Professional Development Leave Applications for Instructional Faculty for AY2025-26

The FAS is instituting a change to the application timeline for instructional faculty Professional Development Leave (PDL) requests. This change is based on feedback the FAS Dean’s Office has received since the rollout of the earlier course registration timeline and will enable us to inform faculty members of leave decisions earlier in the academic year, aiding in departmental course planning.

This academic year, faculty members who submit a leave proposal before September 27, 2024, will receive a decision by January 2025. Faculty members may still submit their proposals after that date; decisions on proposals submitted after September 27 will be communicated on a rolling basis. All proposals must be submitted by November 8, 2024.

Beginning in academic year 2025-26, the deadline for all standard leave proposals will be in September. 

Overview

Full-time instructional faculty on multi-year appointments are invited to apply to take a one-semester Professional Development Leave (PDL) during the 2025-26 academic year. Faculty first become eligible to take a PDL after three years of full-time teaching service in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Applicants must continue to hold a multi-year appointment that extends through the academic year following the proposed leave. Faculty who have already taken a PDL become eligible for another such leave after an additional six years of full-time teaching. Policies and procedures governing these leaves are described in Section IV.L.4 of the Yale Faculty Handbook and on the FAS Dean’s Office website.

Goals

Yale values the contributions of instructional faculty to teaching our students and improving our academic departments and programs. Yale believes that PDLs improve the teaching program of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences by enhancing the professional development of its instructional faculty.  

Salary and Benefits

While on a PDL, faculty receive full salary and benefits and are relieved of all teaching and administrative responsibilities.  

FAQs

FAQs are available on the FAS website that offer helpful guidance regarding eligibility and leave proposal content.  

PDL Application Timeline

Eligible faculty members who are applying for PDL in the 2025-26 academic year who submit their CV and leave proposal by September 27, 2024, will receive their decision by January 2025. All leave proposals must be submitted by November 8, 2024.  

Leave Application Process

1. Early September: Academic unit (department/program) chairs appoint a committee of faculty to evaluate proposals for instructional faculty. 
2. Early September-November 8, 2024: The faculty member submits their current CV and a leave proposal to their academic unit chair and staff (chair’s assistant or equivalent). Applications must describe the proposed project and how it will advance the applicant’s teaching and professional development and serve the teaching program of the applicant’s department or program.  Proposals must also include a well-developed methodology and, if applicable, research plan, including a calendar for the intended semester of leave.   
3. Upon receipt of the CV and leave proposal, academic unit staff create a case in Interfolio using the template Professional Development Leave Request (Instructional Faculty) and the Sabbatical case type. Staff add the appointed review committee members to the relevant step of the case and upload the candidate’s leave proposal and CV. Staff share the Interfolio case with the faculty member so they can complete the Professional Development Leave Request Form within Interfolio.  
4. The review committee reviews the candidate’s materials in Interfolio and assesses the proposal’s strengths, weaknesses, and feasibility, and requests revisions if necessary. Staff must upload any revised proposal to the Interfolio case. Once the committee decides whether to endorse, the staff member forwards the case to the chair. 
5. If the chair chooses to endorse the proposal, they send a brief statement specifying the feasibility and prospective value of the proposed project to the staff member to upload to Interfolio. The staff member then forwards the case in Interfolio to the Office of Faculty Administrative Services (OFAS) for eligibility review. (The FAS Dean’s Office manages the case from this point forward.)   
6. Once endorsed by the academic unit and forwarded to OFAS, applications from Lectors and Senior Lectors will be reviewed for endorsement by the Language Study Committee (LSC).   
7. All endorsed proposals will be forwarded for final review to the Teaching Resource Advisory Committee (TRAC) which will render final decisions in time for 2025-26 course planning. TRAC will judge applications based on quality and feasibility and on the likelihood that the completed project would enhance the teaching program of the academic unit and advance the professional development of the applicant. A limited number of PDLs are available in any given year.   
8. After the leave proposal is reviewed by TRAC, a decision notification will be sent via email to the faculty member, academic unit chair, and relevant staff. Approved leaves will be automatically entered into Workday.