Request for course release for full-time faculty/summer release time librarians

There are two paths for full-time faculty and professional librarians to request release time:

1. For personal projects: via the Professional Development Fund. Read more about the general application process here.  In addition to the materials required for all applications, full-time faculty and professional librarians seeking release time need to complete with their supervisor the "Grant Supported Release Time Application" attached to this page. For professional librarians requesting only release time and not additional grant-funded support, the Professional Librarian Summer Release Time Form is also attached below.

2. For RISD/academic projects: The Provost may grant release time to a full-time faculty member when

                                    a.         One of that faculty member’s classes has been canceled due to under-enrollment and there is an appropriate academic project on which that faculty member agrees to work.

                                     b.         There is an academic project which a faculty member will undertake and cannot reasonably be accomplished while the faculty member is carrying a full teaching load.

                                     c.         The term “academic project” is a project that is specifically related to teaching, academic research or writing.

                                     d.         The faculty member’s Department Head must approve of such academic projects.

                                     e.         The President of the FTFA  shall be notified in writing of the granting of all such release time.

Faculty should use the "Request for course release academic project" form attached below to initiate requests and should endeavor to do so by December 15 of the year preceding the requested release.