Non-Tenured Ladder Faculty Leave Applications for AY2026–27 or Full Calendar Year 2027

To: FAS non-tenured ladder faculty
Cc: FAS department and program chairs; Lead Administrators, Operations Managers, Chair’s Assistants; FAS Dean’s Office; FAS Steering; Office of Faculty Administrative Services 

Dear colleagues, 

Non-tenured ladder faculty appointed under FASTAP 2007 or FASTAP 2016 may be eligible for leave at full salary. The deadline for non-tenured ladder faculty to request leave for AY2026–27 or full calendar year 2027 is September 26, 2025. Please see below for more information on the application process, leave eligibility, and timing. 

Leave Application Process

1. By September 26, 2025: Submit your current CV and leave proposal to your academic unit (department or program) chair and staff (chair’s assistant or equivalent). Your proposal (not to exceed 5 pages) should describe the project that will be undertaken during the leave and how it will contribute to your growth as a researcher and teacher. The proposal should explain the significance of the project to your field of study, the methods to be used in undertaking the project, and a plan to achieve publication or dissemination.  
2. Complete the Faculty Research Leave Request Form within Interfolio once notified.
3. Meet with one or more members of your leave request review committee to receive feedback. If requested, revise your proposal and send to your chair and chair’s assistant.
4. Your proposal will be reviewed by your chair and the relevant divisional dean, and your eligibility for leave will be confirmed by the Office of Faculty Administrative Services and the FAS Dean’s Office.
5. Decision notification will be sent via email by January 2026.

Eligibility

FASTAP 2007

• Associate professors on term appointed under FASTAP 2007 are eligible for a one-year leave at full salary, called an Associate Professor Leave (APL), in the first or second academic year of their appointment at that rank, provided that the total number of semesters of pre-tenure research leave (whether paid or unpaid) does not exceed four, and that at least two semesters of full-time teaching in residence have elapsed since the last paid leave. 

FASTAP 2016

• Assistant professors appointed under FASTAP 2016 who have not yet undergone their reappointment review are eligible for up to two semesters of Initial Appointment Leave (IAL), typically to be taken during a single academic year during the second or third year of their initial appointments. Faculty conducting laboratory-based work may, with the approval of the academic unit and the FAS Dean, take one semester of their first leave during their first semester at Yale to set up their laboratory.  
• Assistant professors appointed under FASTAP 2016 who have been reappointed in their rank are eligible for up to two semesters of Post-Reappointment Leave (RAL) prior to their tenure review, typically to be taken during a single academic year during the fifth or sixth year on the tenure clock. The total number of semesters of leave taken prior to the tenure review (whether paid or unpaid) cannot exceed three.
• At the request of the candidate, and with the permission of the department/program and the FAS Dean’s Office, pre-tenure one-semester leaves may be taken as full-year, half-time teaching. 

Additional Information

Leave Timing

IAL - FASTAP 2016

Assistant professors are encouraged to take Initial Appointment Leave when it best advances their research programs. Except in unusual circumstances, we recommend taking the leave in the second or third year. This schedule allows the faculty member to become integrated into the academic unit and University and develop a strong teaching record before the first review. The FAS values high-quality teaching not only for its importance to our undergraduate and graduate students but also because it enriches the scholarship of our faculty members. In the sciences, where setting up a new laboratory may be time-consuming, assistant professors may wish to take one semester of the leave in their first semester at Yale for this purpose and take the remainder of their pre-tenure leave in a later year. Except in exceptional circumstances, a full-year leave should be taken over an academic rather than a calendar year, to allow the candidate to participate fully in the life of the University. 

RAL - FASTAP 2016

Faculty members who wish to take their Post-Reappointment Leave in the first year following reappointment (typically this would be year five, the final year of the first assistant professor appointment) must apply for the leave during the same academic year as the reappointment review. In such cases, the approval of the application will be offered contingent upon successful reappointment. Faculty members should not wait until the review is completed before applying for the Post-Reappointment Leave for the following year. 

External Funding

The FAS encourages non-tenured ladder faculty members applying for leave to also apply for external fellowships at the same time. Winning an external award is, of course, beneficial for one’s career, but even submitting such a proposal may raise a scholar’s visibility among the senior scholars in the discipline serving on awards committees. If a member of the FAS faculty who has been granted a paid leave is also successful in obtaining from outside sources any portion of the salary that they are eligible to receive from Yale for the term of that leave, one half of the resulting salary savings to the University up to $25,000 will be used to create an individual research account, which may be used for any legitimate research expenses. 

Review Process and Mentoring

The process of evaluating and reviewing leave proposals is an important component of a broader mentoring plan for non-tenured ladder faculty. We are grateful to the full professors of the FAS who dedicate energy and effort to implementing these leave procedures and who share a commitment to enhancing the scholarly productivity of our non-tenured colleagues. 

Faculty Handbook

Leave descriptions and policies are available in the Yale Faculty Handbook (section XX, Leaves of Absence and Teaching Relief: University-wide; section IV.L, Faculty of Arts and Sciences: Leaves). 

Please contact the FAS Dean's Office at fas.dean@yale.edu if you have questions or need additional information.

Best wishes,

Steven

Steven Wilkinson
Dean
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Yale University