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Faculty leave takes two main forms: paid and unpaid leaves of absence. There are several types of leave which fall under these two main categories. A faculty member is considered to be on a leave of absence when they take a leave from their regular duties during the period of service outlined in their letter of offer. This section outlines the various types of leaves available to our faculty and the modes by which a faculty member can apply for these leaves. Request forms for faculty leave can be found on the Forms section of our website.

See also:��

Leaves Funded by Other Institutions for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty (e.g., Fellowships, Visiting Positions, etc.)

A leave to pursue scholarly work through a fellowship or at another institution may be granted to members of the regular tenured and tenure-track faculty by the provost through the Office of Faculty Affairs on recommendation of the department chair and the dean. In most cases, the leave will be for one year; it would be unusual for the provost to grant such a leave beyond two years. Such leaves may be granted to:

• Permit acceptance of a prestigious grant or fellowship, or
• Permit acceptance of a temporary appointment at another institution when such appointment would, in the interest of the University, permit engagement in scholarly activities that are not otherwise practicably available, and that will significantly enhance the professional effectiveness of the individual.

Faculty must request in writing approval from their department chair and dean. Scholarly activity leaves for faculty will be reported to and approved by Office of Faculty Affairs on behalf of the provost. Such leaves should be requested using the Leave Request for Faculty form.

Learn more about leaves funded by other institutions

Sabbaticals

Faculty must be tenured and have at least six years of service since their last sabbatical. The approval process for sabbatical applications is clearly defined by the University of Colorado System and involves approvals by the department chair, dean, institute director, the vice provost for faculty affairs, and the provost, with ultimate approval by the Board of Regents. At the conclusion of the sabbatical, faculty are required to return to their appointment and submit a report.

Sabbaticals for tenured faculty with 12-month appointments are six months in length.

Faculty holding officer appointments are not eligible for sabbaticals, though years of service as an officer count toward future sabbatical eligibility. Officers returning to the faculty may apply for sabbatical leave to take place during the first semester following the conclusion of their term as an officer.

Learn more about sabbaticals

Leaves Without Pay (e.g., Entrepreneurial Leave, etc.)

Unpaid leaves may be requested by regular faculty for various reasons and are considered on an individual basis. Reasons for requesting an unpaid leave may include��entrepreneurship or working with industry, an appointment at another institution, personal reasons, or medical situations that have exhausted all other available options. Approval is granted by the department chair, the dean, the vice provost for faculty affairs, and the provost. Unpaid leaves are normally approved for up to one year. Consecutive years of unpaid leave are considered unusual and require special consideration.

Faculty on unpaid, non-medical leave are indicated as having a 0% appointment in order to stop University benefits during the period of the unpaid leave of absence. FTE should remain at 1.0. Faculty on unpaid medical leave will remain at a 100% appointment and have the option of continuing or waiving their medical benefits. If the faculty member chooses to continue medical benefits, the University will pay its portion toward the faculty member’s benefits and the faculty member will be responsible for paying their portion of benefits coverage.

Read more about the Academic Affairs policy on entrepreneurial leaves

Natural Disaster or Local Emergency Leave Options

The university offers leave options in the event of natural disaster or local emergency. For example, in response to the Marshall Fire in 2021, employees who were impacted could request up to 160 hours of leave to be used for immediate needs, such as securing shelter, food, clothing, or dependent care, and addressing disaster recovery issues that include accessing applicable resources (e.g., FEMA, insurance companies, and emergency mitigation services). All granted leave will be prorated based on appointment percent of time.

Impacted regular faculty (all tenured and tenure-track faculty, teaching-track faculty, clinical-track, and faculty-in-residence at 50% time or more), should follow their college/school procedures for applying for leave. Most typically, faculty members should contact their chairs/directors, deans/divisional deans, and school/college faculty HR liaisons to begin the application process using the Leave of Absence form, selecting “Emergency Leave.”

Additional information on Campus HR website

Boulder Campus Policy on Absence from Campus

The Office of Faculty Affairs has developed the policy below (adapted from the policy of the College of Arts and Sciences) to guide units in managing faculty absences from campus. This policy is to be used when a faculty member is away from campus to meet professional responsibilities during a semester when they have teaching responsibilities; it applies to all faculty who have teaching responsibilities. It does not apply to people on leave, such as Family Medical Leave, Parental leave, leave without pay, or sabbaticals. This policy is designed to insure coverage of classes and does not take up issues of compensation.��

Each college and school may develop its own procedures as long as they maintain the central point that faculty members shall not be absent from classes except in cases of illness, personal emergency, religious observance, or when the absence is desirable for the faculty member to meet his or her professional responsibilities.��

In the absence of policies filed with the Office of Faculty Affairs, the policy below is the default policy for the campus.��

Policy on Faculty Absences from Campus��

(Revised: February 2016, Issued: December 2008)

The Policy on Faculty Absences from Campus gives effect to the BFA Statement on faculty absences dated April 1980:��

“It is expected that faculty members will not be absent from classes except in cases of illness, personal emergency, religious observance, or when the absence is desirable for the faculty member to meet his or her professional responsibilities.”��

This policy applies to all faculty members, including those who do not have formal teaching assignments in the semester in which the absence is to take place. It does not apply to those on leave without pay, faculty fellowships, or sabbatical leave.��

1. If a faculty member is absent from the campus because of travel for 5 contiguous working days or fewer in a semester, they do not need permission from the chair or the dean. The faculty member is nevertheless responsible for ensuring that all classes are covered and that other professional obligations (such as committee meetings and undergraduate advising duties) are also fulfilled.
2. If a faculty member is to be absent from campus because of travel for more than 5 contiguous working days but not more than a total of 10 working days in a semester, they must inform the chair in writing of the proposed absence and must obtain prior written permission both for the absence and for the arrangements made to cover classes, advising, etc. The chair must advise/copy the dean’s office of their decision. (Note: in schools and colleges that do not have a departmental structure, the faculty member must obtain prior written permission of the dean’s office. If a chair is to be absent they should obtain permission from the dean’s office.)��
3. For proposed absences of more than a total of 10 working days overall in a semester because of travel, the faculty member shall inform both the chair and the dean’s office in writing of the proposed absence and proposed arrangements to cover teaching, advising, and other responsibilities. Both the chair and the dean’s office must approve such absences and arrangements in advance of travel. (Note: in schools and colleges that do not have a departmental structure, the faculty member must obtain prior written permission of the dean’s office.)
4. If a faculty member is to be absent from campus during a final examination period, they shall obtain the prior written approval of both the chair and the dean’s office. (Note: in schools and colleges that do not have a department structure, the faculty member must obtain the prior written approval of the dean’s office.)
5. Submission of requests for faculty absence from campus should be made no later than one week prior to the intended departure.��