Faculty leaves disrupt continuity, refresh professor

Eminent scholars from around the world compete for the elite teaching positions offered by Yale. The reasons for competition are many--high prestige, good salaries, and excellent on-campus research facilities certainly contribute heavily to making the University an attractive place to work. One of the most unique, important, and often overlooked perks of being a Yale professor, however, is the University's policy on leave-taking.

Senior faculty members are granted leaves so they can dedicate a semester or a year to individual research projects or other academic pursuits. This work can involve research at other institutions or writing books about their findings at Yale. According to Professor Robin Winks, history department chair, "Leave is granted on the presumption that the University expects continued productivity of published scholarship, so people have to be given an opportunity to do something about it."

Yale allows professors to take leaves funded by the University or by other institutions, and grants senior faculty semester-long, fully-paid leaves every three years. Yale's leave policy differs drastically from the "sabbatical" programs many universities offer, which give faculty members every seventh year off, usually with only one-half or one-third salary. According to Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead, BR '68, GRD '72, the University prefers its leave system because "it's better to have faculty leave more frequently for shorter periods of time."

Electrical Engineering Professor Kumpati Narendra uses his triennial leave to travel through America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia to give lectures and attend conferences. "As a senior faculty member, I have lots of invitations [to foreign academic conferences], so I wait until my leave to visit these places," Narendra said.

Even junior faculty members, upon review, are eligible for paid leaves after three years of teaching. For example, the Morse Fellowship in the Humanities, a competitive year-long paid leave, enables a handful of junior faculty members to write books every year.

According to Assistant Professor of History Kevin Repp, who has been awarded the Fellowship, leaves for junior faculty are rare at most universities. "[The Morse Fellowship] is a terrific and rare fellowship, since in many places it's certainly not the rule for the junior faculty [to receive research opportunities]," Repp said. Junior faculty in the science departments also receive valuable research opportunities. "[Leaves] give junior faculty the opportunity to work in an industrial or lab environment," Narendra said. "That is very important for them."

Non-Yale-funded leaves are made possible by grants from foundations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities or paid visiting professorships at other leading universities. According to Professor Robert Johnston, director of undergraduate studies for the history department, Yale is usually eager to allow leaves funded by non-Yale grants since "a certain prestige is attached to them....They reflect well on the University."

To apply for any type of leave of absence, a professor must submit a request to the chair of his or her department stating the purpose and duration of the leave. After the chair considers the request, it is forwarded to the Leaves Committee, which includes the deans of both Yale College and the Graduate School. If the committee concludes that the department will not suffer by the professor's absence and the applicant has met the teaching requirement, the leave will be granted.

Many of Yale's most popular courses, especially those in the history and political science departments, are offered sporadically because professors take time away from Yale to focus on research. Johnston said that although the provost usually approves visiting professors to teach courses whose professors are on leave, "in the case of a specialized course or seminar, we're usually not able to."

The science departments face a similar situation. According to Narendra, faculty members who teach core courses discuss with the department chair who will cover them during their absence. Specialized science courses with smaller enrollments are postponed to the term when the professor returns.

Brodhead admitted that the continuity of departments' curricula is affected by leaves of absence. He noted, however, that faculty research opportunities are necessary and that enough professors remain to offset most of the losses. "The size of the Yale faculty assumes leaves of absence," Brodhead said. "It's a balance, but faculty members need to have the freedom to pursue their intellectual interests."

Repp agreed that leaves can have negative effects on the continuity of Yale's curriculum, but he believes they are ultimately beneficial for departments. "Leaves hurt continuity a little," he said. "But this is more than compensated for by the fresh point of view and renewed eagerness to teach which usually result." Repp called Yale's leave policy "a spectacular privilege that makes Yale a great place to be....It's an opportunity most people would die for."

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