Important Note: This summary of Faculty Leaves is supplemental and not intended to conflict with the requirements or guarantees of CBA Section 11.
Faculty are entitled to a variety of paid and unpaid leaves under the Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for 2021-2023. A summary of each leave and rules for eligibility is provided below. All requests should be made on a Faculty Leave Request Form.
Paid Leave
Extended Medical Leave
An extended medical condition means the incapacity of a faculty member to perform faculty duties for a period of more than two weeks, resulting from their own accident, illness, or recurrent short-term illness. Use of medical leave up to 180 calendar days may be part or full time depending on medical documentation. Tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible for extended medical leave based on their FTE and medical documentation. Non-tenure track faculty with 50% or greater appointment and a year or more of cumulative service are eligible for 180 calendar days of medical leave or until the end of their contract, whichever is shorter. Any faculty requesting extended medical leave must submit verification of their medical condition to hr.disability@wwu.edu. Up to three quarters of extended medical, maternity, or parental leave may be counted towards determining quarter eligibility for professional leave.
Maternity Leave
Leave for maternity covers the period in which a mother is unable to perform her faculty duties prior to, during, and after childbirth. Paid leave will be for one quarter or its equivalent but should not exceed twelve weeks. Additional leave may be requested under an extended medical leave if it is determined by a health professional that it is required for medical reasons. Any faculty requesting maternity leave must submit medical documentation verifying their pregnancy to hr.disability@wwu.edu. Up to three quarters of extended medical, maternity, or parental leave may be counted towards determining quarter eligibility for professional leave.
Parental Leave
Tenure-line faculty and non-tenure-track faculty with multi-year contracts are entitled to up to one (1) full quarter of paid leave to care for a new child, a newly adopted child, or a child placed into foster care. Parental leave must be taken within one (1) year following the birth or placement of the child. Faculty members who choose to begin parental leave at the time of birth or adoption will be provided with paid leave until the end of the quarter in which the birth or placement occurs; faculty members who choose to begin parental leave at the start of a quarter, including the quarter in which the birth or placement is expected, will be provided paid leave for the entire quarter. Faculty members are expected to provide at least thirty (30) days written notice of anticipated parental leave when possible. Any faculty requesting parental leave must submit documentation verifying the birth or adoption to hr.disability@wwu.edu. With approval from the supervising dean, parental leave may be extended as unpaid leave.
Compassionate Leave
At the discretion of the Provost, a faculty member may be granted a paid compassionate leave of up to one month to allow the faculty member to attend to family matters, including the care of a family member. If an extension is needed, it must be requested before the end of the first month.
Bereavement Leave
A bereavement leave is a leave to attend the funeral, memorial service, or other ceremony after the death of a family member. It may last up to a period of no more than one week. If an extension is required, one may be requested under unpaid compassionate leave.
Leaves for Jury or Court Duty
Faculty members serving on juries or as witnesses in legal actions shall attempt to arrange their court obligations to minimize interference with their classes and other University responsibilities. Faculty shall retain full pay status during such periods, less the amount that they receive as remuneration for service on the jury. The period of leave for jury or court duty (excluding compensated service as an expert witness) will be counted as full-time service in determining eligibility for professional leave.
Professional Leave
Faculty should click here to explore a separate Professional Leave webpage.
Partially-Paid Leave
Fulbright Leave
Faculty granted a teaching and/or research award by the Fulbright Scholar Programs (Core, Specialist, Global, etc.) can expect that:
- Benefits will continue during the period of the award.
- In the past, faculty utilized unpaid educational leave to participate in the Fulbright Scholar Programs. More recently, the University agreed to support Fulbright scholars through a “stipend supplement,” where the faculty member’s regular salary is reduced, but only by the amount of the Fulbright stipend. Example: When a faculty member who normally makes $5k per month is offered a $3k Fulbright stipend, their WWU pay while on leave would continue until they return at a reduced rate of $2k per month. That stipend supplement combined with the Fulbright stipend keeps them whole at $5k per month.
- Faculty must attach documentation of their Fulbright award to their leave request.
- Per Section 10.3.2 of the CBA, faculty may apply for professional leave and for a Fulbright award for the same period. Faculty who combine professional leave and a Fulbright award receive their full WWU salary (subject to state laws) in addition to their Fulbright stipend.
Unpaid Leave
Leaves without pay may be granted to faculty members with one or more years of service. For tenure track faculty, leave without pay does not count towards the period of service for tenure, unless an agreement to the contrary is made in writing. Requests for leaves without pay shall be made through the faculty member’s chair or dean, as appropriate, and shall contain a statement of the applicant’s purpose and plan. These requests should be made on a Special Leave Request Form.
A faculty member who has a work assignment at the university for at least one day a month during a leave without pay will be eligible for continued paid benefits.
Educational Leave
An educational leave allows a faculty member to engage in scholarly or creative activity, in special studies, or in professional development. Benefits may continue if department and college agree to pay the faculty member one-day of pay for each month that they are away.
Links
Collective Bargaining Agreement 2023-2027
Contact
Contact Faculty Relations at facultyrelations@wwu.edu for general questions regarding Faculty Leaves.