Faculty Policy Series #22

Special Leave

  1. Policy

    The purpose of Special Leave is to facilitate work on clearly defined and well-advanced scholarly projects. The Board of Trustees has established in its annual budget an item to cover such leaves. All leaves granted will be within the limits of this annual budget appropriation. Priority for such leave will be on the basis of manifest importance of the project and other considerations such as rank and length of service in rank.

    Special Leave will be granted in the form of released time to a maximum of nine teaching hours. However, if the released time is divided among two or more semesters, it is not required that it be used continuously. However, in no event may more than three years elapse between the beginning and the end of the Special Leave.

    The salary of the recipient during the leave shall be the base salary normally received without the leave. All insurance and other benefits will be maintained in full force and effect for its duration. Individuals granted Special Leave shall be expected to continue at Hofstra University for at least one year after completion of such Special Leave.

    Members of the instructional staff with five years of continuous full-time service at Hofstra University shall be eligible for Special Leave. They will be eligible for subsequent Special Leaves five years from the start of the previous leave.

  2. Applications

    1. Applications shall conform to the requirements below and shall be processed according to the following schedule, whether they are to be taken in the fall or spring semester of the following year:
      From the faculty member to the chair by Oct. 1
      From the chair to the dean by Oct. 15
      From the dean to the Faculty Committee by Nov. 15
      From the Faculty Committee to the Provost by Dec. 15
      From the Provost to the President by Jan. 15
      Announcement of recipients by Feb. 1

    2. An applicant must have the endorsement of his/her department chair and academic dean with respect to the number of hours of released time requested.

    3. The application will be forwarded to the Provost with the following credentials:

      1. A letter of recommendation from the department chair testifying to the applicant's competence in carrying out the project outlined.

      2. An outline of the project submitted through the department chair with his/her endorsement of the project.

      3. Any other supporting materials which the applicant believes will contribute to the evaluation of his or her project.

      4. A brief résumé of the candidate's activities at Hofstra including instructional load, overload, research, committee work and other activities valuable to the University.

    4. The Provost will consult with the Faculty Affairs Committee of the Senate before he/she makes a recommendation about such leaves to the President.

    5. In those cases in which faculty members apply for Special Leave in order to engage in programs of advanced scholarly reading and study the application shall also include the department chair's evaluation of the proposal in relation to the particular curriculum and to the increased value of the individual in the department; this evaluation must be endorsed by the academic dean to warrant further consideration.

    6. In those cases in which faculty members apply for Special Leave in order to complete their doctoral dissertations, the following requirements must be met in addition to those listed above:

      1. Completion of all course requirements and preliminary examinations for the doctoral degree.

      2. Submission to the Provost of the following credentials:

        1. plan for the completion of his/her terminal degree

        2. written recommendation from his/her graduate adviser

        3. letters of recommendation from his/her department chair and academic dean.

  3. Criteria for Evaluating Special Leave

    1. Special Leaves will be granted on the basis of the following considerations:

      1. Significance of project as a contribution to knowledge, to curricular developments, to Hofstra's reputation.

      2. Likelihood that the project will be completed on the evidence of past performance.

      3. Length of time since the applicant received a leave.

      4. Types of services and length of time in service to the University.

    2. Special Leaves will be conferred throughout the University according to these guidelines:

      1. The total sum of available leaves shall be divided as equally as practicable between the fall and spring semesters.

      2. Leaves applied for and not granted for a specific semester may be resubmitted for consideration in a subsequent semester.

      3. Leaves will be granted in accordance with all-University considerations. The number of leaves for each unit will, in general, be proportional to the number of full-time faculty in each unit.

      4. Leaves will be granted in the same year to members of the same department only if department resources are not strained unduly.

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FPS #22
(rev. 2016)