Leave of Absence policies are established by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. All Leaves should comply with the Board of Regents policy (Section 3.4.3.1 of the Bylaws of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska;) and the instructions identified on the web site of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs . One type of Leave, the Faculty Development Leave, is available for faculty who have been with the university for a minimum of six years. Most years, depending on budget and the number of other approved Leaves, the Department may support two Faculty Development Leaves.
Applications for Faculty Development Leave Fellowships are considered with other requests for Leave of Absences. Faculty Development Leave Fellowships are not granted summarily because the faculty member is eligible or next in line. Departmental recommendations for Fellowships are forwarded on a competitive basis. Faculty members eligible for a Fellowship are encouraged to discuss the proposal and the proposed timing of the Leave with the Department Chair prior to development of the application.
Applications must be accompanied by the Leave of Absence routing form and the Faculty Development Agreement form to be considered.
Applications should describe:
- the goals and objectives of the Faculty Development Leave and how the faculty member’s past productivity has prepared them to meet those goals and objectives
- the activities to be engaged in during the Faculty Development Leave and how they will lead to accomplishing the goals and objectives
- the anticipated impact of the activities, including (but not limited to) how the activities, products and/or outcomes will:
- enhance the applicant’s scholarship, research, teaching, outreach, and professional service.
- benefit the department, college, and University.
Applications should also include:
- a request for the timing of the Faculty Development Leave
- a statement of how assigned duties in the Department will be handled during the absence or how the applicant proposes that they be handled
- the final report from previous Faculty Development Leaves (if applicable)
Evaluation of the applications will emphasize a) how likely it will be that the applicant can accomplish the goals and objectives, b) the potential impact of the work, c) the degree to which the proposed work will increase the competitiveness of the faculty member for external funding (e.g,, the development of skills sets that are fundable) or in other ways help the Department accomplish strategic goals and c) the resources of the Department to support the Leave.
On completion of the Faculty Development Leave, the faculty member must produce a Final Report that “compares the faculty member’s actual activities with those outlined in the proposal, the relationship of these activities to his or her intellectual, artistic, and/or professional growth within his or her discipline, and the ways in which the faculty member feels that experience gained during the fellowship will improve his or her performance as a faculty member at the University.” (see the Faculty Development Leave agreement form) This report must be submitted to the Chair of CYAF and the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs within three months of completion of the Leave.
Applications are due to the Department Chair September 1 of academic year prior to the academic year of the planned leave. The Chair will forward the application to the Peer Review Committee who will review and make recommendations for further development, approve the proposal to be forwarded to the Department faculty for approval, or suggest a delay in the proposal application for further development. Upon approval for the Peer Review Committee, application will be forwarded to the Department faculty for approval. The Department faculty will consider the application during a regularly scheduled faculty meeting. Applications that meet faculty approval must be forwarded to the Dean of CEHS, with a statement of the Chair’s and Department faculty’s recommendations no later than November 30. Applications for Faculty Development Leave Fellowships must be approved by the Board of Regents, which will consider applications in April of the following year.
Academic Affairs Forms – (Attach Application of Absence and the Faculty Development Leave Agreement to the proposal.)
IANR forms – Attach IANR’s Faculty Development Fellowship Form and the Faculty Development Fellowship Leave Form to the leave proposal.