Professional Leave for eligible faculty members is a valuable tool to initiate incentives that build a vibrant research culture at our institution. It is important to support eligible faculty members in their pursuit of scholarship, research, and professional development. Professional Leave allows eligible faculty members to continue to build their excellence in scholarship and enhance participation in their professional fields. The professional reputations of our faculty as practitioners in their fields both attracts and retains students.  Faculty recipients of career-defining awards enhance the value of a MICA education for our students, increase the scope of our professional networks, and provide valuable contributions to the larger fields of art and design.

Policy
After the successful completion of their initial appointment review by the College, Full-Time or Pro-Rata Faculty may request an unpaid leave for a semester or a year to pursue specific opportunities for research and/or professional development. These opportunities may include residencies, research activities, fellowships, etc. - either paid or unpaid - that require the full-time commitment of the faculty member and will contribute directly to their professional achievement as practitioners, scholars, and/or educators. As part of this request, faculty must submit a research/professional leave plan for the period of the requested leave, including a statement of how the proposed activities will advance them in their research, creative and/or teaching practice and a rationale for needing to accomplish this work outside of the normal sabbatical cycle. The merits of the leave plan will be assessed by the Research Committee who then make their recommendations to the Provost, who makes the final decision.

Faculty who have been approved for a Professional Leave may continue to be eligible for the full health insurance benefit, but do not participate in the College's annuity program or accrue credit toward sabbatical during the period of their leave. Given that they have demonstrated in their leave application that the proposed activity advances their professional achievement, they will advance on the salary scale and receive a step increase for the period of their leave.  
Source:  Faculty Handbook, 3.15.17 Professional Leave

Procedures 
Eligibility
All Full-Time or Pro-Rata Faculty who have successfully completed their initial appointment review by the College are eligible.

Timing 
The Office of Research (OOR) accepts professional leave proposals on a rolling basis, year-round.   Eligible faculty should submit a Professional Leave Plan Proposal as soon as they are notified the opportunity is awarded.  The overall process from submission to final notification for a well-written proposal normally takes about 15 business days. However, the specific results of an initial review of the proposal informs the overall timeline.

Additional Considerations:
-It is of the utmost importance that Professional Leave Plan Proposals are communicated to OOR as soon as possible in order to allow the department/division the time needed to make accommodations resulting from an approved request. 

-Normally, Professional Leave would not immediately follow a faculty sabbatical. However, requests for Professional Leave immediately following a faculty sabbatical will be considered–but will require a strong rationale.  Faculty members are required to fulfill their contractual obligations upon completion of the Professional Leave.

Process
Once a proposal is submitted, OOR will conduct an initial review.  Within 2 business days, faculty will be informed if there are any deficiencies to remedy or if the Research Committee will be engaged to provide feedback to improve the overall application.  It could take up to approximately ten business days for a proposal to move forward to the Office of the Provost with a recommendation. The Office of the Provost makes a final determination in approximately 5 business days.  OOR will send a final notification to the faculty member with carbon copies to the following: 

-Vice Provost
-Program Heads (Chair/Director and/or Associate Dean)
-Facultycontracts@mica.edu
-Director, PB&C Partner Services (PBC Academic Affairs Liasion)

Forms & Resources
Professional Leave Plan Proposal Form
Professional Leave Plan Proposal Guide
Professional Leave Opportunities Resource List

Please Note:  In the case of a discrepancy, the content in the Faculty Handbook supersedes what is provided on this webpage.