FACULTY AFFAIRS
Senate Faculty Affairs Committee
Hofstra University
The Faculty Affairs Committee encourages all eligible full-time faculty members to apply for a Special Scholarly Leave, a Special Teaching Leave, or both. According to Faculty Policy Series #22, “members of the instructional staff with five years of continuous full-time service at Hofstra University shall be eligible. They become eligible for subsequent Special Leaves five years from the start of the previous leave.” By contract, the total number of leaves (Scholarly and Teaching) allowed each year shall be 13.5% of the number of full-time faculty in the bargaining unit who have completed five years of service at the commencement of the fall semester in which the leaves are granted. Leaves are distributed proportionally throughout the various academic units.
Applicants for a Special Scholarly Leave or a Special Teaching Leave submit their proposals to their chairs, whose recommendations are forwarded to the appropriate deans. The Faculty Affairs Committee reads all applications and recommendations and submits its recommendation for the dispersal of all scholarly and teaching leaves to the Provost.
Eligibility
Full-time faculty of any rank may apply in their fifth year of continuous service for their first proposed leave. Faculty seeking a subsequent leave may apply no sooner than the fourth academic year after their last leave for a proposed leave in the following year. If your last leave was in 2022-23, you are eligible to apply in 2026-27 for a leave to be taken in 2027-28.
The Application
You may submit separate and distinct proposals for both Scholarly and Teaching leaves; however, applicants can be awarded only one leave. Your application should consist of a Special Leave Application Cover Sheet, the proposal itself, and your vita.
- Special Leave Application Cover Sheet – this is a fillable PDF form that should be saved to your computer with your name and date once you have completed all the sections.
- The focus of your application should be a project proposal of about 4-5 single-spaced pages. It should be a concise and clearly written explanation intelligible to colleagues, most of whom are likely to be non-specialists in your field. Indicate the importance of your project, its possible impact on your field of study, how far along you are in the project, and what you hope to accomplish during your proposed leave. Applicants proposing collaborative projects should provide details of their particular involvement.
- Your current vita should include a publication history and a summary of service at the University. Special Teaching Leave applicants should include evidence of a commitment to good teaching (CTRs, peer evaluations, etc.).
Criteria
In compliance with FPS #22, the Committee ranks proposals according to the significance of the proposed project as a contribution to knowledge, curricular developments, and the reputation of the University. It also considers the time since your last special leave; the degree to which the goals of previous special leaves were met; the likelihood of significant progress in or completion of the project as a result of the special leave; the applicant’s service to the University; and (in the case of Special Teaching Leaves) evidence of good teaching.
Special Leaves, Special Teaching Leaves, Special Leaves Law School, Administrative Special Leaves
2027-2028 AWARDS TIMETABLE
| Due Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| October 16, 2026 |
Special Leaves (including Law School) and Special Teaching Leaves Proposals due from faculty members to their department chairs |
| November 2, 2026 |
Special Leaves and Special Teaching Leaves Recommendations due from department chairs to their dean |
| November 18, 2026 |
Special Leaves and Special Teaching Leaves Recommendations from deans are due to the Faculty Affairs Committee at proleaves@hofstra.edu |
| November 18, 2026 |
Administrative Special Leaves Proposals from department chairs are due to their academic dean |
| January 11, 2027 |
Special Leaves and Special Teaching Leaves Recommendations from the Faculty Affairs Committee are due to the Provost’s Office at provostfpa@hofstra.edu |
| January 11, 2027 |
Administrative Special Leaves Recommendation from the academic dean to the provost |
| February 10, 2027 |
Special Leaves, Special Teaching Leaves, and Administrative Special Leaves Recommendations due from the provost to the president |
| March 1, 2027 |
Special Leaves, Special Teaching Leaves, and Administrative Special Leaves Announcement of recipients to the deans |
Purpose: The Special Teaching Leave will provide faculty members time away from regular responsibilities to develop ideas and methods related, in any way, to the enhancement of teaching excellence. Recognizing the tremendous breadth of insight, innovation, and research that may be stimulated during a Teaching Leave, there is no attempt to limit application to any particular set of topics or fields. Faculty may, for example, use the time to investigate larger pedagogical theories, devise instructional methods, or study problems and crises in education.
Eligibility: Members of the instructional staff with five years of continuous full-time service at Hofstra University shall be eligible (see FPS #22).
Procedures: The application for a Special Teaching Leave consists of two parts: (a) a proposal, and (b) supporting materials. Both parts shall be submitted through the applicant’s department chair in accordance with the timetable distributed by the Provost’s Office.
Proposal: Applicants should submit a detailed project proposal that should include (a) objectives and goals, (b) methodology, (c) time frame, (d) anticipated outcomes, (e) previous or current related work, and (f) assessment of the project’s importance. Since the committee that reviews the proposals (i.e., Faculty Affairs Committee of the Senate) consists of faculty from diverse constituencies, applicants are urged to make their proposals as explicit as possible. In addition, if they are proposing a joint project, applicants need to specify their particular involvement in the project.
Supporting Materials should include a curriculum vita, course and teacher evaluations, peer evaluations, and other evidence demonstrating commitment to good teaching.
Proposals will be judged on intrinsic and extrinsic criteria, including (a) quality of the proposal, (b) teaching relevance, (c) generalizability, (d) evidence of good teaching, (e) likelihood of completion, (f) whether any progress has already been made, (g) potential utilization and dissemination, and (h) length, amount, and quality of service at the University.
Hofstra’s academic programs empower you to think beyond the classroom and turn knowledge into action. Find the right program for your goals and shape your future with us.