Academic Leaves

Academic Leaves

Lehigh University supports members of its tenured and tenure-track faculty advancing and enhancing their scholarly portfolios and capabilities by taking advantage of experiences that can only be realized by spending significant time away from campus and/or not engaging in their typical levels of teaching and service.. The accomplishments that faculty can achieve by interacting with professional colleagues away from campus as well as focusing attention on their own ongoing research projects for extended periods of time can provide substantial benefits to their own professional advancement and also to the greater campus community of Lehigh colleagues and students when they resume their regular research and scholarly, teaching, and service activities at the end of these leaves. 

While the Rules and Procedures (R&P) of the Faculty describe the basic types and rationales for faculty leaves, this web page provides additional detail, especially with regard to the timing of academic leaves. The guidelines provided here apply only to leaves with primarily an academic and/or an extramural service focus. Separate guidelines apply to leaves of absence taken for medical reasons. 

Only tenured and tenure-track faculty members are eligible for (paid) academic leaves.

R&P Section 2.4

R&P section 2.4 enumerates and describes the types of leave that are available to tenured and tenure-track faculty members. In brief, R&P 2.4 says:

• A faculty member who wishes to take an academic leave should request the leave in a letter to their Department Chair, including reasons/plans for the requested leave. 
• A leave request will be evaluated based on its potential benefit to the university; its timing with respect to other leaves taken by the faculty member and other requests from faculty in the same department; and any special needs of the department, college, and university. Leaves are only granted if satisfactory arrangements can be made to carry on the essential work of the department. Sincere efforts will be made at each level to work out such arrangements. 
• An academic leave is normally for one semester at full salary or one academic year at half salary, with full benefits in either case. If the faculty member receives financial support from outside the university during their leave, the salary they receive from Lehigh is adjusted accordingly, the intent being that total financial support during the leave should be on a "no loss/no gain" basis to the faculty member. Under exceptional circumstances an academic leave may be extended for an additional year, usually without salary. 
• After returning from an academic leave, a faculty member is expected to provide the Provost with a short written report of their accomplishments while on leave.

Types of Academic Leaves

It is helpful to distinguish among three categories of leave, all of which are consistent with the guidelines in R&P:

• Type 1: Leaves Supported Entirely by University Funds. This type of leave is generally referred to as a sabbatical leave. As noted above, a sabbatical leave is normally for one semester at full salary or one academic year at half salary, with full benefits in either case. The competitively-awarded University Sabbatical Fellows program provides full salary for a full academic year.
• Type 2: Leaves Supported Entirely by External Funds.
• Type 3: Leaves Supported Partially by External Funds and Partially by University Funds. (See Type 3 Leaves section.)

Timing Guidelines

Tenured and tenure-track faculty members normally may apply every seven years to be granted a fully university-funded academic leave (Type 1). Approval of a leave is not guaranteed. The faculty member must submit a formal request for a leave to their Chair and Dean, in the academic year before the year in which the leave would begin (see below).

In instances where a faculty member’s research program will clearly benefit substantially by the ability to take a second Type 1 leave sooner than seven years from the time of the previous one, such as a recently promoted Associate Professor who has taken a pre-tenure leave within the past seven-year period, the faculty member may apply for such a leave with the understanding that their next leave will be requested no sooner than 14 years subsequent to the initial one. (Essentially, the second leave comes early, then the third leave puts the faculty member back on cycle.)

Only under exceptional circumstances may a faculty member apply for more than two university-funded academic leaves (Type 1) within a 14-year period. 

Faculty members may apply before seven years have elapsed since their previous leave for a second academic leave that is supported partially or totally through research grants and/or externally funded sources (Type 2 and Type 3 leaves). Partially or totally externally funded leaves may comprise no more than a single two-year period or a series of one-semester-per-academic-year leaves over a three-consecutive-year period. In either of these cases, individual leaves must be requested and approved on a one-year basis and then renewed subject to the purpose and benefit of the leave being clearly documented in the renewal request.

A faculty member requesting a leave fully or partially supported by the university (Type 1 or Type 3) sooner than seven years since their previous leave should discuss with their Department Chair and college Dean the implication of this leave, if it is approved, on the time that must elapse before they are eligible to apply for another leave fully funded by the university. The agreed-upon outcome of this discussion should be included in the written proposal for the leave currently being requested. In all cases, the Provost must approve the request.

Type 2 leaves typically delay the faculty member’s next opportunity for a Type 1 leave. For example, if a faculty member takes a Type 1 leave during year 8 at Lehigh, then takes a 1-year unpaid (Type 2) leave during year 12, they would be eligible for their next Type 1 leave in year 16, not 15.

In formulating their recommendations in support of a faculty member’s request for a leave that is partially or fully funded by Lehigh, the Department Chair and Dean will consider the substance of the letter submitted to the Provost following the faculty member’s most recent academic leave (if any) describing the activities engaged in and the accomplishments achieved during that leave. A faculty member may wish to include as an update in their request for a university-funded leave those outcomes (e.g., papers published, grants funded as a result of proposals submitted, new academic programs initiated and/or courses developed) of the activities undertaken during previous leaves that were not yet realized at the time that they submitted a post-leave summary to the Provost.

Application and Approval Procedure

Candidate

The faculty member requests a leave of absence by completing the Academic Leave Request form. The form is routed via DocuSign to the Department Chair, the college Dean, and the Provost. The faculty member should submit the form early enough that the Department Chair and Dean have time to review and process the request. Requests are due to the Provost’s office by November 1 for leaves that begin the following academic year. 

The Academic Leave Request form requires the following information:

• Explanation and justification of the proposed academic leave
• Dates and duration of the proposed leave
• Dates of the last academic leave (if any)
• A short synopsis of research and teaching activity since the last academic leave (if any)
• Financial particulars, indicating the funding option (one semester at full salary or academic year at half salary) and any sources of external funding 
• Current CV
• Copy of the report submitted to the Provost following the faculty member’s most recent academic leave (if any), describing the activities engaged in and the accomplishments achieved during that leave

If the faculty member would like to be considered for the competitive full-year University Sabbatical Fellows program, they should also attach (where indicated on the Academic Leave Request form):

• A 1-to-2-page narrative that includes (a) a compelling case that a full year of leave will substantively elevate their research activity or profile over what would be possible with the standard one-semester leave and (b) a list of (planned) external applications for sabbatical support. Candidates should show evidence of actively seeking external sabbatical support, as available by discipline (e.g., Fulbright, Guggenheim, Sage Foundation, etc.).

Department Chair

The Department Chair reviews the faculty member’s request via DocuSign and submits, again via DocuSign, their own recommendation for the leave. The Chair’s recommendation must evaluate the faculty request and include plans for coverage of the faculty member’s teaching and service commitments during the proposed leave.

If the faculty member applied for the full-year University Sabbatical Fellows program, the Chair’s letter should include a separate recommendation as to whether a full-year leave is likely to make a substantive difference to their research activity and/or impact.

College Dean

The Dean reviews the faculty member’s request and the Chair’s recommendation via DocuSign and submits, again via DocuSign, their own written recommendation for the leave. The Dean’s recommendation must include plans for coverage of any administrative commitments of the faculty member, if applicable, during the proposed leave.

If the faculty member applied for the full-year University Sabbatical Fellows program, the Dean’s letter should include a separate recommendation as to whether a full-year leave is likely to make a substantive difference to their research activity and/or impact.

Provost’s Office

The Provost, if in agreement, issues an official leave letter to the faculty member, which the faculty member signs and returns to the Provost’s office.

Applications for the University Sabbatical Fellows program are evaluated by a committee convened by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.

Returning to Lehigh

Faculty members are required to spend at least one semester in residence at Lehigh after completing any type of academic leave that is fully or partially funded by the university. A faculty member who does not do so will be required to return the salary paid to them by Lehigh during their leave.

Type 3 Leaves

The opportunity for a Type 3 leave arises when a faculty member becomes eligible for financial support, outside the scope of a normal sabbatical leave, for professional development activities, where the support is less than what would be required to provide the faculty member’s full semester or academic year salary plus the applicable employee benefits rate. (Faculty members should consult with Human Resources to determine this rate.) Guggenheim, National Endowment for the Arts, and National Endowments for the Humanities awards are examples of this type of funding opportunity.

In all cases, approval of this type of leave will be contingent upon documentation that the professional development activities will benefit both the faculty member and the university to a degree that is commensurate with the university support being requested. The logistical calculations for combining external funding and university support for Type 3 leaves should be submitted by the faculty member, with an accompanying letter of support by their Department Chair, to the college Dean, who will then make a recommendation to the Provost. These calculations must take into account employee benefits as well as academic year salary, together with the contribution from external funding sources. The request must also document fully what, if any, commitments the faculty member will continue to make during the period of leave in the areas of teaching, service, and directing or mentoring undergraduate and/or graduate students.

Salary During Academic Leaves

Faculty members on Type 2 leaves receive no Lehigh salary during their leave. Faculty members on Type 3 leaves receive reduced Lehigh salary during their leave. (In both cases, the assumption is that the faculty member is earning a full or partial salary at another organization.) 

It is important to understand that, because a faculty member’s 9-month salary is typically paid over 12 months, the reduction in salary will be reflected not only in the faculty member’s paychecks during their leave, but also in paychecks later in the year, because 25% of the academic year salary is deferred to the summer. However, the faculty member will still receive the correct total salary.

For example, suppose a faculty member who earns a 9-month salary of $90,000 takes a Type 3 leave in the spring semester, with 50% of their salary paid by Lehigh and 50% paid by another university during that semester. The faculty member’s salary will be paid by Lehigh as follows:

• During the fall semester, the faculty member earns 4.5 months of salary. 75% is paid in monthly paychecks during the fall semester, while 25% is deferred to the following summer. Since the faculty member’s monthly salary is $10,000, the faculty member will receive $10,000 x 4.5 x 0.75, or $33,750, during the fall semester, and $10,000 x 4.5 x 0.25, or $11,250, will be deferred to the following summer. This is the same as if the faculty member were not taking any leave in that academic year.
• During the spring semester, the faculty member earns 50% of their 4.5 months of salary (with the other 50% paid by the other university). 75% of that sum is paid in monthly paychecks during the spring semester ($10,000 x 4.5 x 0.5 x 0.75, or $16,875), while 25% ($10,000 x 4.5 x 0.5 x 0.25, or $5,625) is deferred to the summer.
• During the summer, the faculty member is paid their deferred salary: $11,250 + $5,625, or $16,875.
• All told, the faculty member is paid $67,500 in the fall, spring, and summer, which represents 1.5 semesters’ worth of salary (the remaining 0.5 semesters of salary being paid by the other institution). The salary received in the fall semester is the same as if the faculty member were not taking any leave, while the salary received in the spring semester and the summer are lower.

Similarly, if the faculty member’s spring academic leave is Type 2 (fully supported by external funds), then they will receive $33,750 of salary in the fall semester, $0 in the spring semester, and $11,250 (deferred from the fall) in the summer.

Faculty members on Type 1 leaves receive their full Lehigh salary during their leave. They should expect no change in the timing or size of their paychecks.

Faculty members typically do not receive stipends (salary caps) for administrative responsibilities during an academic leave; any proposed exception must be properly justified and have approval from the Dean.

Exit Leaves that Precede a Retirement

The guidelines above apply to academic and extramural service leaves and not to exit leaves that immediately precede a faculty member’s retirement. Faculty members may request an exit leave preceding their retirement date if their last academic leave supported by university funds occurred more than 6 regular semesters (fall and spring) prior to their proposed exit leave semester. They may wish to take this into account when determining the timing of their retirement.

Employee Benefits During Academic Leaves

Faculty members on academic leave continue to have access to all benefits available to them when working on campus. The terms and conditions for participating in the plans generally do not change.

There are three important exceptions:

• Short-Term Disability Benefits: A faculty member who becomes ill while on leave of absence is not eligible for short-term disability benefits until they are scheduled to return to work.
• Retirement Plan Contributions: Contributions made to the retirement plan are based on the actual eligible compensation paid to the faculty member by Lehigh. This means that receiving a reduced salary from Lehigh (even if supplemented by external support) will result in proportionally reduced retirement plan contributions.
• Retirement Agreement Exit Leaves: Disability benefits do not continue during this type of leave.