Lenoir-Rhyne’s faculty workload policy outlines a standard 80% teaching load, with the remaining 20% comprising professional development, scholarship, and service.
Faculty members may apply for a one-semester workload reassignment that replaces one course to pursue a project that enhances the student experience, as outlined under Lenoir-Rhyne’s Teacher-Scholar Model. This project may fall under the designation of professional development, scholarship, service, or a blend of these elements.
If the reassignment is granted, the faculty member agrees to submit a written report describing the results, along with accompanying evidence, to their dean and The Office of Academic Affairs during the subsequent semester. If a faculty member does not satisfy the requirements of the proposal, or fails to submit a report, they will not be eligible to apply for a reassignment for five years. Faculty members should not receive a teaching overload during the semester in which the reassignment is implemented; any exceptions must be approved by the provost.
The number of reassignments awarded each year will depend on available University resources. Available reassignments will be prioritized for faculty members early in their career that require professional development, scholarly reassignment, or time for course preparation.
Applications will be evaluated based upon:
- The quality of the project
- The feasibility of the project
- The project’s potential impact upon student experience, as outlined in the Teacher-Scholar Model
- The project’s relevance to an identified area within the scope of the faculty members’ appointment
Faculty members on full-time appointments may request a personal leave of absence for compelling reasons not covered by other leave policies. Such leave is typically unpaid, without benefits, and granted at the sole discretion of the University, after considering factors such as the reason for the leave, its duration, and the faculty member’s responsibilities and contributions to the University. Requests for personal leave must be submitted in writing to the dean and include a detailed explanation of the reasons for the leave, the proposed duration, and a plan for managing responsibilities during the absence. The dean, in consultation with the provost and human resources, will review the request and make a recommendation. Final discretion to grant or deny personal leave requests rests with the provost and human resources. Faculty members should understand that taking a personal leave of absence may have implications for their career progression, including potential delays in promotion and tenure reviews. A faculty member who fails to return to the University for a full academic year after a leave may be required to repay all costs borne by the University during the period of absence, including employment benefits. After one year of post-leave employment, these liabilities will be deemed cancelled.
The University provides unpaid leave to eligible faculty members in compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For more detailed information about the FMLA, please refer to the University’s FMLA policy.
In addition to unpaid FMLA leave, for faculty members who are eligible to take FMLA leave, the University provides various family care support options in the form of paid leave time, which runs concurrently with any FMLA leave. Faculty members needing to take parental or family and medical leave should begin the process by contacting Human Resources to initiate an FMLA leave request and inform their dean that they are working with HR.
Consistent with the University’s FMLA and Parental Leave policies, please note the following:
Benefits. During approved leaves, faculty members will be entitled to job protection, pay continuation, and (if applicable) continued health insurance benefits coverage.
Notice. Faculty members who take parental or family and medical leave must timely notify the University of their need for leave and the duration of leave, if known. Faculty members must provide 30 days’ advance notice of the need to take parental or family and medical leave when the need is foreseeable. When 30 days’ notice is not possible, or the approximate timing of the need for the leave is not foreseeable, the faculty member must provide the University with notice of the need for leave as soon as practicable under the facts and circumstances of the particular case. Faculty members who fail to give 30 days’ notice for foreseeable leave without a reasonable excuse for the delay, or who otherwise fail to satisfy FMLA notice obligations, may have their leave delayed or denied.
Treatment Schedules. When planning medical treatment, faculty members must consult with the University and make a reasonable effort to schedule treatment so as not to unduly disrupt the University’s operations, subject to the approval of the faculty member’s health care provider. Faculty members must consult with the University prior to the scheduling of treatment to work out a treatment schedule that best suits the needs of both the University and the faculty members, subject to the approval of the faculty member’s health care provider. If a faculty member who provides notice of the need to take leave on an intermittent basis for planned medical treatment neglects to fulfill this obligation, the University may require the faculty member to make such arrangements, subject to the approval of the faculty member’s health care provider.
Intermittent or Reduce Work Schedule Leave. When a faculty member takes intermittent or reduced work schedule leave for foreseeable planned medical treatment for themselves or a family member, including during a period of recovery from a serious health condition or to care for a covered military service member, the University may temporarily transfer the faculty member, during the period of the intermittent or reduced work schedule leave, to alternative positions with equivalent pay and benefits for which the faculty member is qualified and which better accommodate recurring periods of leave. When a faculty member seeks intermittent leave or a reduced work schedule leave for reasons unrelated to the planned medical treatment, upon request, the faculty member must advise the University of the reason why such leave is medically necessary. In such instances, the University and the faculty member shall attempt to work out a leave schedule that meets the faculty member’s needs without unduly disrupting the University’s operations, subject to the approval of the faculty member’s health care provider.
Parental Leave Policy and Additional Faculty Benefit
The University has a Parental Leave Policy that provides up to six (6) weeks of paid parental leave and extends to the faculty. Due to the unique nature of faculty workloads and the fact that they do not accrue sick or vacation leave, faculty members are granted up to an additional six (6) weeks of paid parental leave, totaling up to twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave. Paid parental leave must be taken in one continuous block.
Eligibility for Paid Parental Leave:
- Full-time faculty members are eligible after completing one year of employment.
- A qualifying birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child, as determined in accordance with the FMLA, is required.
Faculty Medical Leave Benefit (non-parental)
The University provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave for non-parental family and medical reasons to eligible full-time faculty members. This policy exceeds the FMLA requirement of up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Non-parental family and medical leave may be taken in one continuous block, several separate blocks, or intermittently, as determined in accordance with the FMLA process.
Eligibility for Paid Family Medical Leave:
- Full-time faculty members are eligible after completing one year of employment.
- A qualifying non-parental medical condition, as determined in accordance with the FMLA, is required.
Procedure:
- Faculty members must initiate the FMLA process to request parental or family and medical leave. Ordinarily, any absence of three or more days should be assessed for potential FMLA coverage.
- The FMLA process will determine the duration and structure of the leave.
Returning from Parental or Family Medical Leave:
Faculty members returning to work from FMLA leaves due to their own serious health conditions must provide the University with a medical certification confirming (a) they are able to return to work and (b) their ability to perform the essential functions of their role, with or without reasonable accommodations. Such certifications need not indicate that faculty members are completely healed, nor that they are capable of full-duty work without restrictions. The University may delay and/or deny job restoration until the faculty member provides a return-to-work certification. Faculty members may also refer to the University’s policies covering disability accommodations and/or accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions.
Partial Academic Term Leave:
When a faculty member’s parental or family and medical leave causes them to be absent for only part of an academic term (semester or otherwise), the University ordinarily will reassign all the faculty member’s teaching duties for the entire academic term. For the portion of the academic term when the faculty member will not be absent, whether before or after the leave of absence, or both, the University will provide the faculty member with alternative workload duties.
Alternative workload duties will be determined by the appropriate dean in consultation with the faculty member. If a faculty member wishes to avoid the alternative workload duties, the faculty member may upon request instead take unpaid leave for the remainder of the academic term.
Examples of Alternative Workload Duties:
- Alternative Assignments: Substituting teaching with activities like curriculum development, course design, or assessment projects.
- Service Projects: Engaging in an independent service project that benefits the department or University.
- Other Duties: Other duties to support the program, college, or University.
ADA and/or PWFA Accommodations: The University also complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) by considering and/or granting accommodations not listed above, for disabilities or for medical conditions related to pregnancy and/or childbirth. Faculty members who may need to request accommodations should refer to the University’s policies covering disability accommodations and/or accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions.
Other Leave Considerations:
During annual evaluation, continuation, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review processes, the faculty member’s overall contributions and performance will be assessed in the context of any medical leave taken. This is described in Section 4: Faculty Workload and Evaluation .
The University encourages faculty members to pursue ongoing professional and scholarly growth. The Professional Development Leave (Sabbatical) Program provides opportunities for faculty members to enhance their skills, knowledge, and expertise.
Benefits of the Program:
This program supports faculty members in:
- Completing or enhancing their educational credentials.
- Meeting new teaching needs within academic programs.
- Renewing and strengthening their intellectual and academic expertise.
- Pursuing research or writing projects that benefit their discipline, teaching, and the University.
Leave Options:
- One academic year at half pay.
- One semester at full pay.
Eligibility:
- Faculty members must have completed at least six years of full-time teaching at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
- Subsequent applications may be submitted every five years.
Conditions:
- Return to Service: Recipients must teach at the University for at least one year following the leave.
- Repayment Obligation: If the return-to-service obligation is not met, recipients may be required to repay all salary and benefits received during the leave.
- Project Completion: Recipients are expected to make a good faith effort to complete the projects outlined in their application. Failure to do so may result in recipients being required to repay all salary and benefits received during the leave.
- Changes to Leave Plans: Any significant changes to the approved leave plan must be discussed with and approved by the dean and The Office of Academic Affairs.
Post-Leave Requirements:
- Written Report: Upon return, submit a written report of the leave experience to the dean and The Office of Academic Affairs.
- Presentation: Share the key outcomes of the leave experience with the University community through a presentation in a setting approved by The Office of Academic Affairs (e.g., convocation, faculty workshop).
To be approved for externally funded leave, faculty members must:
- Follow internal grant processes: Faculty members must adhere to internal grant application procedures and deadlines, which includes working with The Office of Academic Affairs to ensure proper budgeting and compliance with University and sponsor regulations well in advance of submitting external leave applications. This ensures that all costs associated with the leave, including salary, benefits, and research expenses, are accurately accounted for, and aligned with University policies.
- Work with dean and provost on workload coverage: The dean and provost will take reasonable steps to cover the faculty member’s workload duties. However, if this is not feasible, the faculty member may not be approved to take leave.
- Secure external funding: Obtain a grant or fellowship from a reputable funding agency that covers the approved budget for the leave.
Lenoir-Rhyne’s Office of Academic Affairs offers two funding opportunities in alignment with the University’s Teacher-Scholar Model, which supports the University mission to develop the whole student through exceptional learning experiences in and out of the classroom. All full-time faculty members are eligible for these opportunities.
- Allotment for Professional Development (APD) of $500 are available each academic year with approval of the dean.
- Faculty Development Funds (FDF) are available for application in varying amounts subject to review and approval based on available funds.
Applicants must clearly demonstrate how their proposed opportunity supports the goals of the Teacher-Scholar Model and is closely aligned with their academic discipline. Potential uses for funding include but are not limited to:
- Travel / registration to present work at conferences or workshops relevant to teaching, scholarship, or service.
- Travel / registration to participate actively in conferences or workshops relevant to teaching, scholarship, or service.
- Tuition / fees for relevant training, certifications, or degrees, including professional CEUs.
- Funding for on-site conferences, workshops, or retreats that would demonstrably benefit a wide range of faculty members within the University.
- Travel to research collections, museums, and other institutions.
- Fees / tickets for attending performances, conferences, and site-specific opportunities.
- Fees for use of copyrighted materials in publications or for access to restricted collections.
- Professional membership in an organization.
- Supplies / equipment for research, scholarship, or creative endeavors.
- Support of study abroad, language training, or other projects that internationalize the program or individual courses.
- Costs related to integrating broader cultural or intellectual perspectives into curricula.
- Development of technological tools and teaching materials for classroom use.
- Support for cross-disciplinary collaborations.
To ensure fiscal responsibility for the use of all University funds, all faculty members using University funds from their personal allotments must complete the authorization form before committing any University funds.
The University offers a tuition remission program as described in the employee benefits package through human resources.
Faculty members are responsible for adhering to all University policies related to grants and external funding. This includes obtaining permission from The Office of Academic Affairs well in advance of the submission deadline for any external proposals. Failure to comply with these policies may jeopardize the University’s eligibility to receive grant funding and could result in denial of the ability for the faculty member to apply for future grants.
This Concludes the Faculty Handbook
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