A professional development leave is intended for the mutual benefit of the University and the faculty member granted the leave. The purpose is to encourage academic and institutional revitalization by providing sustained time for acquisition of expanded or new qualifications and skills; development of courses or clerkships, or instructional efforts devoted to graduate nursing students, residents or fellows; contribution to academic unit plans to improve and/or refocus instructional, scholarly, or public service activities in accordance with the mission of the University. A professional development leave is not granted automatically. Each request for a leave must include a detailed description outlining the purposes, objectives and activities of the leave and normally is submitted six months in advance of the planned starting date of the leave. Availability of local professional development assignments is at the discretion of the unit administrator. This could include assignment to research laboratories on the Michigan State University campus.
The professional development leave policy for Health Programs Faculty is similar to that of regular university tenured faculty members with one exception, i.e., the faculty member's beginning date for the initiation of calculation of time toward the leave. In the case of the Health Programs Faculty, the calculation of time for the initial professional development leave will begin from the date of the appointment of the Health Programs Faculty under the Health Programs Faculty Appointment System. For faculty members who are converting from the fixed term system to the HP Appointment System, requests that previous service as a fixed term faculty member be counted toward a professional development leave, must be made and defended on a case by case basis. The chairperson6 will hear such requests and will make recommendation to the Dean about each request, after hearing and evaluating the faculty member's request. The Dean will make the final decision regarding the fixed term faculty member's request for service months counting toward professional development leave.
Footnotes:
6In the College of Nursing, the Director of Clinical Practice will hear such requests and make a recommendation to the Dean.
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Index: Health Programs Faculty Appointment System Handbook