Academic and Unpaid Time Off

Academic Leave

Academic leave (previously Leave Without Pay) is unpaid, full-time leave for 30 days or longer in duration. This leave must be academic in nature (i.e., the faculty member is performing duties consistent with those of their position at the University--teaching, research, or service related).

Unpaid Time Off

Unpaid time off is leave that is 1) less than 30 days in duration (or is intermittent), 2) is for partial days or less than full time, and/or 3) is for personal reasons. Note that individuals taking this leave may not continue to receive their supplement(s) during the period of leave.

Requesting Academic Leave or Unpaid Time Off

The department administrator will work with faculty requesting academic leave or unpaid time off by submitting a Request for Leave of Absence ServiceNow Form.

In the section "Required Approval Routing," add the following:

• The faculty member requesting leave
• The Department Chair
• Dean's Staff: Jacquelin Llado (jl6538). This field is required in CNS.
• Dean or Dean Designate: Shardha Jogee (sj989)

When considering leave requests, Department Chairs should consider impact on course scheduling and availability for students. The leave request must include a justification explaining why the leave is in the best interests of the University and how it will increase the teaching effectiveness or scholarly productivity of the faculty. It should also specify what the faculty member will be doing while on leave. If leave is requested for unpaid time off for significant personal reasons (e.g., parental leave) the reason for the leave should not be stated on the leave request form.

If Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs approves the request, it will be routed forward to the Provost's Office for final approval. Once the leave request is final approved by the Provost's Office, the department will be notified through their MID ServiceNow ticket. APS will then process the leave in Workday. If the leave is denied, the Dean's Office will be in direct contact with the Department Chair.

Requests for Consecutive Leave

Per the HOP 2-2210 and Regents Rule 30201, requests for extensions of a leave without pay for a second academic year must be fully justified, and in no case should a faculty member expect an extension of more than one year. Except in very unusual circumstances a third consecutive leave of absence for one year will not be granted.

Required Materials

• Request for Leave of Absence ServiceNow Form

Deadlines for Submitting Academic Leave Requests

• For the fall semester/long session, the deadline to submit leave is the first Friday in July.
• For the spring semester, the deadline to submit leave is the first Friday in November.

Deadlines for Submitting Unpaid Time Off Requests

• Requests for unpaid time off should be submitted to CNS Faculty Affairs at least one month prior to the effective date of the request.

External Appointments for Tenured Faculty

The opportunity for tenured faculty to concurrently hold their academic appointment while engaging in industry work fosters access to research, expertise, and resources that benefit the University, as well as faculty and students. These collaborations strengthen the University’s connections to industry, enhance opportunities for innovation, and create pathways for faculty and students to engage with real-world applications of their academic work.

An External Appointment allows a tenured faculty member to temporarily hold a tenured University faculty appointment (of between 20% and 80% FTE) paired with an approved External Appointment for the remaining effort, such that the combined responsibilities total 100% in the fall and spring terms of an academic year. See the Provost's Office page on External Appointments for more information.

Eligibility

To request a first-time External Appointment, a current UT faculty member must:

• Hold a tenured faculty position at UT Austin at the time the External Appointment begins,
• Have held a faculty appointment at UT Austin for three consecutive academic years immediately prior to the academic year in which the External Appointment will begin,
• Have met or exceeded expectations in their three most recent annual reviews’ holistic ratings and have demonstrated a strong track record in
  • Teaching and advising students,
  • Research, scholarly and creative activities, with
  • Active participation in service and mentoring in the department, college/school and/or University, and
• Not be within a period of sanctions pursuant to HOP 2-2320.

In exceptional circumstances, a tenured faculty member being recruited to UT Austin may be eligible to request a tenured position with an External Appointment with the following eligibility requirements, the faculty member must

• Be appointed with tenure at UT Austin,
• Hold a 50% or higher University Appointment for their first three full academic years at UT Austin, and
• Teach at least one formula-funded organized course at UT Austin in each of the three academic years of their University Appointment.

For more information, please see the Provost's Office's External Appointments Guidelines.

Request Process
 

1. Discuss with Supervisor. Faculty member must discuss External Appointment details with their supervisor and obtain approval to submit a formal request.
2. OVPR Disclosures. Faculty member must submit the UTRMS-COI Outside Activities Pre-Approval Request before requesting the External Appointment. Faculty who are engaged in research activities managed by UT Austin (OSP, Discovery to Impact, or ORSC) must also complete the Research Portfolio and Outside Activity Information Form. Direct questions about research disclosures to the Office of Research Support and Compliance (ORSC)at coi@austin.utexas.edu.
3. Mentoring Plan. Faculty member must finalize a Mentoring Plan laying out their plan for advising of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars during the External Appointment.

4. Request Submission. Faculty member must submit the External Appointment Request Form in ServiceNow to request dean’s approval. In the section "Required Approval Routing," add the following:

   • The faculty member requesting leave
   • The Department Chair
   • Dean's Staff: Jacquelin Llado (jl6538). This field is required in CNS.
   • Dean or Dean Designate: Shardha Jogee (sj989)

   
   The following attachments must be included with the request:

   • PDF Proof of Submission of the UTRMS-COI Outside Activities Pre-Approval Request
   • PDF Proof of Submission of the Research Portfolio and Outside Activity Information Form (if required)
   • Signed Mentoring Plan
      
5. Draft MOU Approval. If the Dean's Office approves the External Appointment Request in ServiceNow, prepare a draft External Appointments MOU and send it to CNS Faculty Affairs Staff, cnsfacultyaffairs-staff@austin.utexas.edu, for review and approval. The MOU can be signed by the department chair and faculty member once it's been approved.
6. Provost Review. Upload the signed approved External Appointments MOU to the existing ServiceNow ticket request. EVPP leadership will review the request, provide feedback, and determine whether the request is approved. 

Deadlines

All materials supporting an External Appointment request must be submitted for provost’s review as follows for Appointments starting in the:

• Fall Term: Submit by July 15
• Spring Term: Submit by November 23

Renewal and Term Limits

External Appointments may be approved for up to two years at a time. Renewal eligibility is determined by the University Appointment %FTE across fall and spring terms of each academic year with maximum total terms outlined in the Provost's Office page on External Appointments.

To reset eligibility once the maximum total term limit is reached, faculty must either return full-time to UT for two consecutive years, or permanently reduce their tenured UT appointment (with approval), or resign their tenured position, or request reclassification to the professional track.

When Are Leave Requests Unnecessary?

Requesting leave is not necessary under the following circumstances:

• Accrued sick leave or sick leave pool is being taken
• A UT administrative appointment will pay all or part of a faculty member’s salary. For example, appointments as Dean, Associate Dean, Director, etc. do not require requesting leave
• Leave is taken during the summer months
• A faculty member will be paid by another department's faculty salaries account where they hold an appointment
• Jury Duty
• Official travel for research, teaching, administrative, State business, military leave (up to 15 days per year), etc., if all appropriate travel approvals have been secured in a timely manner

Helpful Links

• Request for Leave of Absence ServiceNow Form
• Provost's Office - Leaves and Related Policies
• External Appointment for Tenured Faculty ServiceNow Form
• Provost's Office - External Appointments for Tenured Faculty