C280
Policy

LEAVE WITHOUT PAY

(Approved by Faculty on 3/12/74, 4/8/75 and 5/10/78; approved by Regents on 3/14/74, 2/1/75, 5/18/75 and 8/29/78)

Any full-time member of the faculty on regular (i.e., not temporary) appointment as lecturer or above is eligible for leave of absence without pay (see following sections for leaves abroad and military leaves) after two years of service at the University of New Mexico, subject to the following stipulations:

1. Leaves without pay will be granted only when in the opinion of appropriate officials at the University such a leave will be of distinct benefit to this institution as well as to the individual concerned.

2. A leave without pay or any combination of a sabbatical leave and a leave without pay will not generally exceed one year in duration, although when the best interests of the University would be so served and with the concurrence of the department chairperson, the dean, the Director of the Medical Center when faculty members in the Medical School are involved, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the President may approve a two-year absence. However, except in extremely rare cases, as recommended by the President, a faculty member shall not be absent from the University for more than two of any five consecutive years, and it is not contemplated that even such a proportion of absence shall be the norm.

3. Leaves without pay will not normally be granted to persons wishing to accept a "regular" teaching or administrative position at another institution or agency, with the apparent option of continuing on a permanent basis at that institution or of returning to the University on a continuing basis. Such an arrangement usually puts the institution at a considerable disadvantage, since it would be required to keep the position here open on a temporary basis until the person on leave returns or decides not to return to the University.

4. Before the leave without pay is approved, the department chairperson and/or the dean concerned must have agreed that the assignments usually carried out by the person requesting the leave may and will be carried out satisfactorily by others—normally including one or more temporary employees from the outside— without any extra cost to the University.

5. It is to be understood that if a faculty member has not attained tenure, a leave of absence without pay will normally extend the probationary period.

6. Leave of absence without pay is not counted toward retirement or toward years of service when figuring seniority for promotion. While a faculty member is on leave without pay, the University will not continue to pay its share toward retirement or Social Security benefits. If desired, however, the faculty member may make his/her contribution toward group insurance and thereby keep the policy in force.

7. Requests for leaves of absence without pay or any combination of a leave without pay and a sabbatical leave, as described in item 2, should be submitted through the applicant's department chair person to the dean as early as possible, but no later than four months in advance of the date the proposed leave will begin. The dean forwards the request with his/her recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs who in turn submits all pertinent material to the President with his/her recommendations. The President makes the final decision.