George Mason University Faculty Study Leave
Faculty members may compete for the Faculty Study Leave program, administered
by the Office of the Provost. Faculty awarded a study leave may take one academic
year of Educational Leave at half pay with full benefits (based on 50% of their
base salary) or one academic semester of Educational Leave with full pay and
benefits. Faculty members who are granted a Faculty Study Leave (FSL) are not
eligible to apply for another FSL for at least seven academic years and must
return to the University for a period of one year after completing the FSL.
Departments will establish procedures, criteria and deadlines for submission
and review of study leave proposals; proposals must be evaluated based on quality
and merit. Study leave is not an entitlement; faculty may not insist upon a
leave if, in the judgment of the department and the administration, the faculty
member's services are needed for a particular semester or year.
Purpose: To provide leave equivalent to one semester for the
support of advancing scholarly, research, teaching, and/or creative activity,
including development of innovative teaching approaches and methods.
Availability: Funding is usually available for 20-25 faculty
study leaves each year. (30- 35 faculty typically apply each year.)
Eligibility: An applicant must be a full-time employee who
holds regular faculty rank and who is appointed without term, i.e. tenured,
at the time of the application. Faculty members must have matching funding or
demonstrate attempts to obtain matching funding for their leave. This requirement
allows awarding a larger a number of study leaves as well as earning deserved
recognition for those successful in obtaining funding.
Selection: The Office of the Provost awards Faculty Study Leave
upon recommendation of an advisory committee composed of former Faculty Study
Leave awardees. Faculty members who accept a Faculty Study Leave agree to serve
subsequently on the Faculty Study Leave Application Review Committee, if asked.
Study Leave Period: Leave may be taken during either the Fall
or Spring Semester of the academic year following announcement of the award.
The faculty member may take one semester leave at full pay or two semesters
of leave at half-salary, with full fringe benefits. Specific arrangements must
be approved by the chair and unit head (college/school/institute).
Deadline: For current deadline information see: http://www.gmu.edu/departments/provost/support/studyleave.htm.
Format: Study Leave applications should include a cover sheet
and brief narrative. Four copies of the application must be submitted to the
Provost's Office, Mason Hall D109, MSN 3A2. See additional notes on FORMAT on
the attached sheet.
Letter of Support: You must request that at least one outside
expert submit a letter of support directly to the Provost's Office. A brief
vita of the expert should accompany the letter. The letter should address the
quality and importance of the proposed activity, the competence of the applicant
to complete the activity and the adequacy of the proposed plan. The letter must
be received by November 15, 2002. A copy of the applicant's vita must be attached
to each copy of the proposal application (four copies total).
Eligibility for Faculty Study Leave: An applicant must be a
full-time employee of George Mason University who has held a regular faculty
rank for at least four years at the time of application and be appointed without
term, i.e. with tenure. Individuals whose rank is prefixed with Affiliate, Adjunct,
Research or Visiting are not eligible. Faculty must obtain matching funds or
demonstrate substantial attempts to obtain matching funds for their leave. A
total of seven academic years (which may include time spent on leave of absence)
must elapse between the award of successive Faculty Study Leaves. Full-time
administrators who otherwise meet these criteria are eligible. A faculty member
who receives a Faculty Study Leave agrees to remain a full-time employee of
the university for at least one academic year after the conclusion of the leave.
Project Report: At the completion of a study leave, faculty
must file with the Office of the Provost a one-page report of accomplishments
and plans for continuing activities related to the study leave. Academic units
may establish additional reporting
requirements.
Format: The application should include the following:
A. Cover Sheet including a one-paragraph project summary. The summary should
be written in such a way as to make clear to non-specialist readers the procedures
and significance of the proposed project.
B. Description of project (maximum of 3 pages, single-spaced) for non-specialist
readers. The description should be brief, non-technical, and should be composed
as follows:
1. State the central problem to be addressed by this research and its scholarly
or creative significance.
2. Outline the objectives of the project, the methods to be employed, and (where
relevant) its relation to existing literature in the field.
3. Describe how this project will enable you to compete successfully for external
research support. Identify likely sources of such support. Describe your timetable
for seeking such support, including program application deadlines if known.
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Leave Application Procedures
Faculty members who are Assistant Professors in their initial, three-year term
and wish to apply for the Tenure-Track study leave should read the appropriate
policy statement then complete the approval form. The form should be routed
through the Department Chair, where applicable, then through the Dean/Director
to David Rossell in the Provost Office. The faculty member, as well as all approvers,
will receive a copy of the signed form. Administrators in the faculty member’s
department should send a tracking document indicating the leave to Human Resources
through the Provost Office. The Provost Office will provide one course matrix
replacement during the semester that the faculty member is on study leave. Questions
should be addressed to David Rossell, Associate Provost for Personnel and Budget.
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Leave Policy (02-22-01)
All initial hire, tenure-track Assistant Professors will be granted a one-semester
study leave. (NOTE: An "initial hire, tenure-track Assistant Professor"
is defined as an individual hired on a first three-year renewable term.) This
leave may occur during the first five years of the tenure-track cycle. It is
designed to assist a tenure-track faculty member in advancing his or her research,
scholarly, or creative activities. The timing of this leave will be subject
to approval by both the respective local academic unit head and the appropriate
Dean/Director. The Office of the Provost will provide one-course matrix replacement
funding per granted leave request. This leave policy is, in no way, intended
to conflict with an existing local academic unit practice; rather than reducing
a local academic unit’s flexibility, its intent is to enhance and supplement
existing practices. During the semester either prior to or succeeding the faculty
member’s leave, the local academic unit may need to ask the recipient
to teach one additional course in order to accommodate this leave. This policy
will be effective, retroactively to initial hires, as of academic year 1999.