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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.

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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, 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 "Research 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

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. 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).

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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.

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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 Release Time for joint-appointed faculty at Box: 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.

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.

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