Time Away & Leaves

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guideline tutorial

U-M holiday policy

List of holidays

In accord with and as outlined within the University of Michigan SPG  201.30-6 and 201.93, the School of Kinesiology supports faculty access to the benefits of paid maternity and parental leaves as well as modified duties for new parents. In regards to the modified duties for new parents benefit, this school policy:

• Clarifies that the birth or adoption event must occur on or after the faculty member’s appointment start date

• Eligibility is defined in SPG 201.93

• This policy applies to eligible faculty upon employment, with the birth or adoption event occurring on or after the faculty member’s appointment start date

• The details of the modified duties will be determined on a case by case basis; the target provision is release from approximately 50% workload for each “term”

• Birth mothers who are eligible faculty may request up to 2 “terms,” which may be combined into 1 full semester off or spread over multiple semesters

• Other eligible parents may request the equivalent of 1 “term” which may be used within 1 semester or split over 2 semesters

• All periods of modified duties must begin within twelve months of the date of the relevant birth or adoption

• Faculty covered by a collective bargaining agreement should consult their contract regarding eligibility for leave benefits.

The notification process for maternity leave as well as the request process for parental leave or modified duties should take place as far in advance as possible. Please review the related university procedures prior to submitting a request:

• hr.umich.edu/working-u-m/management-administration/uhr-procedures/20193-modified-duties-new-parents

The SOK-specific procedures begin with the faculty member sending a detailed written request, including maternity leave notification as applicable, to their program chair(s) and the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs (ADFA). Once discussed and support at that level has been confirmed, the request letter with any revisions should be sent to the Dean, with the program chair(s), ADFA and school’s HR Director cc’d. The Dean may initiate a meeting to discuss further. Once details are finalized, an approval letter will be sent to the requesting faculty member. 

In accord with the University of Michigan Standard Practice Guide 201.30-2, tenured members of the regular instructional faculty who have completed six years of service in regular professorial ranks at the university are eligible for a sabbatical leave. The process begins with the faculty member notifying the Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs (ADFA), Program Chair(s) and Senior Assistant to the Dean of intent to request sabbatical, and requesting confirmation of eligibility. Once eligibility is confirmed, the request for sabbatical "Request for Sabbatical Leave" (Form J)" is submitted.

Completed materials must be submitted to the Dean’s Office and ADFA by February 1st prior to the academic year in which the sabbatical is requested. The application must include a completed university “Request for Sabbatical Leave” (Form J) form with appropriate signatures along with a well-considered plan for the sabbatical that includes: 

a) major goal(s) of the sabbatical leave, 

b) its significance as a contribution to the professional effectiveness of the applicant and the best interest of the university, 

c) a brief description of planned activities, and 

d) anticipated outcomes/accomplishments. 

The Dean will share all applications with the Executive Committee for its review and recommendations.  The Executive Committee will review materials for an appropriate match between the proposal and university guidelines as well as thorough and reasonable content. In addition, for applicants who have been granted sabbaticals previously by Kinesiology, the outcome of the previous sabbatical will be considered via the recipient's follow-up report. Final decisions and notification of applicants will occur by March 1st.

Recipients of sabbaticals shall submit a report of the results of the leave within 90 days following return from leave (see SPG 201.30-2 for details). Persons failing to submit the required follow-up report to the Dean’s Office will be ineligible for subsequent sabbatical leaves.

The number of faculty members granted sabbaticals in any academic year is generally limited to keep the maximal number of semesters in which people are on leave to three, with no more than two faculty members gone in the same term. The goal is to limit the disruption to our students with regard to curriculum and programs and to avoid unduly burdening the remaining faculty members with committee work, advising, and other faculty responsibilities.

When the number of requests exceeds the number of leaves allowed, the Executive Committee will attempt to prioritize applications. The following issues will be considered in this case:

• All else being equal, the person who has never had a sabbatical funded by Kinesiology would have higher priority than one who has been funded previously

• Number of years in the tenure line at Michigan

• Need (i.e., what will be accomplished that could not be accomplished without a leave). This relates to the faculty member's effort and productivity leading up to the sabbatical leave and how a sabbatical will build on those efforts to enhance his or her professional effectiveness and the best interest of the School of Kinesiology

• Attempt to distribute concurrent leaves across programs

Timeline for Requesting a Sabbatical Leave

LATE DECEMBER / EARLY JANUARY - Reminders regarding sabbatical requests will be included in the bi-weekly faculty announcements by the Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs (ADFA).

By EARLY JANUARY - Requesting Faculty Member notifies the ADFA, Program Chair(s) and Senior Assistant to the Dean of intent to request sabbatical, and requests confirmation of eligibility. 

Prior to the JANUARY program meeting - Requesting Faculty Member provides the Program Chair(s) the completed Request for Sabbatical Leave (Form J)  *If the Requesting Faculty Member is affiliated with more than one program,  the Requesting Faculty Member is responsible for coordinating signatures and submission.

JANUARY PROGRAM MEETING -  Program Chair(s) present(s) sabbatical requests for review and, if approved, signs the form.

By FEBRUARY 1 -  Program Chair submits the completed form, including faculty member and Chair(s) signatures, to the Dean's Office and ADFA. 

FEBRUARY EC MEETING - Sabbatical submissions are reviewed.  Following the EC meeting, the Senior Assistant to the Dean shares the decision with the requesting Faculty Member, Director of HR, Manager of Academic HR, Executive Director of Finance, Planning and Operations, and Associate Deans.

By MARCH 1 - SoK Academic HR sends the approved forms to HRRIS for the AVP-HR approval. Following receipt of approval from this central office, SoK Academic HR will process the leave and return in the HR system.  

WITHIN 90 DAYS FOLLOWING RETURN FROM LEAVE -  Submit a report of the results of the leave to the Dean's Office.  The Senior Assistant to the Dean shares the report with SoK Academic HR.

U-M Season Days policy

List of season days

U-M policies for faculty leaves, absences, holidays, vacations, and university closures