Faculty Leaves of Absence
The University recognizes that it sometimes becomes necessary for a faculty member to take extended time-off for scholarly, military, family, medical or for personal reasons. Pace University has paid and unpaid leave options available to our full time faculty. If you are interested in taking a leave, you are encouraged to speak with your Chairperson and Dean well in advance of the leave time. Before commencing any leave, faculty should consult the University Benefits regarding the conditions governing a faculty member’s benefits during the leave period. Please contact the University Benefits Office at (914) 923-2828 or via email at, benefits@pace.edu.
For more information on paid leave options, click on the link below:
For more information on unpaid leave options, click on the link below:
Paid Leave Options
Bereavement
A paid leave of absence of four working days, is allowed in the event of a death in you or your spouse’s immediate family; grandparent, parent, sister, brother, spouse, child or grandchild. An employee may request additional time without pay by seeking approval from his/her supervisor.
Jury Duty
Jury service is an important civic obligation. Employees are required to notify their supervisor if they receive a jury duty summons that will conflict with their assigned work schedule. If the scheduled jury duty date(s) falls within a peak period for the department, the immediate supervisor may deem it necessary for the employee to request a postponement.
In general, Pace employees will be paid their regularly scheduled work hours for each day of jury service. Employees covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement should consult the agreement for other applicable terms.
Employees should maintain daily contact with their supervisor while serving on jury duty. If excused before noon, they must work their scheduled hours for the rest of the day.
A receipt confirming the length of jury service should be obtained by the employee. A copy of this notice should be submitted to the supervisor and attached to the employee’s timesheet (where applicable) for record-keeping and payroll purposes.
Maternity
Maternity Disability shall be considered as falling within the category of leave for short-term disability, and is deducted from the total allowance of 26 weeks. A woman shall receive paid leave subject to verification by a physician for a period distributed in accordance with need before and/or after childbirth or miscarriage. This period is usually six weeks for a normal delivery and eight weeks for a cesarean section.
The University provides salary and benefits continuation to our full time employees as indicated below:
| Length of Full Time Service at Time of Disability | Salary and Benefits Continuation |
|---|---|
| Less than 3 Months | No salary or benefits continuation. Eligible for the NYS Disability benefit only. |
| 3-12 Months | First two (2) months – full base salary, Up to four (4) additional months – one-half salary |
| 12 Months and Over | Full base salary and benefits up to 26 weeks within a 52-week period |
Military
Pace University supports the rights and obligations of its employees to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. The Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994, provides for job and benefits protection for an individual who has left his or her job to enter service in the uniformed services of the United States. It also prohibits discrimination in the hiring, promotion, reemployment termination and benefits of an individual on the basis of their membership in the uniformed services.
Eligibility
Full time and part time faculty and staff are eligible for military leave up to a maximum of 5 years.
Notice
To qualify for the benefits and rights governed under USERRA, employees should notify their supervisors and their campus Human Resources Services department, in writing, at least 4 weeks in advance of the leave, unless notice is precluded by military necessity or it is impossible or unreasonable to give such notice. Notice should be accompanied by the employee’s military orders for such a leave.
Compensation
A full time staff employee may use vacation days accrued and unused prior to the commencement of military service. Effective January 1, 2003, for any leave taken for military service, an employee with more than one year of continued service at the University will be compensated for the difference between his or her regular University base pay and military pay while on military leave according to the following schedule:
- 1 to 2 years of continued University service: 2 weeks pay differential
- 2 to 4 years of continued University service: Up to 4 weeks of pay differential
- 4 to 7 years of continued University service: Up to 6 weeks of pay differential
- 7 to 10 years of continued University service: Up to 9 weeks of pay differential
- 10 or more years of continued University service: Up to 12 weeks of pay differential
In order to receive a pay differential, the employee must present a certified government accounting of compensation to their campus Human Resources Services department within 14 days of returning to work.
Benefits
Health and Dental (applicable to full time faculty and staff)
Full employee benefits will continue for a military leave that does not exceed thirty days. Employees are not required to pay more than the employee share, if any, for such coverage.
If the military leave time exceeds 30 days, your health and dental benefits will continue one month for every two years of continuous University service. The employee is not required to pay more than the employee share, if any, for such coverage.
Employees may then elect to continue coverage under Pace’s group medical and dental plan, at their own expense, for up to 24 months during a military leave. Employees on leave for more than 30 days will not pay more than 102% of the full premium under the plan if they wish to continue coverage under the group medical and dental plan.
Retirement
Pace University will not make any contributions to your retirement plan while you are on military leave. However, once you return from military duty and are re-employed, your period of military duty will be counted as covered service for eligibility, vesting and benefit accrual purposes. If employee contributions are required, the employee has a period equal to three times the period of military duty or 5 years, whichever ends first, to make up the contributions. Pace University will then make contributions that would have been made if you had been employed during the period of military duty.
On-Campus Tuition
Eligibility for on-campus tuition remission benefits for a spouse/domestic partner and dependent children will continue based upon the following schedule:
- Less than 2 years of continued University service: End of the current semester
- 2 to 5 years of continued University service: One additional academic year
- 5 to 10 years of continued University service: Two additional academic years
- 10 or more years of continued University service: Three additional academic years
Reinstatement
An employee is responsible for seeking reemployment upon returning from military leave by contacting the Office of Human Resources and the employee’s immediate supervisor.
If military leave is less than 31 days, reemployment must be sought within the “first scheduled work day” following the completion of service.
Pace University reserves the right to request that an employee who is absent for a period of military service in excess of 30 days provide documentation showing:
- Employee’s application for re-employment is timely as governed by USERRA
- Employee’s cumulative period of absence from the University for military leave has not exceeded the five year service limitation; and
- Employee’s discharge from service was “honorable” as defined by USERRA.
Upon satisfactory completion of the above conditions, Pace University will reinstate eligible employees according to the reemployment requirements governed by USERRA.
There are certain exceptions to the requirement to re-employ a returning service member which include:
- The University’s circumstances have so changed as to make such reemployment impossible or unreasonable;
- The individual has incurred a disability or aggravated a disability during such service, and after reasonable effort to accommodate the disability, is no longer qualified due to such disability and cannot be re-qualified and rehired without imposing an undue hardship upon the University; or
- The original employment was short term with no reasonable expectation of continued employment.
For further information, contact the University Benefits department at (914) 923- 2828.
Get additional information about the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994.
Approved by President David A. Caputo, May 27, 2003
Sabbatical
Before commencing any leave, faculty should consult Human Resources regarding the conditions governing their benefits during the leave period.
Sabbatical Leaves of Absence. The major purpose of a sabbatical leave is to provide an opportunity for a faculty member's continued professional growth and intellectual achievement through study, research and/or writing. The number of sabbatical leaves granted during a given academic year depends upon the availability of funds, as well as the ability of the College or School and/or department to maintain its teaching schedule.
Sabbatical leaves will be granted only for clearly-defined and well advanced scholarly or creative projects in the areas of research, writing and publication or creative activity. The University's decision to grant a sabbatical leave will be based primarily on evidence that the faculty member's project will contribute to his or her professional standing and, upon return to the University will enrich that individual's teaching and/or research capabilities.
A faculty member who has completed seven or more years of fulltime teaching at Pace who has not had a paid leave of absence during that time, and who currently holds an appointment at the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor is eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave. In addition, the faculty member must agree to return to the University for at least one academic year of fulltime service immediately following completion of the leave.
Faculty members granted sabbatical leaves may not accept a fulltime teaching assignment at other institutions unless such an assignment is considered essential to the scholarly or creative project. Work towards a graduate or professional degree does not qualify as an acceptable project for a sabbatical leave except for postdoctoral or equivalent study.
The salary rate of compensation shall be full base pay for a one-semester leave or half base pay for a one-year leave. If a faculty member on leave receives compensation, salary or a financial grant from an off-campus source, beyond base salary and additional costs, the sabbatical leave compensation or salary from the University may be adjusted in accordance with the amount received from other sources. All fringe benefits to which a faculty member is entitled shall be continued while the faculty member is on a sabbatical leave. The University will continue its contributions to an employee's benefits program on the basis of the salary the employee would have received if the employee were not on sabbatical provided the employee also continues personal contributions at the rates specified for employees. If a faculty member is paying for additional life insurance or family health coverage such benefits may be continued provided the faculty member pays all premiums in advance.
A period of at least seven years shall elapse between the end of one sabbatical leave and the beginning of another.
Applications shall be made to department chairpersons not later than December 1 for sabbatical leave to be taken in the following academic year. Applications shall be reviewed by the Dean of each College or School and authorized by the Provost.
Source: 2013 Faculty Handbook
Scholarly
Scholarly Leaves of Absence. Pace University encourages faculty to pursue academic scholarly activities that enhance the University’s learning environment and academic reputation. Selective external opportunities, special scholar’s programs, honors, and fellowships are well within the reach of our outstanding faculty.
This policy supports our full-time faculty to take advantage of opportunities external to Pace University which will enhance the faculty member’s professional development, inform scholarship and teaching, and enhance the faculty member’s College or School and University’s academic reputation and prestige. Faculty who qualify for external opportunities consistent with the intent of this policy and who meet the criteria set forth below will be considered for approval of a partial paid leave-of-absence with continuation of participation in the University’s fringe benefit programs.
Funding for scholarly leaves is provided through the President’s Award for Scholarly Leave. A faculty member who wishes to be considered for a President’s Award for Scholarly Leave must apply in writing to the chair of the faculty member’s department with simultaneous copies to the Dean of the faculty member’s College or School and the Provost. The application must include an explanation of the purpose of the proposed leave and a statement of why the faculty member’s temporary absence will not adversely affect the instructional program of the Department. A copy of the award notice should also be attached. The application should be submitted by the faculty member sufficiently far in advance to allow the Department to arrange for a qualified replacement to fill the faculty member’s teaching duties during the proposed leave period. Each application will be reviewed initially by the Department chair and the Dean, who will then convey their recommendations to the Provost. The Provost will review the recommendations, add his or her own independent recommendation, and forward all recommendations to the President who will make the decision on a case by case basis without reference to other leave decisions as precedent.
The following list of competitive scholarly awards, although not exhaustive, is illustrative of the opportunities that may normally qualify.
- American Council of Learned Societies Fellowships (including the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship and the Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship)
- J. William Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays Faculty Scholarships for Research and/or Teaching Abroad
- John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships to Assist Research and Artistic Creation
- Woodrow Wilson International Center Fellowships
- National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships
- National Science Foundation Fellowships
- National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences
- National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships
- National Institute of Health Postdoctoral Fellowships
- American Association of University Women International Fellowships
- W. K. Kellogg Foundation Leadership Fellowships
During the scholarly leave the faculty member will receive salary to supplement the award, up to 100% of full-time base salary (administrative stipends are not included). Full benefits are continued, and faculty members should make arrangements with Human Resources to pay premiums for benefit elections not fully covered by their semi-monthly salary.
Faculty who are granted leaves for scholarly purposes pursuant to this policy will normally be expected to return to full-time duties at the University following the completion of the requirements of their scholarly awards during the leave period.
Source: 2013 Faculty Handbook
Faculty Parental Leave Policy
Pace University’s Parental Leave Policy is available to assist and support parents uphold both their professional and parental obligations. This program provides faculty with a period of time off for activities related to the care and well-being of their newborn or adopted child(ren).
University full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members who have been employed for at least 12 months and who become parents (through birth, or by adoption or newly established legal custodial care involving a child younger than 6 years of age) and who, during the period of the requested leave will be the primary caregivers, are eligible for the Faculty Parental Leave.
Parental leave shall consist of a reduction of in-classroom instruction in a semester by two (2) courses without reduction of salary. Faculty members with term-based teaching responsibilities must take this leave during the academic term during which the birth, adoption or newly established legal custodial care occurs, or during the academic term immediately following the birth, adoption or newly established legal custodial care. The faculty member must continue advising and other administrative duties as determined by his or her department chair; however, such responsibilities shall not require the faculty member to be on-campus.
Definitions for Faculty Parental Leave Policy
Primary Caregiver is defined as someone who has primary responsibility for the care of a child immediately following birth. "Primary Caregivers" are also those individuals who have recently become parents through adoption or a newly established legal custodial care arrangement. The faculty member determines who in his or her family the primary caregiver is by signing an affidavit as part of the leave request process. Parent is defined as a natural parent, same-sex partner, or a new adoptive parent or a new legal custodian who is the primary caregiver. An individual who adopts a spouse or partner’s child(ren) is not eligible for this benefit. Academic Term is defined as the Spring or Fall semester.
Source: 2013 Faculty Handbook
Unpaid Leave Options
Family and Medical Leave
For many workers in this country, the Family and Medical Leave Act (which took effect in August 1993) represents a major change. They no longer fear losing their jobs if they take time off for the birth or adoption of a child, for their own serious illness, or for the serious health condition of a family member.
Since Pace University employees have already had the opportunity to use accrued paid leave, or to request unpaid leave, for childbirth, adoption, and family illness, the new federal law does not significantly change our leave policies. It does, however, require the University to maintain accurate records of an employee's use of family/medical leave, which is defined as any leave (paid or unpaid) for a reason covered by the law.
Reliance Matrix is the administrator for both Short-Term Disability leave and for Family and Medical Leave. (If a Short-Term Disability claim is medically certified, it will also count as time taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act.) Please contact Reliance Matrix, at 1 (877) 202-0055, to file a claim.