A. Sabbatical Leave
Sabbatical leave is available to those members of the faculty who at the beginning of their proposed leave will have completed six years of actual service to the College since their initial employment or their last sabbatical leave and who hold the rank of assistant professor or above at the time of their application for leave. Any leave of two or more consecutive semesters interrupts “actual service to the College.” There shall be a minimum of three years of service between the end of one sabbatical and the beginning of another.
For one semester, the recipient shall receive full salary if there are no grants from outside sources. If there are grants from outside sources and no extraordinary expenses associated with plans for the leave, the recipient shall receive the difference between full salary and the grants from outside sources. If there are grants from outside sources and extraordinary expenses associated with plans for the leave, the recipient may request the Dean of Faculty to have the sum of the stipend received from the College and grants from outside sources exceed salary. In no case, however, shall the stipend from the College exceed salary.
For two semesters, the recipient shall receive eighty percent of salary if there are no grants from outside sources or if grants from outside sources do not exceed twenty percent of salary. If there are grants from outside sources exceeding twenty percent of salary and if there are no extraordinary expenses associated with plans for the leave, the recipient shall receive the difference between full salary and the grants from outside sources. If there are grants from outside sources exceeding twenty percent of salary and if there are extraordinary expenses associated with plans for the leave, the recipient may request the Dean of the Faculty to have the sum of the stipend received from the College and grants from outside sources exceed salary. In no case, however, shall the stipend from the College exceed eighty percent of salary.
Faculty members on sabbatical leave may not accept gainful employment without the express written consent of the Provost and Dean of the College in each instance.
Application for sabbatical leave is made in writing to the Chair of the department concerned by 15 October in the academic year preceding the year in which the leave is to be taken. The Chair then consults with the Dean of the Faculty, who brings his or her recommendation and that of the Chair to the Provost. Normally this procedure results in granting of leave. Candidates shall be notified by 1 February whether their leaves have been approved. Candidates under consideration for tenure shall be notified shortly after their tenure decision has been made.
The application shall contain a statement of plans for the leave and a report shall be delivered to the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College no later than 1 October following the expiration of the leave. The individual shall, at the same time, give copies of the report to the department Chair to be placed in the individual’s department files.
If, at the end of a six-year period of actual service to the College, postponement of a sabbatical leave is in the best interest of the efficient running of the individual's department, contribution to the College as a whole, or professional growth, such postponement may be granted without delaying the start of the subsequent six-year period of actual service. The request for such postponement must be made in writing to the Chair of the department concerned by 15 October in the academic year preceding the year in which the leave would otherwise have been taken. The Chair then consults with the Dean of the Faculty, who brings his or her recommendation and that of the Chair to the Provost. Candidates shall be notified by 1 February whether their requests for postponement have been approved. Candidates under consideration for tenure shall be notified shortly after their tenure decision has been made.
B. Research Leaves for Tenure-track Faculty
Research leaves for tenure-track faculty are salaried leaves of absence which are granted to assistant professors, with the exception of assistant professors who have chosen to count three years of prior experience, in the Fall or Spring semester of the third year at the College. Tenure-track faculty who claim one or two years of full-time teaching experience prior to their tenure-track appointments may choose to take the semester research leave in the second or third year of their tenure-track appointments.
The duration of the leave is one semester; however, individuals are encouraged to seek outside funding for a second semester.
For one semester, the recipient shall receive full salary if there are no grants from outside sources. If there are grants from outside sources and no extraordinary expenses associated with the proposed research, the recipient shall receive the difference between full salary and the grants from outside sources. If there are grants from outside sources and extraordinary expenses associated with the proposed research, the recipient may request the Dean of the Faculty to have the sum of the stipend received from the College and grants from outside sources exceed salary. In no case, however, shall the stipend from the College exceed salary.
A statement of purpose shall be submitted to the department Chair and the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College by 1 February of the year preceding the research leave.
A report on the research leave shall be delivered to the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College no later than 15 September following the expiration of the leave. The individual shall, at the same time, deliver a copy of the report to the department Chair to be placed in the individual’s department file.
C. Faculty Fellowships
Faculty fellowships are salaried leaves of absence granted to regularly appointed tenured faculty.
Awards are made on the basis of (1) the applicant's demonstrated competence in the area of the projected research; (2) the value of this research as a contribution to the field of knowledge; (3) its benefit to the professional development of the applicant; and (4) its effect upon the academic vitality of the College. It is assumed that scholarly publication ordinarily follows.
The duration of the award is normally one to two semesters.
For one semester, the recipient shall receive full salary if there are no grants from outside sources. If there are grants from outside sources and no extraordinary expenses associated with the proposed research, the recipient shall receive the difference between full salary and the grants from outside sources. If there are grants from outside sources and extraordinary expenses associated with the proposed research, the recipient may request the Dean of the Faculty to have the sum of the stipend received from the College and grants from outside sources exceed salary. In no case, however, shall the stipend from the College exceed salary.
For two semesters, the recipient shall receive eighty percent of salary if there are no grants from outside sources or if grants from outside sources do not exceed twenty percent of salary. If there are grants from outside sources exceeding twenty percent of salary and if there are no extraordinary expenses associated with the proposed research, the recipient shall receive the difference between full salary and the grants from outside sources. If there are grants from outside sources exceeding twenty percent of salary and if there are extraordinary expenses associated with the proposed research, the recipient may request the Dean of the Faculty to have the sum of the stipend received from the College and grants from outside sources exceed salary. In no case, however, shall the stipend from the College exceed eighty percent of salary.
Application for a faculty fellowship shall be entertained by the Committee on Faculty Scholarship. Completed application forms, including the Chair's recommendation and a statement of plans, shall be submitted directly to the Chair of the Committee on Faculty Scholarship by 15 October for fellowships to be granted the following year. Notification of awards shall be given by 1 February.
The number of faculty fellowships granted in a given year depends upon the merits of the research proposals submitted, upon the availability of funds, upon the number of faculty scheduled for leave, and upon the needs of the departments concerned. Faculty fellowships may not be used to supplement sabbatical leave salary. Ordinarily, faculty fellowships are not granted in a year immediately before or after a year in which the applicant has received or expects to receive a College-funded leave.
A report on the faculty fellowship shall be delivered to the Office of the Provost and Dean of the College no later than 1 October following the expiration of the fellowship. The individual shall, at the same time, give copies of the report to the department Chair to be placed in the individual’s department file and to the Chair of the Committee on Faculty Scholarship.
D. Half-time Leaves
The College permits half-time leaves in cases where such leave is to the mutual benefit of the College, the faculty member's department, and the faculty member in meeting his or her personal or professional needs.
Half-time leaves are not made with great frequency and in normal circumstances shall not exceed four years. The presumption is that a faculty member on half-time leave will teach part-time and fulfill institutional responsibilities and other professional requirements throughout the year, rather than alternating full-time one semester with leave of absence in the next.
Half-time leave counts 2 to 1 in tenure and sabbatical time-tables. For example, the maximum of four years part-time is the equivalent of two years full-time. One year half-time leave counts as one semester of service but does not alter the timing of the tenure decision, or the timing of the sabbatical leave.
Application for half-time leave is normally made in writing by 15 October to the Chair of the department concerned. This proposal shall include a specification of half-time teaching responsibilities and appropriate service commitments to the department and the College. The Chair then consults with the Dean of the Faculty, who brings the applicant’s recommendation and that of the Chair to the Provost. The candidate shall be notified by 1 February if the leave is approved for the following year; and by 15 November if the leave is approved for the second semester of the same year.
Faculty on half-time leave have their principal employment at the College of the Holy Cross.
Salaries and pension contributions are calculated pro rata; all other benefits described in Chapter V. of the Statutes of the Faculty are maintained.
E. Unsalaried Leaves of Absence
The College makes every effort to cooperate with faculty members who are in a position to secure, from outside agencies, grants for research or post-doctoral study. To increase the ease with which such arrangements can be approved, the faculty member shall discuss plans for leave with the department Chair as early as possible.
Ordinarily a member of the faculty is not granted an unsalaried leave of absence for more than two consecutive academic years (four semesters).
A tenure-track faculty member shall declare by September 15 following the expiration of the leave whether or not she or he chooses to include the year in the probationary count by submitting a statement to the Provost and Dean of the College, with a copy sent to the department Chair.
F. Faculty Leaves for Child Bonding and Family and Medical Care
The College maintains one or more child bonding, parental, family, and medical leave policies in compliance with applicable law. Faculty members who qualify for such leaves have a right to the leave benefits provided by applicable law and are eligible for the applicable faculty leave benefits set forth in leave policies published by the College. All College-provided leaves run concurrently with leave periods provided by law to the maximum extent permissible by law.
The following provisions of Section F set forth child bonding, family and medical leave benefits available to current full-time, benefits-eligible teaching faculty members whose primary duties are teaching and who hold an appointment of at least one year. For additional information faculty should consult the Deans of the Faculty, Human Resources, or other College policy documents, including the Faculty Handbook.
1. Child Bonding Leave
Eligible faculty members may choose to take a full semester of paid leave in connection with a child or children who join the family on or after January 1, 2021, in lieu of benefits described in any other College child bonding or parental leave policy applicable to those faculty members or available under applicable law. This semester leave must be completed within 12 months of the child or children joining the family unless an exception is granted by the Provost and Dean of the College.
Child bonding leave is a time for parents to care for and bond with a child or children who join the family. Thus, during the leave, the College will not require or expect the faculty member to perform any teaching, scholarship, or service responsibilities for the College. A faculty member electing to take child bonding leave under this section will receive their normal salary during a one-semester leave. During the leave period, fringe benefits and credit toward sabbatical leave shall continue, and normal salary increments shall be in effect.
Faculty members must request child bonding leave in writing to the dean of the faculty with a copy to the chair of the department concerned and, in order to facilitate course scheduling, should do so as soon as reasonably practicable. Faculty members may be required to submit appropriate leave-related paperwork required by the College or its leave administrator.
Any personal medical leave or family leave associated with a child or children joining the family will run concurrently with a semester-based leave under this Section. However, if the faculty member qualifies for additional leave associated with a child or children joining the family (whether personal medical leave, child bonding leave, or, if the child or children have a qualifying medical condition, family medical leave) that extends into the semester that follows the semester-based leave described in this Section, the faculty member will receive compensation equal to the benefit amount set by applicable law for the remaining duration of the leave.
2. Effect of Child Bonding Leave on Subsequent Course Load
The College is committed to supporting families and recognizes that faculty may take on a variety of caregiving roles. A member of the ordinary ranks of the faculty who takes a semester-based child bonding leave and who declares that their responsibilities during the leave included childbirth and recovery, and/or that their primary responsibility during that leave pertained directly to child bonding and/or child care, will be eligible for a course reduction in a subsequent semester with a commensurate reduction in salary for that academic year.
A request for this course load reduction accompanied by a declaration of responsibility is made in writing by the faculty member to the dean of the faculty with a copy to the chair of the department concerned in order to facilitate course scheduling.
The benefits set forth in this Subsection 2 apply to child bonding leaves for a child or children who join the family on or after January 1, 2021.
3. Family and Medical Leave
Faculty members are eligible for family and medical leave as described in published College policies applicable to faculty members. Faculty members who are eligible for such leaves during a semester are encouraged to notify the chair of the department and dean of the faculty as soon as practicable in order to ensure appropriate coverage of teaching responsibilities. Faculty members may also be required to submit appropriate leave-related paperwork required by the College or its leave administrator.
4. Effect of Leaves on Probationary Period Prior to Tenure Decision
Any tenure-track faculty member who takes, child bonding or family and medical leave for an entire semester or for a period exceeding 15 weeks in an academic year may choose to delay the tenure review by one year. A tenure-track faculty member shall declare by September 15 following the expiration of the leave whether or not they choose to delay the tenure review by one year by submitting a statement to the Provost and Dean of the College, with a copy sent to the department chair. If the decision is to delay the tenure review, then this statement shall include an explicit waiver of the normal time limits of the probationary period.
For the duration of any approved leave which results in complete cessation of teaching responsibilities, the faculty member shall vacate all positions held on councils, general, standing, and appointed committees of the faculty, and ad hoc committees as described in the Statutes of the Faculty, Chapter III.
If the leave does not result in complete cessation of teaching responsibilities, the faculty member may elect to retain or relinquish their place(s) on some or all committees as listed above.
A faculty member on paid leave retains rights to other faculty and employee benefits, including retirement plan contributions, as well as the responsibility for employee benefit contributions which will continue to be deducted from the faculty member’s compensation. A faculty member on unpaid leave retains rights to faculty and employee benefits (other than a benefit which is legally required to be based upon deferral of taxable paid compensation), as well as the responsibility for employee benefit contributions, which will go into arrears during such unpaid leave and normally will be deducted from compensation when the faculty member returns to paid status.
G. Leaves Other Considerations
For the duration of any approved leave which results in complete cessation of teaching responsibilities, the faculty member shall vacate all positions held on councils, general, standing, and appointed committees of the faculty, and ad hoc committees as described in the Statutes of the Faculty, Chapter III.