Faculty Leave of Absence Request

Leaves of absence provide faculty with an opportunity for reflection, research, and professional development essential in a scholarly community. Tenured, tenure-track, and full-time, ranked non-tenure track research faculty members with established scholarly, artistic or research records are eligible to apply for a research leave, which may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. Tenured, tenure-track and full-time, ranked non-tenure track faculty members are also eligible to apply for a development leave to pursue personal, professional, instructional, or administrative development. Development leaves may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. Tenured faculty members are eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave after six or more years of service, and can reapply for subsequent sabbatical leaves six years after the prior sabbatical leave. Sabbatical leaves may be taken for a period of time up to a full year. A faculty member on a sabbatical leave will receive up to one-half their regular annual salary.

The UMKC Faculty Leave of Absence Request process is now posted on the Provost Website on the Policies and Procedures page. It is important to emphasize that:

• Leave of absence requests must be submitted to the Provost for approval at least 90 days before the leave of absence.
• The Provost Office suggests a minimum period of seven years between professional leaves.
• The unit’s Human Resources Facilitator (HRF) must review all Leave of Absence Request Forms prior to submission to the Provost.
• Medical leaves are subject to Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guidelines and approval; contact UMKC Human Resources (816-235-1621) for guidance through the FMLA process.

Simply click on “Leave of Absence – Faculty” on the Policies and Procedures page to find everything you need to know about the application, approval and processing of faculty leave requests. The site also includes links to the official Faculty Leave Policy (CRR 340.070) and Leave Request Form, as well as brief definitions of the different types of leave available to faculty and other handy tips.

For additional information regarding Faculty Leave of Absences, contact Beci Edmundson (edmundsonr@umkc.edu).