SECTION CONTENTS
17.01 Sabbatical
17.01.01 Eligibility
17.01.02 Limitations and Conditions
17.01.03 Procedures
17.02 Faculty Modified Duties
17.02.01 Eligibility For FMD
17.02.02 Modification of Faculty Duties
17.03 Sick Leave
17.03.01 Sick Leave Credits
17.03.02 Sick Leave Donations
17.03.03 Lump-Sum Payment On Termination
17.03.04 Reporting Sick Leave
17.03.05 Other Sick Leave Requirements
17.04 Military Leave
17.05 Public Service Leave
17.06 Jury Duty And Witness Leave
17.07 Paid Leave For Disaster Relief Volunteer Service
17.08 Annual Leave
17.09 Leaves of Absence Without Pay
17.10 Disability
17.11 Maintenance of Rights
17.01 SABBATICAL
A sabbatical assignment is a change of duties, which neither diminishes nor increases the extent of the person's employment with the University. The recipient remains employed by the University during the entire term of the sabbatical to the same extent employed while on regular assignment, regardless of the compensation agreed upon for the term of the sabbatical.
Any faculty member of the bargaining unit who has seven or more years of service at Montana State University without a sabbatical shall be eligible for sabbatical assignment. Service while on sabbatical shall be creditable service for all purposes to the same extent as a person's service while on regular assignment.
Time spent on leave from Montana State University does not earn service time toward eligibility for sabbatical assignment. The seven years of service required for sabbatical assignment eligibility must be completed by the time the leave is started, not necessarily by the time the application is filed.
17.01.02 LIMITATIONS AND CONDITIONS
Sabbaticals are subject to the followings limitations and conditions:
- Sabbaticals are subject to budget limitations.
- Satisfactory programs or projects for sabbatical periods include research, travel, related work in other institutions or private or business organizations, or other activities which the Department Head, Dean, Provost, and President agree will improve the staff member professionally, or which directly or indirectly benefit the campus and the state.
- Sabbatical assignments shall normally be for a period of not less than one semester or more than an academic year for persons on academic year appointments and not less than one-half or more than one fiscal year for persons on fiscal year appointments; however, a person may request a shorter assignment.
- Compensation from campus funds may not exceed 100% of the base salary for a semester sabbatical and 75% of the base salary for employees on an academic or fiscal year appointment. Special compensation arrangements involving funds from other than campus sources must be agreed upon and approved in keeping with the following conditions:
- Compensation paid during a sabbatical assignment may differ from that paid for regular assignment because it may involve funding from sources other than regular campus funds such as fellowships, assistantships, or other sources of limited income including funds available from grants or contracts administered by the campus.
- All compensation must be received through the campus and no person may be additionally compensated for the time on sabbatical assignment by income from other employment during the same period, except in exceptional circumstances as approved in advance by the Provost.
- Funds from other sources may be used to supplement campus funds to increase the compensation up to, but not in excess of, that amount which the individual could have earned during the same period.
- Compensation in excess of that which could have been earned on regular assignment may be approved by the Provost only if all campus funds have been replaced by funds from other sources.
- Programs or projects which necessarily involve employment by an employer other than the campus do not qualify for sabbatical assignment but may be approved as leave without pay.
- A recipient of a sabbatical assignment will be expected to return to campus for a period equal to the length of the sabbatical assignment or to repay money received from the campus while on leave.
- Persons on sabbatical assignment will continue to be eligible for employee benefits.
A reminder regarding sabbatical assignments shall be sent to faculty members from the Provost no later than September 1 of each year. Applications for sabbatical assignment must be submitted to the Provost by October 31 and shall include an endorsement from the Department Head and Dean. The Provost will forward all applications to the Faculty Affairs Committee. The Faculty Affairs Committee will recommend a priority list for sabbatical assignments to the Provost. The Provost will make the final selection of faculty who receive sabbaticals, taking into account the quality of the proposal, the programmatic and financial impact to the department of granting the sabbatical.
Specific criteria for assigning priority rankings for sabbatical applications include Scholarly Merit, Planning and Organization, Scholarly Integration, and Broader Impacts of the project. Additional credit is given to applicants based on years of service at MSU, meritorious performance in teaching, research and creativity, and service, and academic rank. A detailed description of the criteria for review of applications for sabbatical assignment and their relative weights is listed in the "Application for Sabbatical Assignment" available from the Office of the Provost.
The Provost shall notify the faculty member of the final decision no later than March 1.
For sabbatical assignment to be granted, an eligible faculty member must formally request assignment. The application for sabbatical assignment shall include:
- A definitive detailed plan for the scholarly or professional use of the sabbatical;
- Anticipated future values of completion of the program for the applicant, for the students, for the department, and for the campus;
- A complete vita including a record of all professional activities;
- A listing of the specific whole semester(s) or portion of fiscal year for which assignment is requested;
- A description of any fellowship, grant or other arrangement which would aid in financing or otherwise supporting the proposed project;
- The applicant's signed agreement to return to full-time service with Montana State University for a period equal to the length of the sabbatical following expiration of the assignment or to refund the compensation paid by the University during such assignment unless this obligation is specifically waived by the President; and
- The faculty member applying for the sabbatical and their department head should identify the applicant's courses that would need coverage during their sabbatical and a plan to cover these courses.
The Department Head shall develop a clear written understanding with the faculty member who is going on sabbatical assignment concerning what is expected of them while on that assignment (e.g., manuscripts, progress reports). This plan will be approved by the Dean and Provost prior to approving the sabbatical.
17.02 FACULTY MODIFIED DUTIES
To minimize variations in classroom staffing and consistent with the goals of achieving faculty diversity, professional career development and career advancement, the University shall coordinate a Faculty Modified Duties (FMD) policy for eligible faculty. FMD is NOT defined as an employee benefit or leave as defined under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Furthermore, modification of duties under this policy does not preclude availability or use of other defined benefits nor modification of duties mutually arranged by faculty and the Department Head without opting for FMD.
Regarding implementation and ongoing application of FMD: Faculty wishing to exercise this provision must submit an application form to the Dean for determination of eligibility.
All full-time tenure-track/tenured faculty shall be eligible provided that they are:
- the primary care giver due to the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child under six years old. A primary care giver shall be either parent, the legal guardian, a live-in partner or a spouse by marriage.
- the primary care giver of an invalid or disabled primary family member including a spouse, parent, live-in partner or child who requires constant care by the primary care giver.
17.02.02 MODIFICATION OF FACULTY DUTIES
Faculty Modified Duty is based on the current, common practice of faculty duty modification as applied to teaching, scholarly activity or service. That practice and the FMD option are derived from the authority of the department head and dean to fairly assign teaching and other duties consistent with the provisions of the individual employee contract.
The FMD option shall allow eligible faculty up to one semester of modified duties in any academic year whereby elimination or reduction of any duty in exchange for enhancement of another duty constitutes an FMD accommodation. The dean shall arrange the terms of an FMD accommodation in consultation with the department head and faculty member. Consistent with all other provisions of the CBA, no faculty shall experience reprisal for exercising the FMD option.
The faculty modified duties agreed upon in each case is subject to the review and final approval of the Provost.
Where and when possible, FMD will be applied in any department so that the arrangement:
- Allows an option for tenure clock extension if appropriate (Section 9.05.03);
- Allows an option for exemption or deferral from faculty evaluation.
17.03 SICK LEAVE
"Sick leave" means a leave of absence with pay for:
- a sickness suffered by an employee or a member of the employee's immediate family; or
- the time that an employee is unable to perform job duties because of:
- a physical or mental illness, injury, or disability;
- maternity or pregnancy-related disability or treatment, including prenatal care, birth, or medical care for the employee or the employee's child;
- parental leave as provided in Sec. 2-18-606, MCA;
- quarantine resulting from exposure to a contagious disease;
- examination or treatment by a licensed health care provider;
- short-term attendance, in an agency's discretion, to care for a relative or household member not covered by subsection (a) until other care can reasonably be obtained;
- necessary care for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition, as defined in the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; or
- death or funeral attendance of an immediate family member or, at the University's discretion, another person. [Sec. 2-18-601, MCA]
Each faculty member shall earn sick leave credits from the first full pay period of employment in a manner consistent with the state employee sick leave statutes.
A faculty member may not accrue sick leave credits during a leave of absence without pay. Faculty members are not entitled to be paid for sick leave until they have been continuously employed for ninety (90) days. Upon completion of the qualifying period, the faculty member is entitled to the sick leave credits earned.
Sick leave donations shall be administered in accordance with University policy on sick leave fund and sick leave grants, viewable at:
http://www2.montana.edu/policy/personnel/per1000.html#1045.00.
17.03.03 LUMP-SUM PAYMENT ON TERMINATION
Except as otherwise provided in Sec. 2-18-1311 (VEBA), a faculty member who terminates employment with the University is entitled to a lump-sum payment equal to one-fourth (1/4) of the pay attributed to the accumulated sick leave. The pay attributed to the accumulated sick leave shall be computed on the basis of the faculty member's salary at the time of termination. Accrual of sick leave credits for calculating the lump-sum payment provided for in this subsection begins July 1, 1971.
A faculty member who receives a lump-sum payment and who is again employed by the University shall not be credited with any sick leave for which compensation has previously been given.
It is the responsibility of the faculty member to ensure proper reporting of the use of sick leave for record keeping purposes. Any occurrence that necessitates a leave of absence as specified in Section 17.03 shall be reported by the faculty member to the Human Resource Office each month.
Abuse of sick leave is cause for disciplinary action under the provisions of 2-18-618, M.C.A. Abuse of sick leave occurs when a faculty member misrepresents the actual reason for charging an absence to sick leave, when a faculty member uses sick leave for unauthorized purposes, or when a faculty member neglects to report sick leave.
A faculty member who needs to take sick leave shall inform the appropriate immediate supervisor as soon as possible.
17.03.05 OTHER SICK LEAVE REQUIREMENTS
Sick leave charges in excess of earned sick leave credits may be charged to leave without pay.
Any holidays that fall during a period that a faculty member is on sick leave will be charged as a holiday and not taken off the total accumulated sick leave.
Faculty cannot be required to take sick leave unless they are on leave under one of the sick leave provisions of this agreement.
The department head, dean or Provost may require medical certification to confirm the appropriate use of sick leave, including the need to care for an ill or injured immediate family member. A licensed physician, or another licensed health care provider competent to treat and diagnose the particular illness or condition, must provide medical certification. All required medical certifications or examinations must be job-related and consistent with business necessity.
Faculty members are eligible to use accumulated sick leave or, if sick leave is exhausted, unpaid leave to tend to the medical needs of an immediate family member in accordance with University policy and the Family Medical Leave Act. Faculty members who accumulate annual leave credits are eligible to use annual leave for the aforementioned family medical purposes. In addition, any faculty member may request leave without pay for family medical purposes.
17.04 MILITARY LEAVE
Eligible faculty members are entitled to the benefits and protections of military leave in accordance with state and federal laws governing military leave for public employees.
A period of absence from employment occurring either during a war involving the United States or in any other national emergency and for ninety (90) days thereafter for one of the following reasons is considered as service for the purpose of determining the number of years of employment used in calculating annual leave credits under this section:
- having been ordered on active duty with the armed forces of the United States;
- voluntary service on active duty in the armed forces or on ships operated by or for the United States government; or
- direct assignment to the United States department of defense for duties related to national defense efforts if a leave of absence has been granted by the Employer.
17.05 PUBLIC SERVICE LEAVE
In accordance with 39-2-104, MCA, faculty members who are elected or appointed to a public office in the city, county, or state shall be eligible for leaves of absence, not to exceed one hundred eighty (180) days per year, while they are performing public service. Employees, upon complying with the requirements below, shall be restored to their positions, with the same seniority, status, compensation, hours, locality, and benefits as existed immediately prior to their leaves of absence for public service:
- An employee granted a leave of absence shall make arrangements to return to work within ten (10) days following the completion of the service for which the leave was granted unless the employee is unable to do so because of illness or disabling injury certified to by a licensed physician.
- Unemployment benefits paid to a person by application of this section may not be charged against an Employer under the unemployment insurance law.
17.06 JURY DUTY AND WITNESS LEAVE
- In accordance with Section 2-18-619, MCA, a faculty member who is under proper summons as a juror shall collect all fees and allowances payable as a result of the service and forward the fees to the appropriate University accounting office. Juror fees must be applied against the amount due the employee from the Employer. However, if an employee elects to use annual leave to serve on a jury, the employee may not be required to remit the juror fees to the Employer. An employee is not required to remit to the Employer any expense or mileage allowance paid by the court.
- An employee subpoenaed to serve as a witness shall collect all fees and allowances payable as a result of the service and forward the fees to the appropriate University accounting office. Witness fees must be applied against the amount due the employee from the Employer. However, if an employee elects to use annual leave to serve as a witness, the employee may not be required to remit the witness fees to the Employer. An employee is not required to remit to the Employer any expense or mileage allowances paid by the court.
- Employers may request the court to excuse their employees from jury duty if they are needed for the proper operation of a unit of state or local government.
17.07 PAID LEAVE FOR DISASTER RELIEF VOLUNTEER SERVICE
The University may grant up to fifteen (15) days in a calendar year of a paid leave of absence for a faculty member to participate in specialized disaster relief services for the American Red Cross if:
- the employee is a certified American Red Cross disaster relief volunteer; and
- the American Red Cross has requested the employee's services.
Leave time granted pursuant to this section:
- must be paid at the regular rate of compensation, including regular group, retirement, or leave accrual benefits, for the regular work hours during which the employee is absent from the employee's regular duties;
- commences upon approval of the employee's employing agency; and
- may not be charged against any other leave to which the employee is entitled.
17.08 ANNUAL LEAVE
Faculty members who hold academic rank and are appointed on fiscal year [FY] contracts may accumulate annual leave at the rate of 1 ¾ days per month (21 days per year) of actual employment, but are not entitled to any annual leave with pay until they have been continuously employed for six (6) calendar months. Faculty members with academic rank who are appointed on academic year [AY] contracts shall accrue no annual leave.
Annual leave for eligible faculty members on fiscal year (12-month) employment contracts is to be taken at the mutual convenience of the department and the employee and should be arranged in advance with the department head.
Annual leave may be accumulated as of the last day of any calendar year to a total not to exceed forty two (42) days. Unused annual leave may be compensated upon termination, not to exceed forty two (42) days. If a faculty member's status is changed from a fiscal year [FY] contract to an academic year [AY] contract, the faculty member may elect to receive compensation for unused accrued annual leave at the time of the change of status or carry the accumulation.
17.09 LEAVES OF ABSENCE WITHOUT PAY
Faculty members are eligible for a leave of absence without pay after two (2) years of continuous service. Requests for leave without pay must be approved in accordance with the provisions below. All approvals of leave requests shall take into account the needs of the University or the system, as appropriate. The provisions are as follows:
- Leaves without pay shall not be deemed earned leave time, nor be deemed or become a vested right.
- Leaves without pay shall normally not exceed two (2) years in duration.
- The President or designee has authority to approve leaves of absence without pay for faculty members.
- Employees who are on an approved leave of absence without pay may continue to be covered by the Employer's group insurance for up to two (2) years provided they pay the amount of the Employer's contribution plus any required employee contribution. Payment must be made to the business office prior to the close of the payroll date in order for the coverage to be effective.
17.10 DISABILITY
Employment matters involving disability will be administered in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act.
17.11 MAINTENANCE OF RIGHTS
A faculty member returning from approved leave shall return to the same position and compensated leave time shall be regarded as regular employment time. Upon returning from approved paid leave, the faculty member will receive any cost of living increase in salary or benefits that was awarded to department faculty during the time of leave.
