Fall 2013 Advanced Academic Leave Application
For Leaves in Academic Year 2014-2015
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Advanced Academic Research Leave Applications may be submitted for research or professional
development. Applicants must be full-time, tenured faculty members with a record of six years of
consecutive service at Armstrong and no history of leave with pay granted in the previous six years.
Research proposals will be given priority and may include traditional research/creative works or an
applied scholarship project. Professional development leave may include a project to enhance teaching
skills, to practice professional skills outside the academic environment, to "retool" for new teaching
assignments, or to engage in curriculum development. Please note that development of an internet course
is not eligible.
Regardless of the focus, the applicant must provide a clear plan of activities, anticipated outcomes, and
benefits of the project. In all cases, applications must be well documented and proposed projects
thoroughly justified. Keep in mind that the committees used to evaluate Advanced Academic Research
Leave proposals may be composed of faculty members from diverse disciplines. Proposals should,
therefore, be written in terms comprehensible to a non-specialist.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to deliver the completed application to their College Dean no
later than Tuesday, October 1, 2013. The completed application must include a recommendation by the
head of the academic unit. Applications failing to comply with Advanced Academic Research Leave
guidelines/policies will not be considered.
Please remember that this is a competitive process and requires presentation of a strong proposal.
Proposals will be evaluated by the head of the academic unit, the dean of the applicant’s college, and the
Faculty Research and Scholarship Committee. Application materials will be submitted to the provost and
vice president for academic affairs, who will solicit evaluation of the proposal by the Research and
Scholarship Committee. Following that evaluation the provost and vice president for academic affairs, in
consultation with the college deans, will review the applicant’s eligibility, the quality of the research
proposal in light of the scholarly product promised by the proposal, and the completeness of the
application. The provost and vice president for academic affairs must also take into consideration the
effect that the leave will have on the applicant’s academic unit. Depending on budget constraints in any
given year, at times even worthwhile proposals may fail to receive funding. The provost and vice
president for academic affairs will communicate his or her recommendation to the president.
ADVANCED ACADEMIC LEAVE POLICIES
Faculty Handbook Section 107.6.4
Leaves with pay shall be granted only for the purposes of promoting scholarly work and encouraging professional
development. Applicants must be full-time, tenured faculty members with a record of six years of consecutive
service at Armstrong and no history of leave with pay granted in the previous six years. The amount and duration of
the stipend will depend upon funds available.
Tenured faculty members requesting a leave with or without pay must submit an application to their college dean
according to the deadline established by the Office of the Provost prior to the academic year for which the leave is
requested The request, if endorsed by the department head, will be processed through the appropriate administrative
offices, the dean of the college, and the provost and vice president for academic affairs, to the president.
The request for leave with pay is a professional responsibility and shall be used only for activities that will improve
the faculty member's contribution to the university's teaching, research, or public service missions. A clear and
detailed statement of the purpose of the leave and of the objectives to be accomplished during the leave must
accompany the request. This statement must include the time, place, and intent of the leave and an explanation of
how the leave will contribute to the university's mission. The amount of pay requested and an accounting of how it
is to be used must accompany the request.
Documentation Requirements:
1. A proposal submitted to the applicant's college dean according to the deadline established by the Office of
the Provost and using the guidelines described below.
2. A statement by the head of the academic unit explaining how the applicant's teaching and other
professional responsibilities will be covered by the unit during the time period in which leave is sought. If
the head of the academic unit is not able to provide coverage, he or she should document why that is the
case.
3. A recommendation by the head of the academic unit that includes an evaluation of the quality of the
scholarly proposal.
4. A recommendation by the dean of the applicant’s college in which these criteria are addressed:
 the intrinsic value of the applicant’s proposal;
 the value of the proposal to the applicant’s career;
 the significance of the project to the academic department or academic discipline;
 the benefit to the College and/or the University resulting from successful completion of the leave
project.
Application Review Procedure
1. Application materials will be submitted to the provost and vice president for academic affairs, who will
solicit evaluation of the proposal by the Research and Scholarship Committee.
2. Following that evaluation the vice president of academic affairs will review the applicant's eligibility, the
quality of the research proposal in light of the scholarly product promised by the proposal, and the
completeness of the application. The provost and vice president for academic affairs must also take into
consideration the effect that the leave will have on the applicant’s academic unit. The provost and vice
president for academic affairs will communicate his or her recommendation to the president.
Compensation and Obligations
1. Faculty members on a one-semester Advanced Academic Leave will receive full salary and benefits for the
project period. (Faculty members on a two-semester Advanced Academic Leave will receive half-salary
during the leave.)
2. While on Advanced Academic Leave, a faculty member may not accept additional remunerative
employment without written permission from the president or his/her designee.
3. Faculty are encouraged to apply for external grants to supplement their funding. Their leave pay will not
be decreased if they secure such funding, except, however, that faculty cannot receive more than one
hundred percent of their annual equivalent salary while on leave. Funds provided for travel, housing, and
other living expenses are not considered to be “Salary.”
Post Leave Requirements
Within the first month after returning from paid leave, the faculty member must submit, for evaluation by the
university, a report of what was accomplished during the leave and how it contributed to the university's mission.
The documents submitted requesting leave and the subsequent report and evaluation of the leave will become a part
of the faculty member's permanent record.
1.
2.
Within two months following the period of Advanced Academic Leave, the faculty member must present a
report of the project conducted to the head of the academic unit, dean of the college, the provost and vice
president for academic affairs, and the president.
Any faculty member who has completed an Advanced Academic Leave and who has failed to submit a
report is ineligible to apply for a subsequent leave until such report has been filed.
The Board of Regents’ policy states, in part: Leaves of absence of one year or less with or without pay may be
granted by the institution’s president and reported to the Chancellor. Extensions of such leaves, or the initial
granting of leaves of more than one year, require the approval of the Chancellor or his/her designee.
If the employee’s work cannot be handled by other employees and if funds are not available for the employment of a
substitute, the president will be justified in refusing to recommend that the leave be granted or in deferring action
upon the request for a leave.
Any employee who has been granted a leave of absence with pay shall be required, before beginning the leave, to
sign an agreement indicating that:
1. For a leave with pay of less than one year, the employee will return to the institution at the termination of
the leave for a period of at least one (1) year;
2. For a one-year leave with pay, the employee will return to the institution at the termination of the leave for
a period of at least two (2) years; and that,
3. If the employee does not return to the institution for the full amount of time specified in the agreement, the
employee will reimburse the institution for the amount of compensation received while on leave, as well as
any other expenses paid by the USG during the leave, including all benefit costs.
Board of Regents’ Policy Manual, 8.2.7, Leave
http://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/policy/8.2_general_policies_for_all_personnel/#p8.2.7_leave
ADVANCED ACADEMIC LEAVE APPLICATION FORMAT
Please organize the body of your proposal in accordance with the outline that follows, using headings for each
section.
A.
Cover Sheet (form attached) – Signatures of the Department Head and College Dean are required.
B.
Application Form (attached)
C.
Summary/Abstract: A description of the leave activity and anticipated results in non-technical terms not
to exceed 300 words.
D.
Detailed description of the leave.
1. Plans for study and background investigation to be completed prior to the start of the leave.
Include previous work by the applicant that is related to the proposal.
2. Brief literature review of similar works or pedagogical approaches (with appropriate references)
and a description of how this proposal relates to existing work in the field.
3. Detailed account of the primary activity to be undertaken during the leave. The discussion should
be written in a formal style consistent with the applicant's discipline, but should incorporate
necessary definitions, explanations and illustrations so that it can be understood by persons outside
the applicant's own specialty.
4. Criteria for judging the professional merit of the project. (What will be the final product of the
leave? How could an observer determine after the fact whether the project was a success?)
5. Anticipated schedule of leave activities, including the anticipated date when the leave project will
conclude.
6. Plans for travel to other locations. Identify the connection between the destination and the leave
project. List names of individuals with whom you anticipate meeting, and for what purpose,
during your visit to other locations. Describe arrangements made with colleagues/contacts at
locations you plan to visit and provide available documentation.
E. Plans for disseminating the results of the project or applying information acquired during the leave.
F.
Significance of the project to the academic department or academic discipline and plans (if any) for
extending the investigation beyond the immediate project.
G. Benefit to the College and/or University and students resulting from successful completion of the leave
project.
H. Other sources of funding, which have been realized or anticipated for the research project under
consideration.
I.
List and briefly describe summer research fellowships, leaves, and funded research completed during the
past seven years. Clearly describe outcomes of the research such as presentations, publications, creative
works, or pedagogical applications that have resulted from previous Armstrong Atlantic State University
grants, fellowships or leaves.
J.
List all external grants applied for in the past seven years, and indicate if funded or not funded in each case.
K. Current vita of the applicant.
3
Cover Sheet for Advanced Academic Leave Application
Submitted Fall 2013 For Academic Year 2014-2015
Applicant Name:___________________________ Department:________________________________
Projects must comply with all federal regulations and institutional policies. Please check if your project has human
participants, utilizes animals, or deals with biohazards and thus will require review by one of the following
Armstrong Atlantic State University committees:
(Refer to http://www.armstrong.edu/Departments/grants/grants_section_3_compliance for further information.)
Human Participant Protection Ins. Review Board
Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee
A project having any of these issues cannot be implemented until the appropriate committee has reviewed and given
approval to the project.
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE DEPARTMENT HEAD
Please evaluate this application. Department Head comments carry particular weight in evaluating non-research
proposals.
1.
I believe that this proposal is: (circle your response)
Very Strong
2.
Strong
Weak
Very Weak
How do you rate the completion of this proposal as an asset to your department?
____________________________________________
Department Head’s Signature
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE COLLEGE DEAN
1.
I believe that this proposal is: (circle your response)
Very Strong
2.
Strong
Weak
Very Weak
How do you rate the completion of this proposal as an asset to your college?
____________________________________________________
College Dean’s Signature
Advanced Academic Leave Application Form
Submitted Fall 2013 for Academic Year 2014-2015
1.
Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
Department: ________________________________________________________________________
2.
Academic Rank:_____________________________________________________________________
Last Degree Received/Date Awarded: ___________________________________________________
3.
Number of years employed as a full-time faculty member at Armstrong Atlantic State University including
the current year:________ Date of initial appointment: ________________________________
4.
If previous leaves or other leaves with pay have been granted from Armstrong Atlantic State University,
indicate the type of leave (educational, professional, or a leave) and give dates and brief description:
NOTE: Any applicant who has been granted a previous leave must have a final report on file prior to submitting a
subsequent leave application.
5.
Leave requested for (check the box):
______ One-Half Pay during the 2014-2015Academic Year
______ Full Pay during the Fall Semester 2014
______ Full Pay during the Spring Semester 2015
6.
Provide a one-sentence descriptive title of the proposed project.
7.
Will you have a fellowship, grant, or any other source of compensation or employment during the
leave?
____Yes
____No
If yes, please explain:
8.
Attach the proposal and current curriculum vitae.
EVALUATION RUBRIC FOR ADVANCED ACADEMIC LEAVE PROPOSALS
(to be completed by members of the Research and Scholarship Committee)
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
N/A
Specific and comprehensive. Complete, detailed, and clearly articulated information as to how the
criteria are met. Proposal presents well-conceived and thoroughly developed ideas.
General, but sufficient detail. Adequate information as to how the criteria are met, but some areas
are not fully explained and/or questions remain. Some minor inconsistencies and weaknesses.
Sketchy and non-specific. Criteria appear to be minimally met, but limited information is provided
about approach and strategies. Lacks focus and detail.
Does not meet the criteria, fails to provide information, provides inaccurate information, or
provides information that requires substantial clarification as to how the criteria are met; or, simply
restates the criteria.
Not Applicable
Excellent
The proposal conforms to the application
requirements.
The project and its
methodology/methodologies is/are
understandable to faculty outside the faculty
member’s discipline.
The proposal clearly articulates how the
project will improve the faculty member’s
scholarly or creative activity, teaching
effectiveness, or professional practice.
The proposal clearly identifies criteria for
judging the professional merit of the project,
e.g., What will be the final product of the
leave? How could an observer determine
after the fact whether the project was a
success?
The proposal contains clearly identified goals
that will lead to actionable outcomes, e.g.,
dissemination of research, performance or
creative work; curriculum development.
The proposal clearly identifies the
significance of the project to the academic
department and/or academic discipline.
The scope and nature of the project clearly
necessitates the proposed leave time for its
completion
The applicant is clearly qualified to conduct
the project successfully.
Reviewer Comments:
Good
Fair
Poor
N/A