Chair/Director: Friday, October 5, 2012
College Dean: Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Faculty Senate: Monday, October 15, 2012 (no later than 5:00 pm)
Background:
The Texas Legislature has established a program of Faculty Development Leaves “…to improve and further the higher education available…at the state-supported colleges and universities….” This program is “…part of the plan of compensation for those colleges and universities."
Eligibility:
Faculty eligible to apply for Development Leave in the Fall 2012 cycle may apply for either a one-semester (Fall 2013 or Spring 2014) leave at full time, or a one-year (2013 - 2014 academic year) leave at half time.
Eligibility requirements include that tenured faculty applying for the first time have at least six years of full time University service (at least two of which are consecutive) and that faculty who have been granted prior development leave(s) have at least six years of University service since their last Development Leave.
Faculty Senate members are not eligible for Development Leave during their tenure on the Senate.
Faculty with prior Development Leave(s) may apply for:
• Fall 2013 leave or the full year’s leave (Fall 2013 and Spring 2014) if their last
Development Leave was in Fall 2007 or before
• Spring 2014 leave if their last Development Leave was in Spring 2008 or before
Historical List of Faculty Development Leave Recipients (2001-2013)
Application Process:
The Faculty Senate strongly recommends that applicants contact the Senator(s) from their College prior to initiating the application process in order to receive assistance in developing an effective proposal, as well as for explanation of the review procedure.
To be considered for a leave, applicants must submit a completed application (PPS 8.02, Attachment A and the required materials) to their Department Chair / School Director by Friday, October 5, 2012. When the Chair/Director has verified the applicant's eligibility and has provided the requested information, the applicant will forward the completed application for comments and signature to the Dean of his / her college by Wednesday, October 10, 2012. The original application, with the completed signature page, is due to the Senate office (JCK 880) by Monday, October 15, 2012, at 5:00 pm.
Additionally, by the same deadline, applicants must submit an electronic version of the following materials to FacultySenate@txstate.edu.
1. Development leave proposal narrative [described in instruction (2) on the application form, PPS 8.02 Attachment A]
2. An up-to-date Texas State curriculum vita
3. A brief abstract (approximately 100 words) stating the specific goals of the leave period
4. If applicable, a copy of the written report submitted to the Provost on the applicant’s most recent leave (or a one-page summary), and an optional one-page update addendum
Applicants should submit these documents as separate PDF or MS Word files and should not submit additional documents. Applications that are late or that exceed the two-page proposal narrative limit will not be accepted.
Evaluation Process:
The Chair of the Senate will receive applications and post them electronically within three working days following the deadline so that all Senators can review them. Applications that are received late will not be accepted, unless it is clear, in the judgment of the Senate Chair that the delay was occasioned by an administrative office.
The Senate, in a closed meeting, shall briefly discuss the merits of each application. Applicants are encouraged to meet with their respective Senator(s) during the review period (typically between October 20 and November 1) to assure that their Senator fully understands the proposed project, and to provide any needed clarification.
Each Senator will then evaluate all applications using the following rubric.
| A. Applicant’s proposal clearly describes in language appropriate for a generalist audience activities that will enhance teaching, scholarly/creative activities, or service. These activities should be beyond the scope of what can be achieved while carrying out the regular duties of a non-leave semester. | 0-8 points |
| B. Applicant has described anticipated outcomes that will benefit the University, such as scholarly publication, presentation of creative work, enhanced teaching skills, or exceptional service accomplishments. | 0-5 points |
| C. Applicant has secured necessary financial, scholarly, technical, and other resources or agreements needed within the leave period to carry out the project, including communication with any entities central to the proposal. * | 0-2 points |
| D. Applicant has provided a curriculum vita that indicates the capability to carry out the proposed project. | 0-4 points |
| E. Applicant has attached the report to the Provost from the most recent development leave (or if not available, a one-page summary), which documents productive use of resources during the prior leave. * | 0-1 points |
*Projects that do not require external agreements, or applications that are from faculty without prior leaves, will be assigned full points in these categories so that point totals are not skewed.
The average of all Senators' ratings on each applicant will determine whether the application merits the Senate’s recommendation for approval. All applications will be forwarded to the Provost in ranked order and those with a composite score of 10 points or more will be recommended.
The Senate Chair will inform each candidate of the Senate’s decision regarding his/her application no later than November 2, 2012. In the event that a proposal is not recommended, the letter will include representative comments from Senators to assist the applicant in understanding the reasons for the decision. Except as provided above, the Senate's discussion and rankings are confidential and will not be released to other parties.
Supplemental Funding:
Pending the availability of funds, five Supplemental Grant Awards of $20,000 each are available to faculty who receive Development Leaves. These grants are provided to assist faculty in their research efforts, and can be used to:
· Fund travel and lodging costs associated with research expenses during the Faculty Development Leave
· Purchase equipment or materials needed for research during the leave
· Supplement salary for those who select both the fall and spring semesters for their Leave
In the latter case, the Supplemental Grant Award may be combined with other funds from the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs to provide up to 100% of salary for an academic-year leave.
Faculty requesting the supplemental grant award must complete PPS 8.02, Attachment B and include it in their Leave application.
A committee appointed by the Provost, and including representation from the Faculty Senate, will review all requests for these awards from faculty who have been approved by the President for Faculty Development Leaves. This committee will recommend five award recipients to the Provost, who will make the final decisions. Award notifications will be made by the Provost by January 16, 2013.
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