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Includes "Course Buyouts"
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Overview
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Policies
UT policy
See HOP 2-2210: Faculty Leaves and Special Academic Assignments.
COE policy
See COE: Research-Related Policies > Faculty Academic Effort and Research Buyout Policy.
Per COE: Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Workload Policy > Teaching, the College of Education requires each full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member to teach two organized courses per long semester.
A tenured/tenure-track faculty member who remains in residence and active in their department may buy out up to three courses per academic year from the instructional budget, referred to as “Release Time.” Release Time is at the discretion of the department chair based on departmental needs. Faculty who generate substantial indirect costs for The University, as well as those who hold large endowments, should be accorded all due consideration in Release Time. Buyouts are typically funded from sponsored research. Release Time from personal funds is not allowed.
What is Release Time (Leave From the Instructional Budget)?
Release Time may also be referred to as “course buyout” or “research buyout.” A faculty member on Release Time continues to hold a full-time appointment paid from a funding source(s) administered by the University. There is no change to the faculty member's FTE during Release Time, only to their funding source.
This category of leave comprises research appointments to contracts and grants administered by the University, Faculty Development Program certain faculty development awards and other non-faculty salaries, institutional research awards, and awards from external funding agencies when the funds are administered by the University. The most common example of Release Time in COE is a "course buyoutResearch Buyout" funded by a UT-administered sponsored project.
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Professional Leave of Absence vs. Release Time
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a) Release Time (Release From the Instructional Budget): There are two types of Release Time, differentiated by the funding source used to replace Instructional Budget funds:
Research Buyout: Part of the faculty member’s salary is temporarily transferred from department instructional funding to a sponsored project administered through UT, usually a 26-account through OSP. There is no corresponding change in the faculty member’s overall FTE.
Course Buyout: Part of the faculty member’s salary is temporarily transferred from department instructional funding to another internal funding source (not a 26-account). There is no corresponding change in the faculty member’s overall FTE.
Instructions for requesting Release Time are on this page at Release Time request process.
b) Leave of Absence: Period during which all or part of a faculty member’s pay is NOT administered through UT. All or part of the FTE on their faculty position is reduced for the duration of the leave. APS will process the reduced hours as an absence request on the faculty position.
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The faculty member might be paid directly by a grant or fellowship with no funding going through UT (they are paid directly by the external organization), or they may use personal funds.
There are two types of Leave of Absence:
Professional Leave of Absence: Academic activities related to their faculty position continue, but pay is NOT administered through UT.
Personal Leave of Absence: Leave is requested for personal rather than professional reasons. For instance, personal unpaid leave might be requested for a medical reason, but only after any paid sick leave balances have been exhausted.
For request instructions and additional information, COE: Leave of Absence (Unpaid Time Off).
Important information for Instructors and Assistant Professors
A period during which a faculty member with the academic rank of Instructor or Assistant Professor holds a full-time appointment in the University for both the fall and spring semesters of an academic year while on leave from the instructional budget (i.e., is appointed full-time from any combination of funding sources administered by the University) shall be counted as part of the probationary period related to the acquisition of tenure.
Policy
The College of Education requires each full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member to teach two organized courses per long semester. See COE: Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Workload Policy > Teaching.
A tenured/tenure-track faculty member who remains in residence and active in their department may buy out up to three courses per academic year from the instructional budget. Each buyout is at 1/6 of the faculty member’s nine-month state academic rate for each course buyout. This is based on a faculty teaching load of two organized courses per long semester. Course buyout is at the discretion of the department chair based on departmental needs. Faculty who generate substantial indirect costs for The University, as well as those who hold large endowments, should be accorded all due consideration in course buyout. Buyouts are typically funded from sponsored research. Course buyout from personal funds is not allowed.
Calculating Scheduled Weekly Hours (SWH) for Release Time
Course releases:
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One course release = 13.33 SWH leave
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Service:
With the department chair's written permission, faculty can buy out a maximum of 10 SWH per semester of service (8.33% of their service obligation remains).
Example: If a faculty member is buying out one course and all of the maximum possible service for a semester, they might request a leave of 23.33 SWH (13.33 + 10).
Calculating Scheduled Weekly Hours (SWH) for Release Time
When is a Release Time form required?
Per COE: Research-Related Policies > Faculty Academic Effort and Research Buyout Policy > Faculty Academic Effort, a tenured/tenure-track faculty member’s total 40 Scheduled Weekly Hours (SWH) semester appointment is comprised of the following:
10 SWH (25% FTE): Course One
10 SWH (25% FTE): Course Two
20 SWH (50% FTE): Research/service time (can be apportioned flexibly between research and service)
Any release of teaching either Course One or Course Two requires submission and approval of a Release Time Request form.
For the research/service time portion of their appointment, COE policy allows faculty to reallocate up to 20% (8 SWH) without the approval of the department chair. For the release of research/service time hours above 8 SWH per semester, department chair approval is required via the Release Time Request form. At least 2 SWH must remain on internal funds at all times.
How many hours' Release Time should be requested on the request form?
Calculations are as follows:
Research buyout (sponsored-project funded):
Research buyout of one course = 13.33 SWH leave
Research buyout of two courses = 26.67 SWH leave
Course buyout (not sponsored-project funded):
Course buyout of one course = 10 SWH leave
Course buyout of two courses = 20 SWH leave
Research/service time (9-18 SWH):
As approved by department chair
Joint-appointed faculty
Materials are available to help calculate course buyouts Release Time for joint-appointed faculty at Box: Course buyouts Release Times - joint-appointed faculty (access restricted).
Contact COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu to request file access.
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Release Time request process
1) Faculty member and department AM complete their respective sections of the COE Release Time Request form and emails to COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu.
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5) The department should keep a copy of the completed Release Time Request form for its records.
Resources
HOP 2-210: Faculty Leaves and Special Academic Assignments - see section I. B. for Leave from the Instructional Budget
Job Costing Tool example: Release From the Instructional Budget
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Please send suggested additions to this page and notifications about broken links to COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu.
Contributors to this page (Name, number of updates, most recent update):
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