Includes "Course Buyouts"

Overview

A faculty member on Release Time (Leave from the Instructional Budget) 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 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 buyout" funded by a UT-administered sponsored project.

The maximum leave that can be approved at any one time is one academic year, i.e., through the end of the fiscal year in which the leave begins. When an exception is made to the one-year maximum leave, a separate request must be submitted for extension of a leave from the instructional budget.

When a leave from the instructional budget is funded using institutional sources (e.g., Faculty Development Program), one of the factors considered in awarding the leave is the benefit that will accrue to the University. Therefore, the recipient of such an award is expected to return to his or her normal duties at the University for the period of at least the academic year following the leave. If the recipient elects not to return, he or she shall have an obligation to reimburse the institution for University funds expended in support of the leave.

University policy does not limit the release time (percent time or frequency) that may be approved for a faculty member, but that amount may be limited by a department chair or dean.

Professional Leave of Absence vs. Release Time

Professional Leave of Absence: Academic activities continue, but pay is NOT administered through UT. The faculty member might be paid directly by a grant or fellowship with no funding going through UT, or using personal funds. 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.
Release Time: No change to the faculty member's overall FTE, funding change only. Part of the faculty member’s salary is temporarily transferred from department instructional funding to a grant administered through UT, such as a 26-account through OSP.

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:

One course release = 13.33 SWH leave
Two course releases = 26.67 SWH leave

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).

Joint-appointed faculty

Materials are available to help calculate course buyouts for joint-appointed faculty at Box: Course buyouts - joint-appointed faculty (access restricted).

Contact COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu to request file access.

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.

2) COE Faculty Affairs reviews the form and routes for any needed signatures in DocuSign.

3) If approved, COE Faculty Affairs will forward the fully-signed copy to the department AM, and file a copy in the faculty member's personnel file. Release Time is final-approved by the Senior Associate Dean, and does not route to APS.

4) Once the leave form has been final-approved, the Cost Center Manager should adjust the costing allocation to the correct account(s) in Workday. A copy of the final-approved Release Time Request form should be uploaded to the Workday business process.

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

Please send suggested additions to this page and notifications about broken links to COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu.