Scholarly Reassignment

Scholarly reassignment provides tenured members of the faculty the opportunity to engage in scholarly activities appropriate to their field of professional obligation to the University. In order to maximize the productivity of the faculty member during the period of reassignment, the faculty member must be released from all University obligations for the duration of the reassignment. It is assumed that applicants for scholarly reassignment have maintained an active record of scholarly productivity appropriate to their field of expertise in the years leading up to the application for reassignment. The proposed activity should reflect the continuation and augmentation of this record of productivity.

Scholarly reassignment can last for one major semester at full pay, or for two major semesters at half pay (one year for twelve-month employees). Faculty with grant or Fulbright Scholarship applications pending may wish to file a request for a full-year Scholarly Reassignment that would be contingent upon receiving the external funding. They may also choose to apply for the one major semester reassignment if the external monies are not awarded. This can be done on one application form. There will be no priority assigned to either of these options as a matter of course.

Deadlines

The schedule of deadlines for the Chair/Supervisor, the Deans, and the Faculty Development Committee reports will be published by the Faculty Development Committee in the semester prior to the deadline for filing applications.

Eligibility for Application

At the time of application, the applicant must hold tenure at the University.
The applicant must have at least four consecutive years of service to the University.
Three years must have passed since the return from previous scholarly reassignment.
Upon returning from scholarly reassignment, the applicant must be able to perform one full year of service at an equal or higher level to the University.
Consult the Faculty Manual for the regulations concerning scholarly reassignment.
Contact the Office of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity if you have questions pertaining to benefits and payment before determining whether you would apply for the full-year or half-year reassignment options.
Consult with your Chair or Supervisor concerning the procedural viability of your scholarly reassignment application (areas of concern include the availability of the Chair/Supervisor at the time of the deadline, and the ability of the Department to reassign your professional obligations at the time of your scholarly reassignment).

Instructions to Applicant

Complete the online application by the proper deadline cited above (see the application link on this page).

The major components of the application are:

Abstract of the proposal (for non-specialist readers)
Curriculum Vitae
Description of your reassignment activities (no more than three pages) that includes an explanation of the significance of these activities and how they relate to your scholarly endeavors, a proposed timeline, and any other relevant information. This proposal should address your plans to seek external support for scholarly or creative endeavors either prior to or during the period of reassignment leave.
Chair/Supervisor letter of approval (submitted separately via the online system).

Your application for Scholarly Reassignment will be evaluated by the Faculty Development Committee on the following criteria:

A record of scholarly activities for a tenured professor in your academic discipline.
A clear work plan for the period of your Scholarly Reassignment.
Clear and concise outcomes based on your academic discipline.
Demonstrated need to be away from teaching, advising, and service activities expected by a tenured professor in your academic discipline.
Evidence that the project is above and beyond the normal expectations of a tenured professor in your academic discipline.
Merit of the proposal in terms of its importance and benefits to the University, College, Department, applicant, and/or relevant academic discipline.
Inclusion of a plan to seek external support for any scholarly or creative endeavors before or during the period of reassignment leave, or indication of any current external support or recent efforts to seek external support.

In the event that scholarly reassignment is granted,

Sign the acceptance form, copy it for your files, and return the original to the Office of Academic Affairs.
Within three months of returning to your normal duties, file a full report of the outcomes of your activity during the reassignment period to your Chair/Supervisor, Dean, and Provost.
Be prepared to make a formal presentation of the outcomes of your scholarly activity during the reassignment on campus following your reassignment.

Instructions to Chair/Supervisor

Upon receipt of a scholarly reassignment application in the online system, draft a statement that:

Assesses the merit of the proposal in terms of its importance and benefits to the University, College, Department, and applicant in the appropriate academic discipline
Addresses the proposal's relevance to the continued professional development of the individual faculty member
Demonstrates that the regular duties of the applicant can be reassigned to other persons qualified to perform such duties.
Each application should be ranked as highly recommended, recommended, or not recommended.

The Chair/Supervisor statement must be submitted via the online system according to the schedule published by the Faculty Development Committee (typically seven (7) to ten (10) days after the deadline for submission). The appropriate Dean/University Librarian will then provide a statement, via the online system, that should address any economic practicalities, constraints, or other special circumstances that may affect the recommendation. Completed applications are then sent to the Faculty Development Committee for review and recommendation to the Provost.