Family & Medical Leave Guidelines

The Fisher College of Science and Mathematics is committed to creating a family supportive environment for our faculty. The following guidelines for requesting a workload modification supplement the Board of Regents Policy on Family and Medical Leave for Faculty (II-2.31), the Board of Regents Policy on Parental Leave (II-2.25),  and Towson University's policies. These guidelines apply to all full time tenured and tenure-track faculty members, clinical faculty members and senior lecturers who are entitled to take Family and Medical Leave or Parental Leave for one of the following reasons:

• the birth of the faculty member's child, when the faculty member is the principal caregiver,
• the placement of a child with the faculty member for adoption or foster care,
• the need to take care of the faculty member's immediate family member who has a serious health condition, or
• the serious health condition of the faculty member.

The Board of Regents Policy on Parental Leave lists the following measures to support a "family friendly" environment:

• a minimum assured period of paid parental leave of eight (8) weeks,
• the adoption of Family Support Plans at each institution,
• minimum requirements to extend the time for tenure review for new parents, and
• the availability of lactation facilities on each campus.

After eight weeks of parental/sick leave, it may not be feasible for the faculty member to return to instructional duties. Therefore, a workload modification plan should be developed that provides guidance and direction to the faculty member's work until the next semester begins. The proposed workload modification will usually involve a reassignment of the faculty member's time to research and service duties. Here are the guidelines for such a plan.

• The written request (email) for parental leave should be sent along with a workload modification plan to the Department Chair.
• The Chair will forward the plan for approval by the Dean.
• The Dean (in consultation with the Provost) will authorize the plan in compliance with university policies.

A faculty member with a workload modification who is on the tenure track will automatically be given a one year "stop the clock" deferral of the tenure review. All scholarship during the "stop the clock" period will be included in the tenure review process. 

Faculty members have the option to opt out of the one-year extension by reverting to the original schedule for submitting materials for promotion and tenure outlined in their contract.