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5.1: Purpose
The purpose of course releases is to provide faculty members with teaching duties with time to undertake important activities such as scholarship, professional development, or other service for the University.
Course releases do not relieve the faculty member from other responsibilities such as advising, serving on committees, or participating in departmental or school business. Faculty are expected to continue to be in residence and carry out their other duties while they have a course release.
5.2 Situations Eligible for a Course Release
This policy applies to all full-time academic faculty. It does not apply to emergency hires.
5.2.1 Professional/Scholarly Development
The Division of Academic Affairs sponsors course releases to assist in the professional growth of academic faculty. Course releases create time for faculty to be involved in activities (such as pedagogical or scholarship development) that support preparation for annual reviews and tenure or promotion consideration.
1. Newly-hired faculty
a. New tenure-track faculty are granted a 6-unit release to support their teaching and scholarly development. The course releases may be taken in their first academic year or may be split between the first and second academic years.
b. New lecturers are granted a 3-unit instructional course release to support their teaching development, to be taken in their first academic year.
2. Pre-tenure faculty
a. Deans may request one release of up to 3 units for a tenure-track faculty member to address needed improvements in teaching or scholarship. Deans recommend and the Provost approves pre-tenure course releases.
5.2.2 Administrative or Service Duties
Faculty members who assume significant administrative or service responsibilities within their school (such as department chair) or for the University (for example, Faculty Senate Chair) may be granted course releases during their term of service by recommendation of the dean and approval of the Provost. Refer to the appropriate policy or bylaws for the number of units eligible for release.
5.2.3 Sponsored-Project Research Activities (Course Buyout)
Faculty members may request a course buyout to work on a sponsored grant. The corresponding percentage of their appointment is charged to the grant account during the term of the course buyout. In effect, the grant buys the faculty member’s released time so the equivalent amount of effort can be spent working on the grant. The standard method for determining the cost of a course buyout is to calculate the cost of the time the faculty member will work on grant activities based on a percentage of the faculty member’s annual salary (for example, 25% effort dedicated to grant activities has a buyout cost of 25% of their annual salary).
Guidelines for Course Buyouts
1. Faculty cannot buy out of more than 6 units per semester or 12 units per academic year.
2. Faculty may not buy out of teaching responsibilities if it will compromise the ability to deliver a program.
3. Course buyouts for external personal or business interests not related to the mission of NS will not be granted.
4. The amount compensated by a grant should at minimum cover the cost of hiring a replacement to offer the course. The amount is determined by mutual consent of the department chair or dean but generally should be at least 10% of the faculty member’s salary.
5. A portion of the buyout amount should fund an alternative instructor to teach the released course and related instructional expenses.
Requesting Buyouts
Faculty request course buyouts by e‐mail to the chair (if applicable), dean, and Provost at the time they develop the grant proposal and before the proposal is submitted. Faculty who receive grant funding without prior approval for buyouts may not be approved for a release.
The request should include:
– Number of units and the anticipated semester(s) in which the course buyout is requested.
– Size and scope of work to be conducted.
– Rationale for why a buyout is necessary to complete the scope of work.
– Sponsor providing funding.
After conferring with the chair and/or dean, the Provost makes the final decision regarding a course buyout. Approval is given on condition that a grant is funded and the course release time has been budgeted according to buyout procedures.
The faculty member must work with the Office of Grant Awards Services (OGAS) to budget for a buyout in the proposal to an external sponsor. For the purposes of budgeting, a release from one 3-unit course is defined as equivalent to 10% of a faculty member’s FTE (assuming 1 FTE is equal to 80% teaching and 20% scholarship and service). Faculty should budget for the appropriate amount of salary and fringe to be charged to the grant.
In the rare case when a grant award is less than the amount requested in the proposal, faculty are not obligated to use a proposed buyout if the funding agency allows for redistribution or rebudgeting of funds. If a faculty member chooses to forgo a buyout as part of rebudgeting, it is the PI’s responsibility to work with OGAS to ensure the funding agency provides any necessary approvals for the budget adjustment.
5.3 Administering Course Releases
Instructional course releases are administered by the dean and monitored by the Division of Academic Affairs.
A faculty member receiving a course release may not:
1. Accept overload teaching assignments for additional compensation. If teaching a course is necessary, the course release should be deferred.
2. Receive stipends in place of the course release.
Unless otherwise specified, instructional course releases may be taken in increments that do not adversely affect the ability of the unit to deliver its curriculum.
5.4 Related Information
5.4.1 Revision History
– Approved by Dr. Zachary Woydziak on 4/03/2018; Dr. Vickie Shields on 4/09/2018; and President Bart Patterson on 10/08/2018.