The UNC
Policy Manual
300.2.6[G]
Adopted
05/30/06
Faculty
members are expected to remain highly competent in their disciplines and to
maintain familiarity with recent scholarship.
They often need sustained and dedicated periods of time to carry out
tasks related to the teaching, research, creative activity, or external
activities related to their positions.
Reassigned Time for these activities may be supported by state or other
funds available from the institution or from external sources. Campuses that provide such opportunities to
faculty must have appropriate policies governing the awarding of Reassigned
Time, in order to ensure equity in submitting and consistency in approving
requests for Reassigned Time.
These
guidelines are intended to assist campuses in creating such policies and
reflect common practices at UNC and other higher education institutions across
the country. Campus policies may vary
from these guidelines, since leaves are contingent on the availability of funds
at the institution and review and approval procedures need to be consistent
with the campus administrative structure.
I. Eligibility
Campuses should define the pool of faculty eligible for Reassigned
Time. In some cases, untenured faculty
may be provided released time during their probationary period; the Reassigned
Time policy generally does not apply to faculty with whom hiring agreements
have been made that include such released time.
In general, faculty eligible for Reassigned Time should understand
the following expectations:
1. The
faculty member is tenured and full-time at the rank of assistant professor or
above. Campuses may consider
applications for Reassigned Time from tenure-track faculty members in their
last probationary year; if the proposal is approved, the Reassigned Time will
be contingent upon the applicant receiving tenure. The University of North Carolina School of
the Arts will have a different definition for eligibility because that
institution does not award tenure.
2. The
period of Reassigned Time will count as time toward promotion, contract (in the
case of NCSA), and post-tenure review.
3. When
applying for Reassigned Time, the faculty member must submit a proposal and the
appropriate materials in accordance with campus policies.
4. Reassigned
Time is neither deferred compensation nor an entitlement based upon length of
service but is granted on the merits of the individual proposal upon the
recommendation of the appropriate committees and administrators.
5. Faculty
on Reassigned Time are eligible for consideration for merit salary increases,
promotion, and one-time payments or any other salary adjustments approved by
the General Assembly, the Board of Governors, or the institution.
6. Faculty
on Reassigned Time will continue to receive university contributions for the
State Health Plan. They will also
continue to receive the University’s contributions for the N.C. Teachers’ and
State Employees’ Retirement System or the UNC Optional Retirement Program under
the conditions outlined in Section VII below.
Other benefits may be continued during this period, in accordance with
the policy adopted by the campus.
7. Faculty
members on Reassigned Time are expected to devote full-time to the approved
project.
8. If
circumstances require that a substantial change be made in the project after it
has been approved, the faculty member should obtain approval of the changes in
accordance with campus procedures.
II. Duration and Compensation
Campuses should develop guidelines that include the duration and
compensation for periods of Reassigned Time.
1. Duration
Faculty will
generally be awarded Reassigned Time for either one or two semesters for
9-month academic-year appointments or for six or twelve months for 12-month
appointments. (UNCSA may have a
different schedule.)
2. Compensation
Campus
policies on compensation for Reassigned Time may vary depending on availability
of funds. In general, faculty will be
granted leave for a full academic year or for twelve-months for no less than
50% of the annual salary or leave for one semester or six months for full
salary. Campuses may decide to award
only academic year or calendar -year leaves if funds are not available for
single semester or six month leaves.
Faculty awarded Reassigned Time are expected to work full-time on their
approved project.
Salary funds
released by Reassigned Time appointments should be aggregated at the
appropriate level (college or institution) to be used for replacement faculty
as necessary. The source of funds for
replacement needs to be determined prior to approval of the Reassigned Time.
III.
Supplemental Pay
Campuses should develop guidelines addressing the salary and other
compensation faculty may receive from the institution and from other sources
during the period of Reassigned Time.
1. In
some cases, faculty may be receiving partial salary from an external
source. In these cases, the faculty
member’s total salary should not exceed the approved annual salary for the
period of Reassigned Time, not including funds awarded to cover living expenses
and travel for Reassigned Time spent away from campus as well as secretarial
assistance, research, publication, and other expenses related to the approved
project.
2. Compensation
for salary and expenses from all sources should be addressed in the proposal
and approved before the leave is granted.
If the amount or source of compensation changes, this change should be
approved by the appropriate administrators through the External Professional
Activities for Pay policy (see 300.2.2).
A person on Reassigned Time may not receive supplemental salary funds
through the university.
IV. University Obligations and Return to
Service
1. Faculty
on Reassigned Time should agree to take leave or resign from campus obligations
such as department, college, and campus committees during the time of the
Reassigned Time. However, faculty may be
expected to maintain contact with graduate advisees or to make other
arrangements to ensure that students’ progress will not be disrupted. Faculty may also participate in the
department faculty evaluation process (for annual reviews or hiring) if the
department bylaws provide this opportunity.
2. Campus
policies must include a provision for continuing service to the institution
following the end of the Reassigned Time period. Faculty who receive Reassigned Time should be
required to return to service at the university or be required to repay the
salary received during the period of leave.
Typically, such policies require that faculty return to the university
for twice the period of the Reassigned Time that was granted For example, a 9-month faculty member who
was granted Reassigned Time with full pay for one academic semester, at the end
of the Reassigned Time period, might be expected to return to work with that
campus for a minimum of two semesters or he or she will be required to repay
the salary received during the Reassigned Time period.
3. The
N.C. Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System requires that employees
on approved leave of absence for educational purposes return to service as a
contributing member for at least three years; otherwise, service credit earned
during leave of absence will be cancelled. (See Section VII, “Benefits Continuation.”)
4. A
faculty member on Reassigned Time who accepts a position at another
post-secondary institution or any other paid employment that was not included
in the proposal or approved through the External Professional Activities for
Pay policy (see 300.2.2) will be considered to have abandoned his or her
contract and should be terminated.
V. Report
Campus policies should include a provision for reporting on the
outcomes of the Reassigned Time. This
could include a report required at the end of the first semester following the
leave that addresses the accomplishment of the purposes stated in the
application for Reassigned Time. Campuses may wish to require a public forum or
presentation following the Reassigned Time.
If a faculty member fails to submit the required report, he or she
should not be considered for subsequent Reassigned Time. Campuses may determine additional
consequences in such cases.
VI.
Further Service and Subsequent
Reassigned Time
Campuses should establish a defined period of time before faculty
members are eligible to apply for additional Reassigned Time. Typically, six years of further service is
required before a faculty member is eligible to apply for another leave. Leaves of absence without pay not exceeding
one year may be counted as service toward eligibility for additional Reassigned
Time if the leave of absence without pay is related to scholarly
responsibilities.
VII. Benefits Continuation
1. Retirement.
A. N.C. Teachers’ and State Employees’
Retirement System (TSERS)
For faculty
who are on Reassigned Time, this period will be considered as an approved leave
of absence for educational purposes.
During the
Reassigned Time with full pay, the University will continue making the employer
contribution to TSERS and the faculty member will continue making his or her
pre-tax contribution to TSERS through payroll deduction.
During the
Reassigned Time with partial pay, if the faculty member wishes to continue
making his or her retirement contribution, the University will continue making
the employer contribution. The employer
and employee contributions are based on the faculty member’s base rate of pay
in effect immediately preceding the reassignment. The faculty member’s contribution shall be on
an after-tax basis and monthly payment must be made timely by the faculty
member, by personal payment, to the campus human resources/benefits office, for
transmission to the State Retirement System.
In accordance
with State law, if a faculty member is on an approved leave of absence for
educational purposes with partial pay, service credit may be purchased if
retirement contributions are paid by the 15th of the month following
the month for which service credit is allowed.
If contributions are not made by the 15th of the month, a
penalty of 1% of the combined employer and employee contributions per month
shall be assessed by the Retirement System.
In addition, unless the faculty member returns to service as a
contributing member within 12 months after completion of his or her educational
program and contributes to the Retirement System for at least three more years
(except in the event of death or disability), contributions will be refunded
and the service credits canceled.
Regardless of when the educational program was completed, the maximum
allowable credit for educational leave or interrupted service for education
purposes is six years over the course of one’s career.
In advance of
the Reassigned Time, a letter must be sent to TSERS by the campus human
resources/benefits office requesting permission for the faculty member to
continue his or her retirement contributions while on Reassigned Time, along
with an “Application to Purchase Service Credits for Educational Leave or
Interrupted Service for Educational Purposes,” Form 263. This form is available on the TSERS
website.
NOTE: Coverage under the State’s Disability Income
Plan and the Death Benefit will continue for eligible members of TSERS during
the Reassigned Time period.
B. UNC Optional Retirement Program
If a faculty
member participates in the UNC Optional Retirement Program (ORP), the same
procedures as outlined above for TSERS members apply, including the six year
maximum allowable credit limit. (See TSERS discussion above). However, employer and employee contributions
are payable to the appropriate ORP carrier instead of to the Retirement
System. Please note that a letter
requesting permission for the faculty member to continue making contributions
to the ORP must be submitted by the campus human resources/benefits office to
the State Retirement System in advance of the Reassigned Time so that the six
year maximum allowable credit limit can be tracked. At the present time, the ORP does not track
whether a faculty member who takes a leave of absence for educational purposes
at less than full pay returns to work for at least three years.
NOTE: Coverage under the State’s Disability Income
Plan will continue for eligible participants of the ORP during the Reassigned
Time period.
2. State Health
Plan
A faculty member
who is on Reassigned Time is eligible and should continue to receive the
University’s contribution for State Health Plan coverage, whether on full pay
or partial pay. The employee’s
contributions for dependents’ coverage will continue to be payroll deducted
from the faculty member’s paycheck on a before-tax basis.
3. Other
Benefits
A faculty
member should contact his or her campus human resources/benefits office for
information about continuation of other benefits while on Reassigned Time.
VIII. Application Process
1. The
college/institution should have a uniform application process which may include
the following information, depending on the project:
·
Curriculum vitae
·
Description of the project
·
Expectations for supplemental funding for expenses and/or salary
·
Invitations to other institutions, award letters for fellowships,
or other supporting documentation
·
Potential enhancement of the faculty member’s effectiveness in
teaching, scholarship, or service
·
Potential value to the teaching, scholarship, or service program
of the department
·
Contribution to knowledge in the field of study
·
Value to public or professional service at the institutional,
state, or national level
·
Expected outcomes, e.g., book, article, creative expression, new
academic or outreach program.
2. Written
information on the application process and deadlines for applications should be
disseminated to all eligible faculty members, through a faculty manual or other
accessible documents.
3. In
general, applications should be evaluated in writing by no fewer than three
persons, within or external to the department or university, who are competent
to judge the proposal.
4. On
most campuses, the dean will be responsible for approving or denying
applications, although campuses may choose to have final approval by the Chief
Academic Officer.
5. Campuses must
identify an appropriate appeal process if a proposal is denied.
6. Department
administrators must assure the dean or Chief Academic Officer that teaching and
advising in the department will be maintained during the faculty member’s
absence.
7. Decisions
about granting Reassigned Time must be made with a clear understanding of the
source of funds to maintain the instructional expectations of the department.
8. Deans
should be responsible for providing the Chief Academic Officer with a list of
applications and results of the process annually.