Description
A leave of absence is an approved period of absence from normal academic duties. The Medical College allows its academic staff members to take the following types of leave:
- Personal or Professional Leave of Absence
- Sabbatical Leave of Absence
- Disability, Academic Family Leave, and/or Family & Medical Leave of Absence
Based upon the reason for the leave request, the availability of leave may be discretionary on the part of the department or non-discretionary. Discretionary leaves of absence are generally for reasons based upon the academic staff member's professional or personal needs and opportunities, such as fellowships, government service, sabbaticals. Non-discretionary leaves are required by either law or Medical College policy and, in general, concern military service or either the employee’s own illness or injury, an ill or injured family member, or the arrival of a newly born child, an adopted child or child placed with you for foster care. The needs of the Medical College's academic programs take precedence over the advantages to the individual when leaves are discretionary.
Depending on the situation, an academic staff member may continue to be paid on a full or reduced salaried basis, or may not be paid. The funds released by a leave of absence without salary revert to the Dean of the Medical College and may be used to cover the costs of replacing the faculty member on leave.
Leaves of absence granted to academic staff members on the professional staffs of affiliated institutions may be designated as with salary or without salary, in compliance with the policies and procedures of the affiliated institution.
General Provisions of a Leave of Absence
Benefits
Employees of the Medical College on leaves of absence with either full or reduced salary continue to receive full fringe benefits. Employees of the Medical College on leaves of absence without salary are entitled to continue certain benefits depending on the type or reason for the leave and should contact the HR Solutions Center [(646) 962-9247] for specific details.
Extramural Support
When contemplating a leave of absence, academic staff members who are the recipients of extramural funding should consult with their program officer or other appropriate representative of the funding agency. It is the individual's responsibility to comply with the agency's policies and procedures and to obtain any necessary approvals for the leave of absence and for reallocations of funds. Assistance is available from the Office of Sponsored Research Administration [(646) 962-8290].
Term of Appointment
A leave of absence does not automatically extend the term of an academic appointment. Policies and procedures concerning terms of appointment may be found in Appointment and Promotion of Faculty, as an item in the subsections on Faculty Appointments, and in Appointment and Promotion of Non-Faculty Academic Staff, Terms of Appointment. When appropriate, there should be a written understanding between the department chair and the faculty member, approved by the Dean, whether the time on leave will be counted towards the term in rank, and should be included with the documents submitted in support of the request for a leave of absence.
Probationary Period for Tenure Review
If the individual requesting the leave is eligible for tenure review, there should be a written understanding between the department chair and the faculty member, approved by the Dean, whether the time on leave will be counted towards the probationary period for tenure review. This understanding should be included with the documentation submitted in support of the request for a leave of absence. (For further information, see Tenure, Probationary Period for Tenure Review.)
Return to Position
The guarantee to return an academic staff member to the same or equivalent position lasts a maximum of twelve (12) weeks under the Family and Medical Leave policy (FMLA), and a maximum of eight (8) weeks under the Academic Family Leave policy. These policies run concurrently; both provide job protection, but the types of leave covered may be different. If a leave lasts more than the job-protected period, the individual may request that his/her position be held for him/her, but there is no requirement that the Medical College agree to hold the position open for longer than the job-protected periods. For a leave that lasts more than the job-protected periods, the academic staff member must make arrangements with the chair prior to departure about what position, if any, will be available upon return from the leave and how long the stated position will be available to the academic staff member going on leave. (See Leave of Absence, Application Process, B, and refer to the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave policy in Benefits and the Academic Family Leave policy in Leaves and Termination of Appointment.)
Time Accrued for a Sabbatical Leave of Absence
Normally a leave of absence with or without salary does not count towards time accrued for a sabbatical leave of absence.
Application Process
Authority for granting a leave of absence due to Disability, Academic Family Leave, and/or Family & Medical Leave (FMLA) rests with the Department of Human Resources. For all other leaves, the employee’s department chair has discretion to grant leaves of up to seven (7) days. Authority for granting a leave of absence for up to two (2) weeks rests with the Dean of the Medical College upon the recommendation of the department chair. Authority for granting a leave of absence for longer than two (2) weeks rests with the President of the University or her/his designee, upon the recommendation of the department chair and the approval of the Dean of the Medical College.
For leaves greater than seven (7) days, and which are unrelated to the employee’s own health issues or family leave purposes, the following materials are required in support of a request for a leave of absence:
A. Recommendation for Leave of Absence form
B. A detailed description of 1) the purpose and exact dates of the leave of absence; 2) the financial arrangements to be made, e.g., whether the leave is to be with or without salary, reallocation of the individual's extramural support during the leave, etc.; 3) the academic duties which will need to be covered while the individual is on leave; and 4) any prior arrangements concerning the individual's position upon return to the Medical College. This description may be in the form of a letter from the academic staff member to the department chair. If applicable, it may also include a request for an extension of the probationary period for tenure review. Copies of all supporting materials, e.g., fellowship awards, contracts, acknowledgments from extramural funding agencies, etc., should be attached to the description.
C. Letter of recommendation from the department chair in support of the proposed leave of absence.
These materials should be forwarded to the Office of Faculty Affairs at least two (2) months prior to the anticipated leave of absence. Once the leave is authorized, the academic staff member and department chair will receive notification of approval from the Office of Faculty Affairs. It is then the responsibility of the department chair to submit the necessary forms to the Human Resources Department. No employee change form can be honored until the leave of absence has been authorized.
For leaves due to Disability, Academic Family Leave, and/or FMLA, academic staff should refer to the Salary Continuance, Academic Family Leave, and FMLA policies. Academic staff are encouraged to contact the HR Solutions Center [(646) 962-9247] for further details.