Absence Notification and Documentation
Faculty members are responsible for notifying their department/division chair or school director in writing before any planned absence from a scheduled class, office hour, or other scheduled work-related activity, with as much advance notice as possible. Depending on the nature of the leave, the faculty member shall seek approval from the dean and provide written documentation as appropriate. This requirement applies even when coverage for class instruction has been arranged.
Faculty are also expected to notify their department/division chair or school director immediately in the case of sickness or other emergency situation that prevents the faculty member's attendance for classes, meetings, etc.
In the case of any faculty absence of one day or greater, whether planned or for sickness or any other emergency purposes, the department administrator or designee shall submit appropriate documentation for payroll reporting purposes. The faculty member should submit sick leave usage and/or personal holiday usage as appropriate through Absence Management Self-Service, but if faculty are unable to complete this requirement for whatever reason, the department head/chair is responsible for and authorized to submit the leave usage on their behalf. The college dean/equivalent or their designee will serve as the final authority to approve all faculty absences and leave usage within their college/unit.
Paid Leaves
Full-time employees earn 8 hours of sick leave credits per month following completion of one month of continuous service and for each additional qualifying pay period thereafter. They are charged 8 hours of sick leave for each consecutive academic workday missed from the onset of the illness/injury until the day they resume their duties (or notify their dean or department chair of their availability to resume work). When the semester is in session and there is not an academic holiday, all weekdays (Monday through Friday) are scheduled workdays including days for which a faculty member is not scheduled to teach. Part-time employees accrue credit for sick leave on a pro-rata basis and are charged pro-rata sick leave for each academic workday missed from the onset of the illness/injury until the day they resume their duties (or notify their dean or department chair of their availability to resume work). Article 24.10 specifies the absences for which sick leave may be used.
Per Article 24.7, appropriate medical verification of the need for sick leave is required for any absence more than three consecutive days, and such verification should be provided by the faculty member to the department chair and/or dean. In emergency situations and with appropriate approvals, up to 40 hours of accrued sick leave credit may be used for family care during any one calendar year (see Article 24.13 of the CFA/CSU Collective Bargaining Agreement for additional information.) There is no limit to the number of sick leave credits that can be accumulated.
Faculty classified as “academic year” employees, are entitled to all days designated in the campus academic calendar as academic holidays or any other day designated by the Governor as a public fast or holiday. Academic holidays are not compensatory. The academic calendars are located on the Office of the Vice Provost for Planning & Budget Academic Calendars web page. The 12-month employee work schedule is located on the Human Resources Payroll website.
All academic employees are entitled to a one-day Personal Holiday each calendar year. If the Personal Holiday is not taken before the end of the calendar year, it is forfeited. Scheduling of the Personal Holiday must be agreed on by the employee and dean.
Full-time faculty employees with a 10- or 12-month work year earn vacation at the rate of two days per qualifying month of service (part-time employees accrue vacation on a prorated basis). Faculty employed on an academic year basis do not earn vacation credit. The vast majority of faculty are on academic year appointments. Vacation credit is cumulative to a maximum of 320 working hours (48 days) for ten (10) or fewer years of service or 440 working hours (55 days) for more than ten (10) years of such service. Accumulated vacation hours exceeding these maximum amounts as of January 1 of each year shall be forfeited. After one full year of employment, employees should take at least 40 hours of vacation each calendar year. Any part of the 40 hours not taken during the calendar year is forfeited on January 1 of the following year. Under certain conditions, the president may permit an academic employee to carry over more than the allowable credits.
Accrued vacation may be taken after completing one qualifying pay period. Except in an emergency and with prior written approval of their dean, employees are not to take vacation time off during any semester in which they are teaching.
Requests for scheduling vacation must be submitted in writing to the department head/chair at least thirty days in advance. Whenever possible, vacations shall be scheduled by mutual agreement of the faculty member and department head/chair. The scheduling of vacation may also arise from the needs of the institution. Although vacation credits are a right, the time vacations are taken must be convenient to the University and approved by the dean or equivalent administrator.
Unpaid Leaves (Professional and Personal)
Full-time academic employees may be granted a leave without pay by the dean for a specific period of time, normally not exceeding two years. A part-time, temporary academic employee may be granted a leave of absence without pay to maintain their rights and entitlements under provisions 12.3, 12.7, 12.9, 12.10, 12.12, and 12.13 of the collective bargaining agreement.
Requests for leave without pay must specify whether the leave is for professional or personal reasons. Faculty members on leave of absence without pay shall notify the dean no later than April 1 of their intention to return at the beginning of the next academic year and no later than October 1 of their intention to return at the beginning of the Spring semester.
A professional leave without pay may be granted if its purpose benefits the University, such as research, advanced study, or professional development. Such leaves shall be considered totally voluntary, and for the purposes of workers compensation, the time involved will not be considered time worked. A faculty member on approved professional leave without pay will accrue service credit toward probation, sabbatical eligibility, difference in pay eligibility, service salary increase eligibility, and seniority. Service credit toward retirement is not accrued during periods of unpaid leave, but may be repurchased upon return from professional leave. (For more information, please visit CalPERS under the "Active Members" view, then click on "Service Credit Purchase Options" under "Forms and Publications."). Leave applications should be submitted to the college dean via the department head/chair.
Personal leave without pay may be for purposes of unpaid sick leave, outside employment, parental leave, family care or other purposes of a personal nature. Faculty on personal leave without pay do not accrue service credit toward sabbatical eligibility, difference in pay eligibility, salary increase eligibility, or seniority unless otherwise specified in the collective bargaining agreement. Service credit toward retirement is not accrued during periods of unpaid leave. Under certain circumstances, probationary faculty on personal leave without pay may request that their probationary period be extended. Requests should be submitted to the college dean via the department head/chair.
Forms
Full-time academic employees may be granted a leave without pay by the dean for a specific period, normally not exceeding two years. A part-time temporary academic employee may be granted a leave of absence without pay to maintain their rights and entitlements.
All Other Leaves
All other Leave of Absences not mentioned here can be found on the Human Resources Leave of Absences page.