V701.02 Faculty Developmental Leave

Developmental Leave is a planned, extended academic or professional activity which benefits the individual, the university, and its constituents.

NDUS Developmental Leave Guidelines (SBHE Policy 701.2):

Faculty may be granted developmental leave for retraining and/or professional development under the following circumstances:

Institutional resources are available.
Workload is absorbed within the existing staff resource allocations.
A written proposal describing the planned use of the leave and its anticipated benefits to the institution, to the State, and to the employee is approved. The proposal shall also include the detail of the source of funds for the total stipend.
Except as provided in Section e, the employee signs an agreement to return to the North Dakota University System upon completion of the leave for a period of time at least equal to the leave time or refund the stipend payment.
To assist in retrenchment efforts, developmental leave may be granted without a signed agreement to return. The employee must execute a resignation effective at the termination of the developmental leave.
Developmental leave may not exceed 12 months and the base stipend may not exceed the salary scheduled for the leave period.

VCSU Faculty Developmental Leave

Faculty may seek developmental leave for professional development purposes, to include training, research, or writing.

If institutional resources permit and appropriate replacement personnel are available, developmental leave may be taken for a single semester or academic year, for up to full pay and benefits. The funding model for this leave may vary, depending on availability of institutional resources. The salary may be supplemented with non-appropriated funds which bring the total salary to an amount equal to but not exceeding the budgeted salary for the leave period. Funds for travel expenses, relocation, or educational costs incurred during the leave shall not be considered part of the salary. Faculty desiring developmental leaves fully funded by another entity may also seek leave under V701.1, Leave without pay.
No more than two individuals will be granted developmental leave per semester.
Developmental leave is available only to full-time, tenured faculty who have completed at least six consecutive years of teaching at Valley City State University.
Proposals for developmental leave must be submitted to the VPAA no later than the last working day in September (for Spring semester leave) or the last working day in February (for Fall semester leave).
The Faculty Advocacy Committee will review the proposals and advise the VPAA in making selections. Preference will be given to those proposals which identify a clear benefit to the University and its students. Faculty may take developmental leave no more than once every five years.
Proposals should be submitted in memo format to the Chair of the Faculty Advocacy Committee or the VPAA and include:
1. A description of the proposed activity.
2. An explanation of the anticipated benefit to the individual, the academic program, and/or the University.
3. A statement of the timeline and requested funding level for the leave.
4. A statement indicating the applicant's understanding of the provisions in SBHE 701.2, section D (see above), which require the employee to return to the position for a period of time equal to the leave time.
Proposals must be accompanied by a letter of support from the applicant's Department Chair which outlines how work duties will be covered during the applicant's absence.
Within one month of completing a developmental leave, the faculty member must submit a written report on the completed program to the VPAA. The report should document the completion of all items identified in the original proposal and discuss the benefits achieved by the leave opportunity. In addition, the faculty member must prepare a presentation for a campus forum.

Sponsor: Faculty Advocacy Committee

Effective: May 17, 2011

Revised: March 2021