Ohio Administrative Code › Title 3339 - Miami University › Chapter 3339-6 - Academic Affairs Unit › Section 3339-6-08 - Faculty improvement leave

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
The faculty improvement program, established in conformity with
				section 3345.28 of the Revised Code,
				provides extended periods for professional growth and development.
				All fulltime, tenured members of the instructional
				staff with teaching loads who have served at least seven years in any rank in
				fulltime service are eligible for a faculty improvement leave It enables
				faculty development away from campus and requires seven years of fulltime
				service for eligibility.
This program is crucially important for enabling the
				improvement of teaching techniques, extending the frontiers of knowledge, and
				maintaining the vitality of individual faculty members and programs.
The program provides release from teaching duties and other
				university assignments, either full compensation during one semester or
				two-thirds compensation during two semesters, continuation of
				university-provided insurance benefits and fee waivers, and eligibility for
				salary increment and promotion. For participants in the state teachers
				retirement system, contributions will be made as allowed by law. For
				participants in the alternative retirement plan, contributions will be made as
				permitted by the plan.
Specifics of the program are outlined below:
(A) Application for a faculty improvement
			 leave is initiated through the department chair to the dean, provost, and
			 president.
(B) In any single year,
			 because of commitments to teaching and service as well as to faculty
			 development, the university customarily will not authorize more than thirty
			 faculty improvement leaves.
(C)
			 Professional leave taken as a faculty improvement leave shall not normally be
			 deemed to be in lieu of assigned research (assigned duty in connection with a
			 specific research, scholarly, or creative program).
(D) A faculty improvement leave ordinarily
			 does not involve additional funding for a department. A request for faculty
			 improvement leave must indicate how the department will cover the load of the
			 staff member applying for the leave. In rare instances when extreme hardship
			 would result in a department if a faculty improvement leave were granted, funds
			 may be authorized by the provost or dean to hire replacement staff
(E)
								 Faculty improvement leaves are granted on the basis
			 of the contribution that the appointee will make to the university upon
			 returning to normal assignment. Years of service are crucial for determining
			 eligibility but are not a major factor in discriminating among aspiring
			 candidates.
(F) A person may not
			 receive a second (or "the next") faculty improvement leave until seven years
			 have elapsed from the end of the previous leave.
(G) A request for a faculty improvement leave
			 should detail the activities proposed for the year or the term and indicate
			 their significance for the mission of the university. They may relate to
			 professional growth, disciplinary research, a research project dealing with the
			 effectiveness of various instructional methods, or teaching
			 development.
(H) Persons receiving
			 a faculty improvement leave are obligated to remain at Miami during the ensuing
			 academic year and to make a full report of the results of the assignment to the
			 chair, dean, and provost within ninety days of the completion of the leave. If
			 a person does not return to Miami university during the ensuing academic year,
			 he or she is expected to reimburse the university a prorated portion of
			 university salary received during the faculty improvement leave for the portion
			 of the post leave year that is not completed.
(I) Recipients of faculty improvement leaves
			 may receive money for approved study or research or other activities expressly
			 related to the purpose of the leave without prejudice to their receipt of
			 income from Miami, provided that the total remuneration from all sources
			 (including Miami) does not exceed the recipient's annual Miami university
			 salary.
(J) In addition to salary,
			 special arrangements may be made for grants to defray travel and similar
			 coincidental expenses. These arrangements must, however, be approved in advance
			 of the leave.
(K) Applications for
			 a faculty improvement leave should be received in the academic personnel
			 services office by December first of the academic year preceding the leave
			 period if one is to receive most favorable consideration.
(L) Questions regarding the program and its
			 guidelines should be addressed to the academic personnel services office.
Note: See Chapter 3339-4 of the Administrative Code for other
				leaves of absence available to members of the instructional staff.