2,670: Annual Leave Policy for Faculty

Revised: November 2018

Annual Leave for Faculty

Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) policy on annual leave for faculty is located in the Board of Regents Handbook Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 20.

General Provisions:

All faculty members on a full-time 12-month appointment ("A" contract) earn annual leave at the rate of two working days for each full calendar month of service. "A" contract faculty with a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) less than 1.0 FTE earn annual leave on a pro-rated basis. Prorated credit shall be accrued for partial months of service. Annual leave accrual is credited on the last day of the month. Annual leave may not be taken before it is accrued.

Faculty on an academic year ("B" contract) appointment do not accrue annual leave.

Annual leave may be cumulative from year to year, not to exceed 48 days as of the first day of each fiscal year, and any annual leave in excess of 48 days is forfeited on that date. Maximum accrued annual leave balance shall be prorated for faculty with less than 1.0 FTE. No compensation will be authorized for unused or excess leave at the end of each fiscal year.

Employees shall be given an opportunity to use accrued annual leave in excess of 48 working days prior to the last day of the fiscal year provided a request for leave is given by the employee no later than April 1 to the supervisor or other appropriate administrative officer.

Annual leave must be requested and approved in advance by the faculty member's supervisor. The supervisor or other appropriate administrative officer may also direct a faculty member to use annual leave.

Annual leave for full-time faculty is used in increments of a half-day or a full-day. If a period shorter than one-half work day is requested, the supervisor can require a half-day increment of annual leave be taken and deducted from the leave balance.

If while on annual leave a faculty member becomes ill or injured, the employee remains on annual leave for the duration of the original request. Annual leave cannot be converted to sick leave after the annual leave has commenced, unless an illness or injury is approved as FMLA leave.

Faculty on an "A" contract appointment who resign, retire or change their contract to "B" shall be paid for unused accrued annual leave up to a maximum of 48 days, unless the supervisor or other appropriate administrative officer directs the employee, in writing, to use all or a portion of the accumulated leave prior to the final date of the contract.

Faculty on a 12-month "A" contract appointment who take an approved leave of absence without pay shall be entitled to use accumulated annual leave, with prior approval of the supervisor or other appropriate administrative officer, before going into unpaid status; however, the faculty member shall not be paid for any unused accumulated annual leave before going into unpaid status. Annual leave cannot be earned while on leave without pay.

Faculty on "A" contracts who are on approved sabbatical or professional development leave can accrue annual leave. Faculty on a Phase-In Retirement agreement will accrue prorated leave accruals based on their FTE.

Faculty may be directed to use annual leave by their supervisor in accordance with the Board of Regents' Handbook, Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 20. If directed to use annual leave prior to termination, the written directive must be uploaded into the Workday system when the termination is initiated. Failure to provide this documentation will result in the faculty member being paid any accrued annual leave upon termination.

Limitation on Transfer of Accrued Annual Leave

Persons employed by the University in positions that earn annual leave may not transfer any earned leave to another university position supported from a different source of funds. Any compensation for accrued leave comes from the same funding source as the salary paid while earning annual leave and must be taken during the employment covered by the funding source.

A faculty member transferring from another NSHE institution in a position that earns annual and sick leave may not transfer any earned leave to a UNR position supported from a different source of funds.

Faculty who transfer from a faculty position to a classified position may transfer remaining annual leave to the classified position subject to the classified maximum accrual limitation of 30 days at the beginning of the calendar year.

Classified staff who transfer from a classified position to a faculty position may transfer all accrued unused annual leave to the faculty appointment subject to the same funding limitations noted above and are subject to faculty accrual limitations which does not allow for more than 48 days to be carried over from one fiscal year to another.