Academic Leave Without Pay or at Reduced Pay

I. Scope

This policy applies to faculty who hold tenure or tenure eligible positions at William & Mary, including the Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences/Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences.

II. Purpose

William & Mary encourages leaves without pay or at reduced pay for academic reasons because such leaves are beneficial to the faculty member, specifically, and to William & Mary, generally. Such leaves offer opportunities for faculty to develop professionally and to acquire new ideas which are shared with the university community. Faculty travel and residence at other institutions also bring credit to William & Mary and extend its reputation.

The general criterion for a leave to be considered academic, and hence covered by his policy, is that its primary purpose is to extend the scholarly and teaching skills of the faculty member. If there is uncertainty about the primary purpose of a proposed leave, the Provost will request an opinion from the Faculty Research Committee.

III. Policy

The following Policies and Procedures are established to encourage such academic leaves through reimbursement of certain expenses related to leaves without pay. The university recognizes that exceptional circumstances may arise which require departure from these procedures and policies. Such departures are to be approved by the Dean and Provost.

IV. Procedure

A. Approval and timing.

All academic leaves must be approved in advance by the appropriate dean and the Provost. Requests for such leave should be received in sufficient time to enable the department to determine how coverage of the faculty member’s responsibilities will occur while the faculty is on an academic leave. In practice, requests made less than one semester in advance of the leave period can cause considerable hardship on departments and schools and will not be approved without declaration of prior intent. Exceptions may occur in the case of late announcements of nationally recognized fellowships or other prestigious opportunities. The expectation is that all academic leaves must be at least one semester in duration.

 Time spent on externally funded professional leave will be included in the tenure probationary period and count towards tenure. Likewise, time spent on externally funded professional leave will also count towards time for promotion. Upon request and with approval from the relevant Dean, time on such leave may be excluded from the relevant tenure or promotion time periods.

The period of the leave shall not normally exceed one academic year; however, the leave may be extended for a second year with the recommendation of the Department Chair and the Dean, and approval from the Provost. Extension of such leaves beyond two academic years is possible only in extraordinary circumstances.

B.  Partial Pay

Academic leave may involve teaching at another institution, or engaging in research supported by a grant or by another institution. Academic leave may involve nationally recognized fellowships (e.g., Fulbright, Guggenheim, Woodrow Wilson and ACLS Fellowships), serving as Visiting Professors at other institutions, chairing national committees, serving at national foundations (e.g., National Science Foundation) and other similar professional activities.

In cases of leaves granted with partial pay, if the total of the fellowship award or external remuneration (excluding remuneration for specific expenses incurred, such as moving expenses) and the partial pay provided exceeds the faculty member’s 9-month salary, faculty can receive the excess as summer salary (not to exceed 100% of the pro-rated 12-month salary).

C. Other Employment Benefits.

1. Medical Insurance. Persons on unpaid academic leave whose medical insurance is not paid fully by another institution and who wish to continue coverage under William and Mary’s group contract will be allowed to do so; however, the employee pays 100% for the health coverage. 
2. Life Insurance. Group insurance may be continued for the period of the leave up to 24 months.
3. Retirement. Faculty on unpaid leave at less than 50% pay are not eligible to earn retirement service credit while on leave and do not have employer or employee contributions made to their retirement plans during the period of the academic leave. Employees enrolled in a VRS Plan may be eligible to purchase (buy back) the period of time they were on Academic Leave for which they did not receive service credit. Individual faculty should consult with University Human Resources to confirm the terms of their retirement plan.
4. Extraordinary Supplemental Funding. For nationally prestigious awards which are distinguished both by their competitiveness and by the honor they bring to the university, the policies of the individual Schools will dictate if supplemental funds will be provided up to the difference between the amount of the external award and the salary the individual would have received from William & Mary during the period of the leave. In rare cases, an individual may receive up to 100% of their 12-month prorated salary.

D. Replacements.

The policies of the Schools will dictate if a faculty member on academic leave without pay or at reduced pay normally will be replaced. The salary, rank, and status of such replacements shall be approved by the dean for hiring replacements.

E. Return to Service Expectations.

Anyone who accepts funds or partial funds under this program shall return as a fulltime member of the faculty for at least one academic year immediately following the leave. Reimbursement for all costs borne by William & Mary during the period of leave will be sought should the faculty member not return. For all Academic Leaves granted with partial pay, a written report describing the accomplishments while on leave must be submitted by the faculty member to the Department Chair, Dean, and Provost within three months of return from the leave.

V. Approval and Amendment

This Policy was originally added to the Faculty Handbook in 2005.  The standalone policy was created October 1, 2024, reviewed by the PPC and presented to the Faculty Assembly on October 22, 2024. It was approved by the Provost on November 1, 2024. 

VI. Related Policies and Other Documents

 

Faculty Handbook