Professional Development Leave Applications for Instructional Faculty for AY2026–27

To: Full-time instructional faculty on multiyear appointments in the FAS and the MacMillan Center
Cc: FAS Department and Program Chairs; FAS Lead Administrators, Operations Managers, and Chair's Assistants; FAS Dean's Office; FAS Steering; Office of Faculty Administrative Services

Dear colleagues,

Full-time instructional faculty on multiyear appointments are invited to apply to take a one-semester Professional Development Leave (PDL) during the 2026–27 academic year. The deadline for PDL requests 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 chair and staff (chair’s assistant or equivalent). Your proposal should describe the project that will be undertaken during the leave and how it will advance your teaching and professional development and serve the teaching program of your academic unit. Your proposal must also include a well-developed methodology, and if applicable, research plan, including a calendar for the intended semester of leave.
2. Complete the Professional Development Leave Request Form within Interfolio once notified.
3. Your proposal will be reviewed by a leave request review committee in your academic unit, your chair, and the Teaching Resource Advisory Committee (TRAC). Proposals from lector-track faculty will also be reviewed by the Language Study Committee (LSC). 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.    
4. Decision notification will be sent via email by January 2026. 

Eligibility 

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 multiyear 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.5 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.

FAQs 

Please refer to the FAQs on the FAS website that offer helpful guidance regarding eligibility and leave proposal content. 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