Faculty Leave Policies
Faculty Research and Development
Policy Affecting Travel and Entertainment
Reimbursement for Approved Expenditures
Purchases by Faculty and Staff
Sick Leave
The guidelines for sick leave are contained in Section 19-710 of the State Human Resources Regulations and on the College’s Human Resources website.
Leave of Absence
Any member of the tenured or untenured faculty may apply to the Provost for a leave of absence without pay for a period of up to two years. Such leaves commonly are granted to complete the doctoral dissertation, to enable a professor to return to graduate school, to accept a post-doctorate fellowship, to pursue research or to participate in a faculty exchange or internship program. When granted to an untenured faculty member, a scholarly leave of absence of one year or less will count as part of the probationary period as though it were prior service at another institution, unless the individual and the institution agree in writing to an exception to this provision at the time the leave is granted.
Normally a leave without pay will not be for longer than two years. Any agreement to the contrary will be fully outlined in the leave of absence document given to the faculty member.
A faculty member on leave may petition the Provost for an extension of the faculty member’s leave period. Such a request should be made at least three months before the date of termination of the authorized leave. The Provost will consult with the Dean and Department Chair, and after consideration, rule on the extension. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
Faculty members considering a request for leave without pay should consult with Human Resources regarding benefits. The President of the College has the sole discretion to accept or reject the Provost’s recommendation concerning the faculty member’s request for a leave of absence.
Family and Medical Leave
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 199343, the College will provide up to 12 weeks (26 weeks in certain military caregiver situations) of unpaid, job-protected leave to “eligible” employees for certain family and medical reasons. While family medical leave is defined as unpaid leave, an employee who is eligible may utilize accumulated sick and/or annual leave under the College’s existing sick and annual leave policies. Whether family medical leave is paid or unpaid, it is limited to 12 weeks (26 weeks in certain military caregiver situations) in any calendar year. The employee will be required to provide advance leave notice and medical certification. Employees are eligible if they have worked for the College for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1250 hours in the 12-month period immediately preceding the start of the leave.
Additional details are available in the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 policy on the College of Charleston’s Human Resources web site at https://charleston.edu/hr/hr-policies/index.php and the policy website at https://charleston.edu/policy/policy-list.php.
Annual Leave
The Annual Leave Act for state employees establishes a standard Annual Leave Policy that applies to all state employees except nine, ten, and eleven-month teaching faculty. Twelve-month employees on academic appointments carrying faculty status are entitled to the standard leave earning rate applicable to all State employees.
Leave With Pay
State regulations provide that leave with pay may be granted under certain circumstances.44 See Human Resources web site at https://charleston.edu/hr/index.php for further details.
Sabbatical Leave
Definition
Sabbatical leave is paid time exempt from normal duties granted to faculty members for the accomplishment of professional development programs.Eligibility
Tenured faculty members and Senior Instructors in their sixth successive full academic year of full-time academic service at the College of Charleston since initial appointment or since a previous sabbatical leave may apply for sabbatical leave to commence during the following year. Unless specifically requested and granted by the Provost at the time a leave of absence was taken, years of leave do not count toward the six successive years of full time service required for a sabbatical leave. Unless otherwise indicated in an appointment letter, years in a visiting appointment do not count towards the six years of full-time service.
Purpose
Sabbatical leave is paid time exempt from normal instructional and service duties granted to faculty members to engage in intensive research and creative activities and professional development programs, thus facilitating their growth as a scholar and teacher.
Duration, Pay, and Procedures
The exact procedures and criteria for sabbatical leave, including duration and pay options, are available from the Office of the Provost. Each faculty member accepting a leave must sign a written statement obligating that individual to continue to serve as a member of the College of Charleston roster faculty for at least one (1) full academic year after the academic year during which the sabbatical was taken. (Rev. Aug. 2018)
Faculty Research and Development
Since faculty members are the principal source for stimulating appropriate learning and maintaining a productive climate for learning, a faculty development-instructional improvement program will be conducted.
Research and Development Grants
While a faculty member’s primary role is teaching, research and professional development are essential to the mission of the College and encouraged as a part of the academic enterprise.
Support from College Funds: Funding for research and development is available from the Faculty Research and Development Committee and departmental research budgets.
Relation of Research to Teaching Duties: Any member of the faculty who has received a reduction in teaching load for research will not be permitted to teach courses for additional pay. Any deviations from this policy must have the written recommendation of the Department Chair or Program Director, with adequate justification, and the endorsement approval of the Dean and Provost.
Support from Outside Funds: Federal agencies, private foundations and private business firms operate extensive programs of sponsored research. The costs that will be funded by these agencies will vary according to their own rules or terms. To facilitate such support, the College will serve as the contracting authority. Faculty members interested in such projects are requested to consult with the Chair of their department (or Program Director) and the Office of Research and Grants Administration, which will assist in the preparation of proposals and in locating interested sponsors. No commitment to an outside agency that involves College participation can be made by individuals without the concurrence of the appropriate College officials, the Provost and the President who has final authority. (Rev. May 2005)
Payments for Research: Payments for research shall be made in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and institutional policies and procedures.
Patent and Copyrights
Patents
Faculty members who wish to obtain patents or copyrights on work produced while employed at the College of Charleston should obtain from the Office of the Provost details about applications, ownership, duties and responsibilities.
Trademarks
A trademark that relates to the College of Charleston, a College activity or product is the exclusive property right of the College.
Only the President or Provost may take steps to secure a trademark by usage or registration with respect to an invention or work resulting from College activities.
Policy Affecting Travel and Entertainment by Faculty and Academic Staff
The College encourages attendance at off-campus professional activities by assisting in a limited way with travel expenses. It is expected that the budgets of all departments will be adequate to provide some financial assistance for professional travel. At the same time, the professor or staff person must expect to share in this expense. It is not to be expected that many members of the department will receive full remuneration for professional travel when meetings are at a great distance from the campus.
Policies and rules concerning travel and entertainment are established by the South Carolina Legislature or the appropriate state administrative entity, and College of Charleston travel policies and procedures are posted on the appropriate College websites. All travel must be approved in advance (at least three days is required). A completed travel request form must be submitted by faculty members and other academic department or program employees to the appropriate Academic Dean or Dean of Libraries. Unclassified administrators must submit the form to the appropriate Vice President or other supervisor. Note: The Provost must approve all travel authorization forms for student international travel, with limited exceptions, all travel authorizations in the Academic Affairs Division in excess of $5000 and certain other travel authorizations, as directed by the President. (Rev. July 2016; Aug 2018)
Actual expenses up to a certain fixed limit per day, with adjustments for out-ofstate travel, and mileage reimbursements are set by State regulation. Travel mileage reimbursement may not exceed tourist airfare.
Generally, College cars are restricted to in-state travel and are not taken on trips extending over a period of several days. When College cars are used, they will be charged to the department’s budget at a fixed rate per mile.
Policy on Reimbursement for Approved Expenditures by Faculty Members and Administrative Officers
Official Functions
College auxiliary funds are available to support official College functions regularly scheduled on or off campus each year as part of the College’s official program. These functions must have the prior approval of the President, Vice President or Dean, depending on the funding source for each function. Such functions include new student and faculty orientation sessions, approved conferences and developmental workshops, scheduled College retreats, receptions held for distinguished guests and for Trustees of the College, and for special advisory groups. All costs incurred should be reasonable and prudent. Alcoholic beverage cost will not be reimbursed from state funds, nor will food and beverage costs incurred in social gatherings honoring retirement, promotion, tenure or the like.
Additionally, state employees acting within their official capacity should have travel expenses paid by their own agency (i.e., the College) and reimbursements provided by outside organizations should be paid to the College and not the individual employee.45
Recruitment Expenses
With permission of the appropriate Department Chair or Program Director, a College faculty member may accompany a prospective recruit for a faculty position or a College guest for meals. Such meals are limited to one College representative. While faculty recruits are not employees of the State and their personal travel costs are not subject to state limitations, they should be advised that all travel should be by the most economical mode. Receipts for transportation (airlines, rail, etc.) and hotel bills should be included in reimbursement requests to the College. No receipts are required for taxi or meals. No reimbursement will be made for alcoholic beverages or personal long distance telephone calls.
Gifts, Flowers, and Parties
No state agency, board, committee or commission will buy a gift, flowers, holiday cards or other similar items, or give a party for any state employee using state, federal or other monies on the state’s fiscal books. Gifts to board, committee or commission members from state funds are also prohibited. (Rev. Aug. 2017)
Purchases by Faculty and Staff
The President, as agency head, is primarily responsible for seeing that all purchases comply with the S.C. Consolidated Procurement Code. To execute this responsibility, the centralized purchasing concept has been adopted by the College. Under the centralized purchasing concept all purchases are made by or controlled through a central procurement office, which is responsible for
compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Faculty and staff cannot make a commitment for the College to accept and pay for supplies, services or equipment without determination by the Procurement Office. Faculty and staff should refer to the manual, The Procurement and Supply Manual, for additional guidelines.
Legal Assistance
Faculty and staff who have a legal problem or question concerning the College should consult with the College’s General Counsel. The Office of Legal Affairs will give advice and assistance and will determine whether outside counsel should be retained. The Attorney General’s Office must approve the hiring of outside counsel; therefore, if faculty or staff incurs legal costs without this prior formal approval, state funds cannot be used to cover these costs.
43 29 USC 2601
44 South Carolina Human Resources Regulations, Section 19-712.01.
45 Op. South Carolina State Ethics Comm., SEC A092-057.