Reagan Faculty Leave Guidelines (updated 1.12.09)

Due date: February 1, to Office of Research, Grants, and Contracts, Room 100, Hall Moody Administration Building.

Tenured faculty members with six (6) or more years of full-time service at UT Martin are encouraged to apply for a one-year Reagan Faculty Leave at one-half salary or a half-year Reagan Faculty Leave at full salary. Typically, the one half-year leave will be awarded for the Spring semester; however, in unique situations, a Fall semester award may be considered. A faculty member who has been awarded a leave must wait a minimum of three (3) years before applying for another leave.

The UT Martin Alma and Hal Reagan Faculty Leave Program is designed to enable participants to become more effective teachers and scholars by engaging in a variety of academic/renewal experiences. To that end, faculty members are encouraged to apply for supplementary external grants or other awards while on leave, as long as the additional resources do not interfere with the stated purpose of the Reagan Faculty Leave Program outlined in the application.

Faculty Development International Travel Grant monies may be used to supplement activities engaged in during the Reagan Leave period, only as the travel relates to specified goals and objectives of the Reagan Leave. However, a faculty member is ineligible for a Faculty Development International Travel Grant for one (1) fiscal year following culmination of the Leave. Faculty are eligible for only one (1) Faculty Development International Travel grant, either individual or group (when funds are available), during an academic year.

Persons awarded faculty leave cannot have any administrative or committee responsibilities during the leave. The signature of the chair or dean, as appropriate, indicates that all teaching and administrative responsibilities will be covered.

Faculty members should remember that creditable service for retirement and longevity purposes will vary depending on the length of the leave and on the level of compensation. Those considering applying for a leave should check the Faculty Handbook (see also section 335 in the Personnel Policy Manual) and check with the Office of Personnel Services for answers to any questions.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The application procedure is as follows:

1. One original and an email attachment of the signed application, cover sheet, and proposal are due by February 1 for the following year. The electronic copy of the proposal should be submitted as a Microsoft Word attachment and other supporting documents may be submitted in PDF format to Dr. Joan K. West at jkwest@utm.edu by the February 1st.
2. The Faculty Research & Development Committee will review the proposals and applications in February and make recommendations to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
3. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will announce the award in March.

UT MARTIN REAGAN FACULTY LEAVE PROGRAM
STATEMENT OF GUIDELINES

Members of the Faculty Research & Development Committee (representing all UT Martin academic units) are responsible for reading and evaluating proposals. The ORGC will prepare proposal packages in a pdf format and distribute copies and evaluation rubrics to committee members via email. Members will complete the evaluations and return them to ORGC (in/by hard copy or email).They will then forward their recommendations to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who will make the final decisions and announce the award recipients. In the event a Committee Member submits a proposal, and/or if a Committee Member's immediate family member (i. e., spouse; parent(s); children, including step-children; siblings; nieces and nephews) submits a proposal, the Committee Member will excuse her/himself from reviewing and discussing any proposals, but will participate in all other aspects of the Committee's work. It is the responsibility of the Committee Member to secure a replacement for her/him to review and discuss all proposals and to provide the name of the replacement to the Committee Chair before the Committee's initial meeting

These awards carry a stipend, to be paid to the recipient's department, to cover the salary of an adjunct replacement for the recipient up to or equal to 12 credit teaching hours (maximum of 4 courses) per academic year. This amount is subject to change according to UT Martin guidelines (VCAA and Office of Finance and Administration) for paying adjunct faculty. In addition, each recipient may receive up to $500 for travel, supplies, and other program expenses. The faculty member should discuss the possibility of applying for a Reagan Leave with his/her department chair to ensure the applicant's department/college will be able to replace the applicant for the period of leave with an adjunct paid at the current adjunct rate.

Recipients of a UT Martin Reagan Faculty Leave Program award will be asked to sign a Reagan Faculty Leave Contract and are required to file a final report. This report will be due in the Office of Research, Grants, and Contracts within 90 days of completion of the leave. The form for filing the final report is on the Office of Research, Grants, and Contracts website.