NSU Faculty Handbook
Material appearing in this Handbook in bold italics is quoted from the Regional University System of Oklahoma's Policy Manual. (see General Information)
6.0 LEAVES, ABSENCES, AND SABBATICALS
6.1 General Statement of Leave Policies
Faculty class work load, including office hours, should be one that best serves the University and its students and can be arranged in various ways. While faculty members are allowed the freedom to arrange their non-class load in a way that allows them the most achievement, each University working day during a regular or summer semester is one that each faculty member must account for through presence or official leave.
Full-time faculty members are expected to complete assigned tasks during the eighteen (18) calendar weeks (approximate) of each of the two (2) regular (fall, spring) academic semesters. Full-time faculty employed in the summer semester have the same charge for the duration of their summer teaching assignment.
During a regular and/or summer semester, or short-term intersession, faculty will not receive any vacation days during the working week except for University observed holidays. Faculty do not earn overtime pay (except as overload B see 4.6) or compensatory leave.
The Public Relations Office will be responsible for contacting the news media if the President makes the decision to close any part of the University due to inclement weather or other conditions. If the closure is for an extended period, an administrative decision will be made concerning the leave policy to be applied. If the University is open, but a faculty member feels it is impossible to travel to campus, he/she must notify the dean and request personal leave. An Absence Report Form, indicating personal leave, would be required (see 6.41).
6.13 Contacting Dean when Absent
Faculty are expected to contact their dean, appropriate secretary, or the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (only if others listed are not available) any time they know they will be, or are, late to or absent from work. In chronic or unusual cases of absenteeism, the University reserves the right to require documentation or verification of the reasons for absence.
To obtain information regarding the amount of time available within a specific leave category, or to determine whether or not a faculty member who needs to know if an absence qualifies for paid leave, a faculty member may inquire at the Office of Human Resources prior to the absence.
6.15 Absence Report for Academic Personnel
When absent from work, a faculty member shall have filed, or will file upon return, an "Absence Report Form" or "Request for Travel Form" with the appropriate dean. The dean has a responsibility for approving absences and assisting with making satisfactory arrangements for classes or other duties assigned during the period of the absence.
Absence Report Form. This form is used to report all leave-with-pay absences except Medical Leaves (refer to section 6.7). Absence Report Forms are submitted for approval to the dean of each college. When requesting leave, the faculty member should contact the Office of Human Resources to confirm leave time is available. A copy of the approved Absence Report Form must be forwarded to Human Resources.
Request for Travel Form. This form is used for faculty to request being away from campus for professional reasons. Faculty on official University business, including attendance at professional meetings, representing the institution at appropriate conferences and agencies, travel related to internships, and travel that is a required part of carrying out specified University assignments, must complete this form. The form is to be completed and approved by the college dean in advance of the anticipated absence.
No leave time may be taken prior to the date it is earned. Regardless of the faculty member's daily schedule, all paid leaves taken are charged according to the following schedule:
- Faculty missing all scheduled classroom and/or office hours in one day/evening are charged one day (eight hours).
- Faculty missing half of their classroom and/or office hours for half a day/evening are charged one-half of a day (4 hours).
A record is maintained for each employee showing leave time used and the current amount of leave time available. All questions regarding leaves and leave balances should be directed to the Office of Human Resources. Individual summaries of leave balances will be issued annually to all full time employees.
6.2 Sabbatical and Staff Development Leave
The university may grant a sabbatical leave to faculty members to provide an opportunity for continued professional growth and new or renewed intellectual achievement through study, research, writing, and travel. The primary purpose of sabbaticals should be for post-doctoral study. A sabbatical may be used to engage in specialized scholarly activity or to provide a broad cultural experience. Such sabbaticals are intended to take place in off-campus settings. The university views a sabbatical as an investment with the expectation that the sabbatical will significantly enhance the faculty member's capacity to contribute to the objectives of the university. For this reason sabbatical leave applications are approved only when significant evidence indicates that the individual will achieve this purpose. Also, the approval of such sabbaticals shall be consistent with the appropriate budgetary and faculty arrangements so as not to disrupt the instructional program or other vital operations of the university.
A full sabbatical leave will be for one year at one-half salary. Persons who qualify for less than full sabbatical may be awarded a sabbatical on a proportional basis. Sabbatical leaves shall not be used as a means of augmenting personal income. The sabbatical program requires that persons on sabbatical devote full-time to the scholarly activity for which the sabbatical is granted and will receive no salary or stipend from sources other than the university, except that, with university approval, (1) persons on sabbatical at less than full salary may engage in other scholarly activity consistent with that for which the sabbatical is granted and receive salary, stipend, or honorarium from other sources in such amounts that total salary stipend, and honorarium do not exceed the annual income normally earned, and (2) persons on leave may receive grants from other sources for travel and research expenses incident to their scholarly activity.
Individuals receiving sabbatical leave shall enter into the following written agreement to return to the service of the university and remain for a number of months equal to four times the number of months of full-time equivalent salary (example: One half (2) salary x ten (10) months = five (5) full-time months; the number of months to return to the university is five (5) full-time months x four (4) = twenty (20) months) or to repay the university the amount of salary received while on sabbatical leave, unless released from the obligation by the Board. If the individual returns to the university only for part of the time required, the amount to be paid the university shall be proportionally reduced.
The following agreement will be made by the faculty member applying for sabbatical leave:
- I agree to report in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs via my ... college dean within three months of returning to University service a report of the activities I undertook on my sabbatical and I understand that should I fail to do so any future leave application can be denied.
- I agree to withdraw from all departmental, college, and University committees for the duration of my leave.
- I agree to remain in the service of the University at not less than my present salary for a number of months equal to four times the number of months of full-time equivalent salary.
- I agree that, in the event I do not return to the University, I will repay the University salary and cost of benefits received from the University during the sabbatical leave, and that, if I do not repay such sums upon demand the University may bring all necessary legal actions to recover this money from me.
At the termination of the sabbatical, and not later than three months after returning to the campus, the individual shall submit a report of the activities undertaken to the vice president for academic affairs through the department chair and ... college dean. The report will be used to evaluate future applications for sabbaticals of faculty members who have been granted one or more sabbaticals.
Faculty members are eligible for full sabbatical leaves when they have been full-time employees of the university for six academic years. In order to qualify for a prorated sabbatical, the individual must have been a full-time employee of the university for a minimum of two academic years. For the purpose of determining eligibility for a sabbatical leave, time spent on a sabbatical is considered as full-time employment; however, time spent on leave without pay is not considered full-time employment. A faculty member is eligible for a subsequent full sabbatical after six years following any sabbatical leave grant whether full or partial.
A faculty member shall make formal application for a sabbatical leave (submit to dean by September 30) which includes the reasons for requesting the sabbatical leave, the activities planned during the sabbatical, and a schedule of the use of time while on the sabbatical leave. The application should be submitted to the president of the university through the appropriate department chair,... dean, and vice president. The department chair, ... dean, and vice president shall each include a recommendation regarding the sabbatical leave. The decision for recommendation of a sabbatical leave shall be based on the following criteria:
- evidence of the highest critical need in order to maintain academic effectiveness;
- total years of academic or professional service at the university;
- potential contribution to an academic or professional discipline;
- length of remaining service to the University;
- possession of a terminal degree in the teaching field assigned; or pursuing a terminal degree in a teaching field in which there is a shortage of qualified faculty.
6.3 Leave of Absence
A Leave of Absence is any leave taken by a faculty member for good and sufficient reason as determined by the University, which does not qualify as any other leave type. Such leave may be granted for up to thirty (30) days by a dean, six (6) months by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and one (1) year by the President of the University.
When a faculty member takes any leave of absence, a Personnel Action Form - Change of Status must be processed effective the first day of absence. A second Personnel Action Form - Change of Status must be processed when: (1) the faculty member returns to work, or (2) if the faculty member does not return and is to be terminated.
If the absence is determined to be eligible for a paid leave, time will be charged to the faculty member's personal leave (combined with vacation, when applicable). The amount of available leave will be calculated by the Office of Human Resources and noted on the Personnel Action Form, along with the "removal from payroll date", if applicable. In the case of a Medical Leave, refer to section 6.5 of this Handbook.
If the absence is determined to be ineligible for a paid leave, authorization for time off may still be granted, but all time taken will be unpaid.
6.4 Paid Leave
Personal leave is a benefit granted by the University to full-time faculty members. It is designed to assist personnel during periods of personal or family illness or to prevent a loss of pay due to certain other absences, such as: attending a funeral, inclement weather conditions, conducting legal business, appointments with a doctor, dentist or other recognized medical professional, or other appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of regular working hours.
Use of personal leave for absences other than personal illness or emergency must be scheduled in advance with the dean. Whenever possible, the University will grant personal leave at the convenience of the employee, but reserves the right to deny leave when and if a hardship or disruption for the department may result. The University may require employees to furnish satisfactory documentation in chronic or unusual cases.
The University grants personal leave to faculty members at the rate of 12 hours per month (18 days annually). The maximum that may be accumulated is 180 days (1440 hours). Personnel who transfer from one department to another department or subdivision within the University shall take with them the balance of unused, accumulated personal leave.
Personal leave will not accrue during leave of absence without pay, unpaid family or maternity leave, suspension without pay, sabbatical leave, or removal from the payroll for any reason. In addition, leave time will not accrue while receiving donated time through the Leave Sharing Program. There will be no payment for any unused accrued personal leave balance at the time of termination or reduction to less than full-time status.
Notification of absences due to personal illness or injury shall be given to the appropriate dean as soon as possible. The University may require satisfactory proof of illness or disabling injury in chronic or unusual cases. Regardless of the faculty member's daily schedule, personal leave is charged according to the schedule in Section 6.16, Charging of Leave Time.
Nine-month faculty are not granted paid vacation leave. Occasional faculty employment situations may arise in which faculty are given a contract for twelve (12) months of service. This situation can be expected to arise in academic units, or subdivisions of those units, in which work duties are correlated with factors other than student instruction in the confines of the regular and summer semesters. In each instance where twelve (12) month contracts are issued to faculty, the faculty member's dean will negotiate with the Vice President for Academic Affairs to establish a system of equitable leave time commensurate with faculty status.
The University recognizes the responsibility of each individual to perform civic duties as called upon. When, in obedience to a subpoena or direction by proper authority, a faculty member is called to serve on a jury or to appear as a witness during a contract-specified working period, the University will grant the necessary time off from work for the period of service under the following conditions:
- · A copy of the summons or subpoena must be submitted to the appropriate dean (to be included in the faculty member's personnel file) the next working day after the receipt thereof, or no later than 72 hours prior to the start of the leave.
- · When a faculty member appears as a witness or jury member for the Federal Government, State of Oklahoma, or a political subdivision thereof, or in private litigation as a representative of the University, he/she shall be entitled to leave with full pay.
- · When a faculty member is subpoenaed in private litigation to testify as an individual outside of his/her scope of employment with the University, the time shall be taken as vacation, personal leave, or leave without pay.
- · Jury duty allowance will not be paid for any time other than the normal forty hours during an employee's regularly assigned work week.
If a faculty member is not selected for jury duty after reporting each of the required days, he/she must return to work for the remainder of the work day.
All University employees who are members, of the Reserved Components, to include the Army and Air National Guard and the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Reserves, or any other component of the Armed Forces of the United States, shall, when ordered by the proper authority to active or inactive duty or service, be entitled to a leave of absence from their employment for the period of such service without loss of status or seniority. During the first twenty (20) regularly scheduled work days of such leave of absence in any federal fiscal year, the employee shall receive his or her full regular pay. During the remainder of such leave of absence in any federal fiscal year, the state may elect to pay the employee an amount equal to the difference between their full regular pay and their military pay; employees shall receive the difference between their full regular pay and their Reserve Components pay when they are ordered by proper authority to active or inactive service retroactive to the date that the employee reported to active service on or after September 11, 2001, during the period that Operation Enduring Freedom is in effect. The durational limit of protected military service as provided for in this section shall not be less than that provided by federal law. If it is necessary in the interest of the University to provide for the performance of the duties of their positions during such absence, the Office of Human Resources, as authorized by the Director and the President of the University may appoint substitutes, to be known as acting incumbents, who shall qualify as required for the regular incumbents. Prior approval must be obtained by submitting an absence report with a copy of the duty orders to the appropriate supervisor. The orders should then be submitted to the Office of Human Resources through the appropriate Vice President.
When properly coordinated with the appropriate dean/supervisor at least one (1) day advance, faculty members will be allowed up to two (2) hours in which to vote. Faculty living at such a distance from the University that more than two (2) hours are required in which to vote shall be allowed sufficient time. The employee shall not be subject to any loss of pay or other penalty for exercising his/her right to vote. A supervisor may select the hours during which an employee may vote. Any employee whose work day on the day of the election begins three (3) hours or more after the polls open, or ends three (3) hours or more before they close, cannot utilize the provision of this policy.
6.5 Medical Leave and Injury
Northeastern State University's Family and Medical Leave Policy, which incorporates provisions of existing University policies with the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, is designed to enable employees to balance their work responsibilities with the demands of caring for family members or in the event of a serious personal illness or injury. All regular full-time faculty and staff can access accrued leave as provided by University leave policies for use in the event of family and/or personal illness. In addition, after one full year of employment by the University, they are eligible for up to a total of twelve (12) work weeks of leave (combined paid and unpaid) during a 12-month period in accordance with the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
An employee who must be absent from the job due to a medical situation may be placed on a formal Medical Leave, depending on the circumstances of the illness or injury. Medical Leave is approved leave for any serious medical condition, defined as: any condition requiring care or continuing treatment by a health care provider which incapacitates an employee and/or prevents him/her from performing assigned duties, or the existence of a contagious disease/illness which, in the judgment of the institution, would jeopardize the health of fellow employees.
Upon notification from an employee, a supervisor will review the circumstances (with the assistance of the Office of Human Resources, if needed). If it is determined that a formal Medical Leave is required, the supervisor will submit a completed Medical Leave Notification Form, signed by the appropriate account sponsor, to the Office of Human Resources.
The employee who has been on medical leave must provide a physician's release to the University before he/she may return to work. Payment for time away from work is contingent on documentation provided by the treating physician. All time taken will be charged to the available leave balances according to the schedule outlined in Section 6.16 of this Handbook. No absence report form is needed for time taken on a formal Medical Leave. When accumulated leave has been exhausted, the employee will be placed on leave without pay unless the absence qualifies for, and assistance is granted under, the NSU Shared Leave Program (see Section 6.6).
A 12-month faculty member who becomes ill or suffers a disabling injury while on annual leave may opt to charge the relevant time to medical leave, rather than vacation, provided that such illness or disabling injury is verified by certification from a licensed medical practitioner.
Insurance: While on Medical Leave, the University will continue to pay the monthly premium for the employee's group medical insurance (for up to a total of six months, including paid leave time). If the employee wishes to continue dependent coverage, he/she must make arrangements with the Business Office to pay the monthly premium.
Pregnancy: A faculty member is requested to advise her dean as soon as her pregnancy has been confirmed. She may continue employment provided her physical health will permit the performance of duties required by the position. The employee will be responsible for notifying the University of any change in her condition which would affect her ability to continue working during her pregnancy. Leave for pregnancy will commence and end at the time specified by the physician. Upon written request by her physician, an employee may commence her leave at any time for reasons of health. If the faculty member does not intend to return to work, she should indicate these intentions in writing to her dean.
Leave will be paid in accordance with accumulated leave balances commencing with the beginning of maternity leave and for six weeks after the date of birth unless the treating licensed health care practitioner issues a statement that the employee's medical conditions warrant an extension. A release to return to work issued by a licensed health care practitioner must be presented before the employee can return to work. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 permits paid or unpaid leave for twelve weeks after the birth of a child (See 6.51).
Northeastern State University is in compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act effective August 5, 1993. For information regarding the specific provisions of this policy, contact the Office of Human Resources.
An employee who has been employed for twelve (12) months and worked at least 1,250 hours may be granted a maximum of 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, a seriously ill family member, or the employee's own serious illness.
Family leave shall be considered the same as any other leave in regard to earning or providing leave time, insurance and other benefits. All family leave must be requested in writing by the employee to the college dean who should submit it to the Director of Human Resources.
University policy allows that a Medical Leave may be granted for a period of six (6) months which includes the 12 weeks allowed through the Family and Medical Leave Act. The employee will be paid in accordance with his/her accumulated personal leave. In those special cases of faculty having twelve (12) month contracts, the equivalent of vacation leave will also count in this pay. When the sum of leave time has been exhausted, the employee will be placed on leave without pay for the remainder of the six month period. At the end of the six months, the employee must report back to work or be terminated from University employment. A physician's release must be presented to the University by a faculty member who has been on medical leave before he/she can return to work.
The University will make every reasonable effort to reinstate an employee returning from leave to the same position and rate of pay as he/she previously held. If the leave is going to be for an extended period of time and the position must be filled, the University will attempt to hire a replacement on a temporary basis. In the case when a permanent replacement must be hired, the returning faculty member will be offered the most appropriate available position with an option to return to the previous job should it become available. These general guidelines may be supplemented by other leave policies (See 6.3).
6.52 On-the-Job Injuries/Workers' Compensation Insurance
Employees injured on the job should report the incident immediately to their supervisor. The supervisor should contact the Office of Human Resources for assistance in referring the injured employee to appropriate medical professionals for treatment. In case of life or limb threatening injuries the injured employee should immediately seek emergency treatment. Employees should not seek medical treatment (except in emergency situations) without first notifying their supervisor.
When proper procedures are followed medical expenses due to a job-related injury or illness will be paid by the University's Workers' Compensation Insurance carrier. No compensation from Workers' Compensation can be allowed for the first three days of disability. Accrued leave may be used to cover these days. If the claim is approved by the insurance carrier temporary compensation is made at a rate equal to 70% of the average weekly salary of the claimant. The injured employee may use accrued leave to make up the remaining 30%. However, a combination of Workers' Compensation benefits and paid leave may not exceed full pay for the same period of time.
6.6 Leave Sharing
Policy:
The Leave Sharing Program provides a means for NSU employees to donate paid leave to a fellow University employee who is eligible for and requires donated leave time due to an extraordinary or catastrophic illness, injury, impairment or physical or mental condition for either the employee or an immediate family member, and which has caused or may cause the employee to take leave without pay or terminate employment. For the purposes of this policy, "immediate family member" shall be limited to the spouse, child, stepchild, grandchild, grandparent, parent or stepparent of the employee. This term shall also include foster children and legal wards, but not "in-laws."
Program:
The Leave Sharing Program at NSU includes two options: NSU Shared Leave and the NSU Leave Bank. Both are established and maintained through the voluntary donation of accrued personal leave.
- · NSU Shared Leave is comprised of hours donated for distribution to a specific employee. The Office of Human Resources will solicit donations for individuals as needed. Recipients of NSU Shared Leave may retain up to 40 hours of unused leave (if available) upon return to their positions. All other unused leave time will be maintained in the Leave Bank.
- · The NSU Leave Bank is maintained through hours donated for general distribution as well as time that was previously donated to a specific employee but not distributed. The University will solicit donations annually for the Leave Bank, as needed.
Donors:
To donate leave, an employee must be full-time, have one (1) year of continuous service and must maintain a personal leave balance of no less than 80 hours. Total annual donations may be made in amounts no greater than half of the annual accrual rate, or up to 72 hours in a given fiscal year. Personal leave the donor would not otherwise be able to use, such as unused leave at the cessation of employment or earned beyond established accumulation caps, cannot be donated. All donations are subject to approval by the Director of Human Resources.
Recipients:
Recipients of leave donations must have been employed by NSU for a minimum of one (1) full year, have received no disciplinary actions for abuse of time, and must have exhausted all earned personal leave, vacation and compensatory time. Under the program, they will receive their normal pay and benefits, but will not accrue additional leave time while on leave share. Donated leave may only be used for the purposes specified in this policy.
Guidelines and Limitations:
- · Donated time through the NSU Leave Sharing Program is meant to cover only the duration of the serious health condition for which it was approved.
- · Any unused Shared Leave that was donated to a specific employee will be maintained in the NSU Leave Bank to be distributed to other qualified employees, with the possible exception of 40 hours (if available) to be retained by the recipient upon return to work for needed follow-up care or other medically necessary leave.
- · All donations of leave must be given voluntarily. No employee shall be coerced, threatened, intimidated or financially induced into donating paid leave for the purposes of the Leave Sharing Program.
- · An employee's eligibility to receive donated leave through the Leave Sharing Program ends upon their return to full-time or part-time employment or when they begin to receive income from a University provided employee benefit, i.e. Long-term Disability Benefits, Worker's Compensation Benefits, etc.
- · Donated leave for an employee's personal injury or illness is limited per occurrence to the constraints of medical leave and will be calculated using the following formula:
Total of all unused paid leave + donated time = no more than six months. - · Donated leave for the care of a family member is limited to 12 weeks per occurrence or 2 working days after the death of the family member, which ever comes first.
- · Recipients are eligible for a maximum of 180 days of donated leave during their total University employment.
All leave donations and distributions will be monitored and administered by the Office of Human Resources. Any variation or exception to the above policy may be subject to review by a committee, to be overseen by the Director of Human Resources. Persons involved in the administration of the NSU Leave Sharing Program are responsible for protecting the privacy of leave recipients and donors. All communications with either group will be kept confidential.
Employees should have no expectation of entitlement in connection with the Leave Sharing Policy. Receipt or donation of shared leave is a gift from fellow employees and is not intended to constitute or obligate debt or reciprocity. The Office of Human Resources shall determine eligibility for participation in the Leave Sharing Program at NSU under these guidelines.
To participate in the Leave Sharing Program as a donor or recipient, the employee must complete a Leave Sharing Application Form, which is available in the Office of Human Resources. The Human Resources staff will secure all signatures, approvals and required documentation.
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