RAMAPO COLLEGE

PROFESSIONAL LEAVE
AFT PROFESSIONAL STAFF

PURPOSE

Professional leaves for AFT Professional Staff of up to one semester in length for the purpose of personal development aimed at improving professional skills mutually beneficial to the College and the employee.

ELIGIBILITY

Professional leaves are available to any full-time Professional Staff member covered by the AFT contract. (See Article XVI, Section J, of the 1989/92 contract for the complete text).

FORMAT

The proposal for a Professional Leave must include:

1. A full description of the activity to be undertaken.

2. A detailed explanation of how this activity will improve professional skills and be mutually beneficial to the College and the individual.

3. The time period for which the leave is requested.

4. A description of the individual's current role, his/her prior service to the College. and other contributions to the College   community.

CRITERIA

The following criteria shall be used in evaluating requests for a Professional Leave:

1. The merits of the project to the College.

2. The merits of the project to the professional development of the individual.

3. The feasibility of completing the project within the time frame stated in the proposal.

4. How the leave would impact on the functioning of the Unit.

PROCEDURE

Each applicant will submit a written proposal to the appropriate supervisor who will review it and make a recommendation in writing to the Division Head. Recommendations from supervisors will include statements explaining how the leave will be mutually beneficial to the College and the individual and how the leave will impact on the functioning of the Unit. In the event the leave is requested for a time when it would impact negatively on the functioning of the Unit, supervisors will review the possibility of it being awarded for an alternate time period. In addition, it the request is meritorious but the time requested is excessive and will interfere with the Unit's functioning, the supervisor will state how much time can be spared.

A copy of the supervisor's recommendation will be sent to the applicant who may respond to it in writing. The response, if any, shall be sent to the supervisor who will forward it with the proposal and his/her own recommendation to the Division Head. (In Units where there is a second administrator between the immediate supervisor and the Division Head, that administrator shall also review the proposal and make a recommendation to the Division Head.)

The Division Head will in turn, submit all documents with his/her own independent recommendation to the President or his designee thereof. The President may approve of disapprove the proposal, or accept it in modified form.

The President forwards all documents and his/her recommendation to the Board of Trustees for final approval. The President notifies the applicant of the final decision.