P/A Professional Development Leave Guidelines

Please contact CLA Human Resources (612-624-9839) with questions about procedures or deadlines.

Professional development leaves are intended to provide opportunities for academic professional and administrative staff to develop and enhance performance and contributions to their unit and its mission. This academic benefit is important for attracting, hiring, and retaining highly competent staff for the academic professional and administrative category.

Governing Documents

Board of Regents Policy - Employee Development, Education, and Training
Human Resources Policy - Granting Professional Development and Transitional Leaves for Academic Professional and Administrative Employees

Professional Development Activities

Activities undertaken during a leave must be demonstrably related to the betterment of an applicant’s department or professional position. Professional development activities may include:

Studies substantially related to the applicant's position;
Internships, including exchange or loan programs and unpaid internships;
Research leading to or resulting in publication, performance, or other appropriate objective; or that will make contributions to the applicant’s current field of employment;
Other relevant activities including, but not limited to special studies, investigations, research, scholarly writing, artistic projects, and curriculum development.

Involvement in professional organizations, attending and presenting at local, regional, or national meetings, is an expectation of academic professional and administrative staff and does not constitute professional development leave.

Eligibility and Types of Leaves

P/A professional development leaves are available to professional and administrative staff members with appointments covering a minimum of nine months at 100%-time (B-term appointments), or twelve months at 75%-time (A-term appointments).

Three types of leaves are available depending upon years of service:

Up to 100% leave with full salary and full benefits for up to six weeks. A mini-leave ranging in length up to six weeks may be awarded at full salary and benefits to a professional or administrative staff member after one year of service.

Up to 100% leave with one-half to full salary and full benefits for seven to twenty weeks. A leave ranging in length from seven to twenty consecutive weeks may be awarded at one-half to full salary (at unit discretion) and full benefits to a professional or administrative staff member after four years of service. Staff may apply for a leave during the fourth year of eligible service for a leave to be taken during fifth year of service.

Up to 100% leave with one-half salary and full benefits for twenty-one to forty-eighty weeks. An extended leave ranging in length from twenty-one to forty-eight consecutive weeks at one-half salary and full benefits may be granted to a P/A staff member after six years of service. Staff may apply for a leave during the sixth year of eligible service for a leave to be taken during seventh year of service.

Terms and Conditions

Return to Service. Recipients of professional development leaves agree to return to the unit granting the leave for a period of time at least as long as the period of the leave. If the return to service obligation is not fulfilled, the recipient of the leave individual will be responsible for reimbursing the University the prorated amount of salary, retirement contributions, and all other fringe benefits that were paid out during the leave.

Income Augmentation. Recipients of P/A professional development leaves are permitted to augment their leave salary approximately to the level of the regular University salary, provided that the activities yielding the additional compensation are consistent with the expressed purposes of the leave. Approval from the unit head and the dean are required. Grants for research and study or to augment leave activities are acceptable, provided the support is consistent with the expressed purposes of the leave.

Outside Consulting. Consistent with the University's policies concerning outside consulting and other commitments, recipients of P/A professional development leaves may continue to engage in University-approved consulting activities that do not conflict with the purposes of the leave.

University Service. Recipients of P/A professional development leaves are relieved of regular department, college, and university duties during the period of the leave.

Replacement Staffing. The unit head must provide a statement addressing the financial implications of proposed leave and the department's plans to cover replacement staffing needs. For leaves providing less than full salary, the remaining portion of the employee's salary shall remain with the unit, with first priority for its expenditure being replacement staffing needs.

Applications

Applications for P/A professional development leaves are considered during fall semester for leaves to be taken the following spring or summer, and during spring semester for leaves to be taken the following summer or fall.

Applications for P/A professional development leaves must describe the activities of the requested leave, including length and dates of the leave, location of leave activities, a timeline or agenda for the leave specifying what the applicant intends to achieve and at what point, and a statement describing the anticipated benefits to the individual and unit.

2007/08 Application Deadlines

Fall Semester Deadline (for leaves to be taken during spring semester 2008) - October 26, 2007
Spring Semester Deadline - (for leaves to be taken during fall 2008) - March 24, 2008

Application materials are due in CLA Human Resources, 212 Johnston Hall, by 4:30 p.m. on the due date. Please submit one copy of the application form and all necessary attachments.

Required Attachments - All Applications

Current curriculum vitae or resume;
Current job description;
Statement from the unit head, including an endorsement of the leave proposal, arrangements made to cover work during the leave, and/or special requirements for assistance to the department to cover the work is required;
Copy of summary report for the most recent leave, including the project timeline (if applicable).

Required Attachments - Depending on Purpose of Leave

Proposals requiring intra-departmental cooperation and/or extra-University contact must include relevant letters of cooperation or support;
Proposals related to the completion of a degree program or other formal course of study must include at least one letter support from the applicant's academic advisor or committee;
Proposals involving research/creative activity or other professional projects must include at least one letter of support from a non-supervisor familiar with the project.
Letters or statements of support from academic advisors, committees, or other non-supervisors should address whether the proposed timeline/agenda and project goals are attainable and realistic.

Review and Approval

P/A professional development leaves are subject to review and recommendation by the unit head, and by the CLA P/A Promotion and Leave Review Committee. Approval of P/A professional development leaves is by the college.

Professional development leaves are considered based on the merit of the proposal and the availability of funds; they are not a benefit to which individuals are entitled based only upon length of service. All leave requests are evaluated to assess both individual and relative merit.

Reporting

Within one month of returning from the leave, the recipient of a leave agrees to submit a written report to the unit head, with a copy to the dean. This report should address the purpose and goals for the leave (including the original agenda/timeline); describe how the goals were met or not met; explain the benefits of the leave to the recipient and unit; and articulate a plan for implementing or applying new knowledge.

Effective January 2007 - Last updated 3 October 2007

Administrative Units

Administrative Resources