improve pedagogical techniques, solve administrative problems, or broaden the scope of one's knowledge in his or her chosen field." In no case will a sabbatical be granted for the purpose of acquiring an advanced degree.

Applications for sabbatical leave should be accompanied by a detailed description of the work to be accomplished during the leave, the applicant's curriculum vitae, and a supporting statement from the applicant's chair, stating how teaching duties are to be covered during the leave. The dean will ordinarily require that the faculty member applying for a sabbatical submit an acceptable project proposal and that the faculty member granted a sabbatical submit a report at its end. All requests for sabbatical must be submitted to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for final approval.

A faculty member may receive a one-semester leave with full salary, provided that no replacement for teaching services be made, or leave for one academic year at half-salary. In certain instances, with the approval of the dean and of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the department may use the other half of the annual salary to support a one-semester teaching replacement.

Eligible members include persons in the rank of assistant professor or above or librarians who have completed twelve semesters of full-time service in residence at Tulane prior to the leave.

Sabbatical leave is granted only if there will be the opportunity for at least one full year of University service upon return. Because a sabbatical leave is intended to provide the recipient uninterrupted time for research, extramural remuneration for employment during the period of leave is restricted. For a one-semester leave, income from regular employment (e.g., teaching or salaried post in government or private business) shall be deducted from the full-time salary of the leave recipients. For a two-semester leave, income from regular employment shall not exceed one-half of the regular full-time salary of the leave recipient. Sabbatical time does not accumulate if the period between such leaves should be more than six years; e.g., after ten years without a sabbatical, a faculty member remains eligible for no more than one year at half pay or one semester at full salary. On rare occasions when, at the specific request of the dean, a faculty member postpones sabbatical leave for the convenience of the department, an agreement with the Tulane University dean may be made to bank time toward a future sabbatical. This mutual agreement in writing must be sought by the faculty member before the time is to be banked.

b. Illness or Other Incapacities of Short Duration

Tulane has no stated policy on sick leave for faculty members. Each case is considered individually by the appropriate department chair and dean. Customarily, when a faculty member must be absent from his or her duties because of illness or incapacity of short duration, other members of the faculty, with the knowledge of the department chair and the dean, assume his or her duties on a temporary basis. If the illness becomes extended so that this is no longer feasible, other arrangements are made by the department chair in consultation with the dean and the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost or the Senior Vice President and Dean, School of Medicine. Absences due to illness or incapacity associated with pregnancy and childbirth are treated in the same manner as other incapacities of short duration with the exception noted in 3.c. If the condition is prolonged because of complications, then it will be treated as absences for extended illness.

Prolonged incapacitating illness may be covered by the University's disability insurance policy, which applies to all compensated faculty (other than patient care providers who are members of the Tulane Faculty Practice Plan (also called Tulane University Medical Group) who work 50% or more of full time.

c. Parental Leave

The University will grant faculty members a 6-week paid leave of absence from all duties following the birth of a child or the placement of a child for adoption or foster care with the faculty member. The faculty member should notify the Department Chair/Dean as far in advance as possible, but no less than 4 months prior to birth in the case of pregancy. If a faculty member's 6-week parental leave occurs at such time that there would be significant overlap between that leave and an academic term in which he or she would otherwise have classroom responsibilities, the faculty member should request and be granted from the Department Chair/Dean special relief from such responsibilities during that term. The special relief, which would carry full pay, will not apply to non-classroom duties which should be performed as usual. In most cases, significant overlap would be defined as four weeks or more of the term.

Faculty members who are unable to return to work at the end of the parental leave may apply for an extended leave of absence as described in the Faculty Handbook under Leaves of Absence Without Pay.