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Overview: 

A faculty member who receives external funding to cover part of their regular salary (usually to do research), and that funding is routed through UT Austin, will need to be 'released' from the Instructional Budget (a.k.a. Release Time). A faculty member’s Release Time request is final-approved at the college level (COLA). There are different leave types that may include a partial or full release from the instructional budget; you can navigate to the appropriate leave type to see the applicable leaves process. This page only pertains specifically to when and how to release a faculty member from the Instructional Budget. 

Relevant Definitions: 

Instructional Budget (IB): is the budgeted account(s) from which tenured or tenure-track (TTT) faculty salaries for the academic unit(s) are paid. 

Return Rule: A requirement related to certain research-related faculty awards (e.g. CRFs) in which a faculty member is released from teaching but remains on the instructional budget; specifies that when the faculty member’s award period is over, they will return to their normal work hours and teaching load in COLA for a required amount of time: 2 semesters of 'normal service’ are required for every 1 semester of award time given.  

• A return rule can be deferred by emailing COLA HR with the faculty member’s request. Include reason for deferral and Chair support. 

Release Time (RT): Release time refers to the release of some (or all) of a faculty member’s salary from the instructional budget for a given time period, where the ‘released’ salary is paid instead by one or more other UT accounts. 

Ex. Part of Prof. X’s Fall salary is paid by his Cybernetics grant so that he can focus more time on that project (and teach one fewer class that Fall). 

Ex. Prof. X receives a Phoenix Fellowship covering his salary for Spring, and the Phoenix award is paid via UT. 

Academic Personnel Services (APS): the Provost Office team who help to oversee many/most processes related to academic staff and faculty, such as hiring, leaves, promotions, and related matters 

FYI: For Your Information; a courtesy notification; no action needs to be taken by the recipient 

COLA HR: COLA_HR@austin.utexas.edu  

Process: 

COLA Deadlines: 

June 30 – Fall Semester Requests 

October 31 – Spring Semester Requests 

1. Faculty member reaches out to you/or your chair to request leave. You/Chair should discuss with your faculty member how taking leave may affect: 

1. How they are paid by UT: 

1. Does the faculty member need to work with the Grants Services Office (laresearch@austin.utexas.edu)? External funding that is routed through UT will often route through the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP). The Grants Services Office will be your point of contact for working with OSP. 

1. 12-month salary spread eligibility: faculty who are paid from 26- accounts are not eligible for 12-month salary spread 

1. If the receiving an external fellowship that will pay the faculty member directly:  

1. they may need to go on partial or total LWOP 

1. They may wish to apply for a SCRF 

1. It may affect their insurance benefits and related costs 

1. Any previously committed return rules; if department does not have solid records of faculty leaves taken, check with COLA HR.  

1. Does the faculty member need to request a deferral of the return rule? 

1. A return rule can be deferred by emailing COLA HR with the faculty member’s request. Include reason for deferral and Chair support. 

1. Probationary status/Promotion & Tenure Clock, see EPP 

1. Any departmental responsibilities the faculty member will retain while on leave. 

1. Ensure that, if the Chair was not notified in step 1, that you bring them into the conversation and/or that they are made aware of the potential considerations listed above. 

1. Release time is requested using the Faculty Request for Leave (FRL) form. 

1. Complete the form based on the specific leave your faculty member is taking. 

1. The percentage your faculty member will be on leave is based on their funding amount and their current salary. 

1. Please include the account numbers for your faculty’s funding. Work with the Grants Services Office where applicable. 

1. The FRL is submitted to COLA HR via the faculty leaves submission portal for our review prior to Chair’s signature. Please follow our document naming convention: 

1. YY-YY_DEPT_FacLastName_Semester_FRL 

1. YY-YY: Fiscal year of leave request 

1. DEPT: 4-character UT Dept Code for unit 

1. Semester: the semester (or AY) of the requested leave 

1. Ex. “21-22_SOCL_Smith_Fall2023_FRL” 

1. COLA HR will create a leave record in the CLASP database and begin processing. 

1. COLA HR will make any applicable corrections consistent with COLA policy and will route the FRL in DocuSign for the applicable Chair and Dean signatures. 

1. Once approved, or denied, we will send an FYI copy of the FRL to the requesting department. 

1. COLA HR will complete a Job Costing Tool for the Release Time and send to COLA Finance. 

1. Finance will complete the costing allocation BP in Workday when required and will also complete instructional budget transfer. 

1. If any changes occur to your faculty’s funding amounts, funding source, or leave dates, please contact COLA HR with these changes as soon as possible. 

Related policies and information: 

 HOP 2-2210: https://policies.utexas.edu/policies/faculty-leaves-and-special-academic-assignments

Provost Office Leave information: https://provost.utexas.edu/aps-faculty/leaves-related-policies/#faculty-leaves 

Payroll Policy for Faculty 12-month Salary Spread: https://payroll.utexas.edu/payroll-info/faculty-salary-spread 

UT FMLA Info: https://hr.utexas.edu/current/leave/family-medical-leave-act 

Other Related Links: 

COLA Submissions Portal Page: 

 
Faculty Request for Leave Form: https://utexas.app.box.com/s/z4bfvkanfmaqud6wli40dtjw4ret9or8 

CLASP: https://fm03.shared.utexas.edu/fmi/webd#COLA-CLASP 

OSP: https://research.utexas.edu/osp/