How to Initiate a Time Away Request

Dean's offices have the option to create their own forms through which faculty can initiate a request for a leave or flexible work arrangement. Units are also welcome to use or adapt the sample forms available here. At minimum, schools must solicit the following information from their faculty in order to complete the required dFac forms. All requests must be approved by the dean prior to routing to the Provost's Office.

Schools may opt to request additional information from their faculty beyond what is mentioned here:

Type of Request	Information required by the Office of the Provost
Academic Leave of Absence	Faculty Name, Department, School, Rank General reason for leave - common reasons are Sabbatical, Jr. Faculty Leave, Research Leave, Administrative Leave, Dean's Leave, Unpaid Leave of Absence Leave Start and End Date (specific dates, or by semester) Whether the salary is supported by sponsored funds Whether tenure clock relief is being requested and, if so, how much
Non-Academic Leave of Absence Leave Form - Sample.pdf (186.08 KB)	Faculty Name, Department, School, Rank General reason for leave - common reasons are Parental Leave, Temporary Medical Leave, Disability Leave, Military Leave, Unpaid Leave of Absence Leave Start and End Date (specific dates, or by semester) - noting that the maximum duration for the School of Medicine and School of Nursing is 3 months Whether the salary is supported by sponsored funds Whether tenure clock relief is being requested and, if so, how much
Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) Flexible Work Arrangement Form - Sample (002).pdf (103.96 KB)	Faculty Name, Department, School, Rank FWA Start Date and End Date - noting that it can be no less than 6 months and no more than 3 years, with the exception of a retirement agreement General reason for the FWA - common reasons are Medical, Childcare or Adult Care, Retirement, Other Whether the salary is supported by sponsored funds Whether tenure clock relief is being requested and, if so, how much A memorandum of understanding between the faculty member and the department chair, if applicable, or dean, detailing the agreed upon modification in duties and salary. Please also address how the supervision of current graduate students and other trainees will be handled during the FWA period. In the case of a retirement agreement, if the faculty member will have a different title after the FWA ends, please include that new title and its effective date. Signature from the faculty member Documentation of approval from the Chair and Dean

Type of Request

Information required by the Office of the Provost

Academic Leave of Absence

Faculty Name, Department, School, Rank
General reason for leave - common reasons are Sabbatical, Jr. Faculty Leave, Research Leave, Administrative Leave, Dean's Leave, Unpaid Leave of Absence
Leave Start and End Date (specific dates, or by semester)
Whether the salary is supported by sponsored funds
Whether tenure clock relief is being requested and, if so, how much

Non-Academic Leave of Absence

Leave Form - Sample.pdf (186.08 KB)

Faculty Name, Department, School, Rank
General reason for leave - common reasons are Parental Leave, Temporary Medical Leave, Disability Leave, Military Leave, Unpaid Leave of Absence
Leave Start and End Date (specific dates, or by semester) - noting that the maximum duration for the School of Medicine and School of Nursing is 3 months
Whether the salary is supported by sponsored funds
Whether tenure clock relief is being requested and, if so, how much

Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA)

Flexible Work Arrangement Form - Sample (002).pdf (103.96 KB)

Faculty Name, Department, School, Rank
FWA Start Date and End Date - noting that it can be no less than 6 months and no more than 3 years, with the exception of a retirement agreement
General reason for the FWA - common reasons are Medical, Childcare or Adult Care, Retirement, Other
Whether the salary is supported by sponsored funds
Whether tenure clock relief is being requested and, if so, how much
A memorandum of understanding between the faculty member and the department chair, if applicable, or dean, detailing the agreed upon modification in duties and salary. Please also address how the supervision of current graduate students and other trainees will be handled during the FWA period. In the case of a retirement agreement, if the faculty member will have a different title after the FWA ends, please include that new title and its effective date.
Signature from the faculty member
Documentation of approval from the Chair and Dean

Options for units to create custom time away Forms

Duke University offers several survey and electronic form applications that schools may find useful to support their internal workflows for faculty time away requests. While there is no centrally-supported tool for routing a form through a department and school, we recommend these easy-to-use options that have been approved for handling sensitive data.