Leave With Pay Evaluation Committee Composition
and Guidelines for the College of Arts and Sciences
The VSU policies for academic leave and the application for leave with pay can be found at:
<http://www.valdosta.edu/academic/AcademicLeave.shtml>. After a faculty member has completed the
application available at the above web link and it is approved by the department head, the application will
be reviewed by the Leave with Pay Evaluation Committee for the College of Arts and Sciences. The
committee will make recommendations to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. This document
outlines the composition of the Leave with Pay Evaluation Committee as well as the evaluation criteria and
voting procedures to be utilized by the college committee.
Leave With Pay Evaluation Committee Composition
This section describes the composition of the committee, how and when elections take place, length of term,
and the members of the initial committee.
1. The Leave with Pay Evaluation Committee will be composed of five tenured faculty who are not
department heads, chosen according to the following criteria:

One committee member from the humanities (English, Modern and Classical Languages,
Philosophy) who is appointed by the applicable department head and approved by the dean. A
rotation system will be used. The first member will be appointed from English. When the term is
up, the next humanities member will be appointed from Modern and Classical Languages, etc.

One committee member from the natural sciences (Biology; Chemistry; Mathematics and
Computer Science; Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences) who is appointed by the applicable
department head and approved by the dean. The rotation system described above applies.

One committee member from the social sciences (History; Political Science; Sociology,
Anthropology, and Criminal Justice) who is appointed by the applicable department head and
approved by the dean. The rotation system described above applies.

In addition to the three committee members appointed by department heads from the respective
divisions of the college, the dean will appoint two at-large members from among recent LWP
recipients, providing a balance across disciplines when possible.
2. Committee members will serve three-year terms, except for at large members who will be appointed
annually.
3. Committee members will elect a chair to serve a one-year term. After the initial committee, the
chair will be an individual who is in their second or third year of service on the committee.
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4. Committee members will serve three-year terms after a rotation schedule has been established on the
following basis:
An initial committee will be appointed by the applicable department heads to serve the following
terms:
Member
Humanities
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Term
2012-2013
2012-2014
2012-2015
Length (years)
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Subsequent appointments will be made by the applicable department heads:
Member
Humanities
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Fall Semester
2013, 2016, ...
2014, 2017, ...
2015, 2018, ...
Leave With Pay Evaluation Committee Guidelines
1. Committee members will individually read all of the applications for academic leave. Any potential
fellowship or other monetary award discussed in an application will not be considered unless the award
has been received.
2. According to the university guidelines for academic leave, preference is given to full-time tenured
faculty members with six or more years of service.
3. The committee will discuss the submissions, keeping in mind that the policy states that these awards
should be available to faculty “only for the purpose of promoting scholarly works and encouraging
professional development” (VSU Faculty Handbook p. 81). If questions arise, the committee may
request information from the applicant’s department head. The committee should consider the following
criteria:









A clearly defined project that relates to the applicant’s professional development and grounded in the
applicant’s discipline;
An articulated timeline in which work is to be accomplished;
A book contract deadline;
A preference for work in its later stages rather than its beginning stages;
If the academic leave is requested for a project in its early stages, a firm argument as to why time is
needed for the project to get underway;
A preference for worthy projects by applicants nearing personnel actions, particularly tenure and
promotion;
Department head rankings, particularly regarding multiple applicants from the department;
A proven track record of publications/project completion;
Expectation that the academic leave will result in scholarly publication or a grant proposal.
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4. Members will then vote by secret ballot on each proposal, rating it acceptable or unacceptable and
making written comments to support that rating. In the case where voting is not unanimous, the
majority prevails.
5. After another discussion on the proposals, each committee member will rank, by secret ballot, the
acceptable applications numerically (a rank of 1 signifies top rank) and will make written comments to
explain the rankings. The sum of ranks will be tallied, with the smallest sum signifying a group ranking
of 1, etc. After further discussion, this process may be repeated. An example of this is shown in the
tables below. In the case of ties, the criteria outlined in the bullet points on the previous page should be
utilized by the committee.
Example – Individual Ranking of Acceptable Proposals
Applicant
A
B
C
D
Member 1
1
2
3
4
Member 2
1
2
3
4
Member 3
1
2
3
4
Member 4
4
2
3
1
Member 5
4
2
3
1
Sum
11
10
15
14
Example – Final Ranking of Acceptable Proposals
Applicant
B
A
D
C
Sum
10
11
14
15
Final Rank
1
2
3
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6. The chair of the Leave With Pay Evaluation Committee will report the status and ranking of each
proposal to the Dean, who will then inform the candidates.
7. The committee should be prepared to give a written critique of a proposal to the Dean within 60 days of
notification if requested by an applicant.
Approved by the Arts and Sciences Executive Committee on September 11, 2012.
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