Faculty Fellowship Leave Program

Application Timeline

First day of Spring Semester

• Faculty submit written applications according to department/school guidelines.

From Submission Date through February 14

• In departments/schools with review committees, those bodies evaluate applications and forward them all, with their recommendations to the chair or director
• Chairs and directors review applications and forward all of them, along with their own recommendations (in letter form), to the appropriate dean's office
• In colleges with review committees, those bodies evaluate applications and forward them all, with their recommendations to the dean
• In the case of applications from regional campus faculty, the chair will also communicate with the relevant campus dean to verify cost-neutral details and necessary course offering/teaching schedule modifications to include in the recommendation.

On or before February 17

• The deans review applications and forward them, along with their own recommendations (in letter form), to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Development 

On or before March 15

• The Executive Vice President and Provost sends written notification of approval/denial to applicant (Subject to confirmation by the Board of Trustees at their next meeting).

Eligibility

Tenured faculty with faculty status are eligible to apply for University Faculty Fellowship Leaves at the end of each seven-year teaching period at Ohio University.

• Applications occur no earlier than the seventh year, one year prior to the first year of eligibility (the eighth year).
• All academic service to Ohio University counts toward eligibility regardless of the rank, campus, or overseas program.
• Faculty who have taken a Fellowship leave must complete another seven years of teaching at Ohio University before becoming eligible for another Fellowship leave.
• When an approved leave is deferred for one year in order to maintain curricular integrity, eligibility starts after seven years of service from the date of the original approval.

Application

Overview

Successful applications must include a well-considered plan, presented with a reasonable degree of specificity, showing how the Fellowship leave will enhance the professional skills of the faculty member through further education, study, research, or creative work..

Application Requirements for President's and Provost's Review

• Faculty Fellowship Leave Request Form
  • Complete all fields above the administrative approval section.
  • Ensure the Leave Overview is clearly written and concise. Be as specific as possible given the limited space. Use language easily understood by those outside the field. (The provost's office may use the brief description in the resolution to the Board of Trustees.)
  • The applicant and all applicable persons must sign the form.
  • Forms without all applicable signatures are not accepted.
  • Download the Faculty Fellowship Leave Request Form [Excel] Updated August 2024
• Letters of Recommendation
  A letter from each signatory on the recommendation form must accompany the proposal. Applications without letters from all approvers may not be accepted.
• Plan for Coverage
  The department chair or similar position must include a plan for covering the faculty member's teaching load and other responsibilities, without additional cost, during the leave. The plan will include an outline of which courses would regularly have been taught and provide a description of how these can be covered with existing/anticipated faculty. A generic statement (e.g., "courses will be covered by existing faculty") is too general and not acceptable.
• Proposal Summary
  A brief document, clearly written, concise, and easily understood by those outside the field. (No more than 300 words; 12-point font; 1.5 or double line spacing; 0.5-1.0" margins.) Proposal Summary should include:
  • Professional Development - provide a brief statement of how this leave will contribute to the professional effectiveness of the applicant and the best interest of the department or University.
  • Collaboration - if work with other researchers or scholars is planned, list their names and positions
  • Location(s) - general information
  • Project description - a brief description outlining planned activities
  • Semesters requested - must match data on the request form
• Detailed Proposal
  A more comprehensive description of the proposed work. Clearly written, reasonably concise, and easily understandable by those outside the field.  (750-1700 words; 12-point font; 1.5 or double line spacing; 0.5-1.0" margins.) Detailed Proposal should include:
  • Background Information - as appropriate to the proposed work Professional Development. Please include the relationship of the proposed activities to your own professional development and to the betterment of the department, college, and Ohio University
  • Location(s) - where activities will take place - if travel is involved, including visits to libraries, institutes, etc.
  • Objectives - what faculty member hopes to accomplish during the fellowship
  • Activities - activities planned to achieve leave objectives (described in some detail) with general timelines for each. If several differing activities are planned, provide an estimate of how much time will be spent on each. If project involves completing a manuscript or other project, briefly indicate how much work is currently completed and how much remains to be finished

Faculty Fellowship Leave Reports

Per the Ohio University Faculty Handbook and Ohio Revised Code 3345.28 faculty must submit a report on the completed University Fellowship leave in writing, through the same channels as the request for leave (department, college, provost's office), within three months following their return to teaching duties at Ohio University.

The report can play a significant role in the granting of future fellowships.

Leave Report Format

The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and the Office of the President do not have specific requirements regarding the format or length of the report. If the college or department/school has specific requirements for the report, faculty may submit that report to the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. If the college or department/school does not have specific requirements, a brief 2-5 page overview of activities and outcomes of the fellowship leave is sufficient. The faculty member's name along with the academic year and terms of the leave should be noted on the report's first page

Submit reports to the Vice Provost for Faculty Development Katie Hartman electronically (hartmank@ohio.edu).

Chairs / Directors Applying for Fellowship

Department chairs and school directors accrue time toward eligibility in the same way as other faculty.

Faculty Deferrals

Faculty who do not wish to apply for a Fellowship the year they become eligible or who are denied a Fellowship for any reason do not lose eligibility and may apply in following years.

Faculty do not begin to accrue time toward another Fellowship while the Fellowship for which they are already eligible is delayed either voluntarily or through denial of leave, unless the department defers an approved leave for one year for the purposes of curricular integrity.

Departmental Deferrals

Departments may sometimes defer approved leaves for one year in order to maintain curricular integrity. In these cases, eligibility for the next leave is after seven years of service from the date of original approval.

Impact of Other Leaves

Leaves supported by other programs (Baker Awards, research grants, foundation fellowships, etc.) and leaves for the purpose of employment by another school or company are not substitutes for a Fellowship. The period spent on such special leaves of absence will not count as part of the accrual period for a University Faculty Fellowship.

Fellowship Duration

Fellowships are for a maximum of two semesters. Faculty on nine-month contracts may take leave only during the semesters covered by their contracts. This excludes summer or other off terms. Faculty on twelve-month contracts may take leaves any time during the twelve-month period of the contract. Full summer sessions equal one semester.

Pay During Fellowship

Leaves consists of either one semester at full pay or two semesters at two-thirds pay. The pay rate is what the faculty member would normally receive if not on leave.

Holding a Paid Position while on Fellowship Leave

Faculty do not hold paid positions during a Faculty Fellowship Leave unless it is clear that the position assists them professionally. When holding a paid position during a Fellowship leave, the sum of the Fellowship salary and additional funds in the form of grants, stipends, gifts, or pay shall not exceed the salary the faculty member would normally have received for that year if not on leave. (This excludes funds for the leave's special expenses including equipment, books, professional travel, services, higher cost of living elsewhere, etc.) If the sum exceeds that amount, the University may reduce its contribution to the Fellowship salary accordingly.

Benefits

Benefits remain in effect and Ohio University continues to pay its portion of pension and insurance. Whenever benefit changes would occur because of a reduction in the faculty member's salary during the Fellowship, the faculty member has the option of increasing benefits to normal levels.

Requests for Changes to Approved Leaves

Faculty requesting leaves should make every effort to ensure the leave application, including the academic terms of the leave, is accurate and can be fulfilled as written.

However, given that unforeseen opportunities or difficulties can occur, changes to leaves can be requested. Requests for changes to leaves, including academic terms of leave, shall be submitted in writing through the same channels as that of the original leave request.

After approval by the chair/director and dean, the request is submitted to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Development for provost's office review. Upon review, the chair/director and dean will be notified of the decision. When there are changes to the length/academic terms of the leave, provost office staff will inform human resources and payroll.

Please note that in some cases, such as an increase in the length of the leave, additional information may be requested before the provost's office can approve a change.

Additional information regarding Faculty Fellowship Leaves may be found in the Faculty Handbook.