General Criteria for Consideration

1. The work supports a College or Academic Affairs priority. The activity should have a clear connection to the College's academic mission, strategic priorities, student success, regulatory requirements, or institutional responsibilities.

2. The responsibilities are substantial and extend beyond normal faculty expectations. The scope and anticipated time commitment should be significant enough that the work cannot reasonably be completed as part of the faculty member's normal professional responsibilities.

3. The work requires faculty expertise or leadership. The responsibilities should appropriately require disciplinary expertise, academic leadership, coordination, or professional qualifications of a faculty member.

4. The requested release time is proportional to the workload. The amount requested should reasonably correspond to the documented responsibilities, deliverables, and anticipated time commitment.

5. Specific outcomes or deliverables are identified. The request should identify what will be accomplished during the period of release time and, when appropriate, establish measurable deliverables or milestones.

6. The assignment has a defined duration. Release time should normally be approved for a specific academic term or academic year. Continued release time should require review and renewed approval based on demonstrated need.

6. The release will not create an unreasonable instructional or operational impact. Consideration should be given to course coverage, program needs, faculty availability, enrollment, and the cost associated with replacing the released instructional load.

Categories Eligible for Consideration

The following activities may be considered for non-department chair faculty release time.

1. Program Creation and Development

Release time may be considered when a faculty member is leading or substantially contributing to the development of a new degree program, certificate, concentration, specialization, or other significant academic offering or workforce credential.

Consideration may include:

• Scope and complexity of the proposed program
• Number of courses requiring development or revision
• Curriculum development and approval responsibilities
• Workforce or transfer-partner engagement
• State, accreditation, or regulatory requirements
• Development of program documentation
• Anticipated timeline and deliverables

NOTE: Routine course or curriculum maintenance would not normally qualify for release time.

2. Art Gallery and Music Recital Responsibilities

Release time may be considered for faculty who have substantial responsibility for coordinating College-sponsored art galleries, exhibitions, musical performances, recitals, or similar academic and cultural programming.

Consideration may include:

• Number and frequency of events
• Scope of faculty responsibility
• Student participation and supervision
• Event preparation and coordination requirements
• Community engagement responsibilities
• Evening or weekend commitments
• Collegewide or campus impact

NOTE: Participation in individual performances or exhibitions alone would not normally constitute sufficient justification for release time.

3. Accreditation Preparation

Release time may be considered when a faculty member has significant responsibility for preparing a program or discipline for specialized or programmatic accreditation, reaffirmation, substantive review, or other required accreditation activity.

Consideration may include:

• Role of the faculty member in the accreditation process
• Complexity of the accreditation requirements
• Preparation of self-studies, reports, evidence, or other documentation
• Data collection and analysis responsibilities
• Coordination of faculty and stakeholder participation
• Preparation for site visits
• Significance and timing of accreditation deadlines

NOTE: Release time should generally correspond to periods of significant accreditation activity rather than automatically continuing throughout the accreditation cycle.

4. Internship/Externship Coordination

Release time may be considered when a faculty member has substantial responsibility for coordinating, supervising, or administering student internships, externships, or clinical experiences, beyond normal instructional expectations.

Consideration may include:

• Number of participating students
• Number and location of placement sites
• Employer or site coordination responsibilities
• Required site visits
• Student supervision and evaluation
• Compliance, documentation, or reporting requirements
• Development and maintenance of employer partnerships
• Accreditation or regulatory requirements associated with placements

NOTE: Consideration should distinguish between responsibilities already included within the assigned instructional workload and additional coordination responsibilities.

5. Curriculum Committee Chair Duties

Release time may be considered for faculty serving as Chair of the Curriculum Committee when the scope and volume of committee responsibilities warrant an adjustment to instructional workload.

Consideration may include:

• Volume and complexity of curriculum proposals
• Meeting preparation and facilitation
• Coordination with Academic Affairs and other College offices
• Review and follow-up associated with curriculum actions
• Faculty consultation and communication
• Collegewide responsibilities associated with the role

6. Honors College Liaison Duties

Release time may be considered for faculty assigned significant responsibilities supporting the Honors College or Honors programming.

Consideration may include:

• Number of students, courses, or faculty supported
• Recruitment and student engagement responsibilities
• Coordination of Honors activities and programming
• Faculty support and communication
• Advising or mentoring responsibilities beyond normal expectations
• Collegewide or campus-specific coordination responsibilities
• Required reporting, assessment, or program-development activities

7. Other

Release time may be considered for responsibilities not specifically identified above when the requesting dean determines that the activity represents a significant institutional or academic need.

The request should clearly demonstrate:

• Why the activity is necessary
• How it advances the mission or priorities of Academic Affairs or the College
• Why the work cannot reasonably be completed within normal faculty responsibilities
• Why faculty expertise is required
• The expected workload and duration
• Specific outcomes or deliverables

NOTE: The "Other" category should be used for exceptional or emerging responsibilities and should not establish an automatic precedent for future release time.

Preliminary Vetting, Request, and Approval Process

All non-department chair faculty release time requests must be vetted prior to submission for formal approval. Preliminary vetting is intended to determine whether the proposed assignment is appropriate for release-time consideration and whether the scope of the work reasonably supports the amount of release time being contemplated.

Step 1: Preliminary Vetting

Before a formal request is submitted, the appropriate academic dean should review the proposed assignment and determine whether it warrants consideration for release time. The preliminary vetting should consider:

• Whether the activity falls within one of the approved categories for consideration
• Whether the work represents a demonstrated College, program, or student need
• Whether the responsibilities substantially exceed normal faculty expectations
• Whether release time is the appropriate mechanism for supporting the work
• Whether the proposed amount of release time appears reasonable in relation to the anticipated workload (See *Determination of Release Time Points below)
• Whether release time is treated consistently across disciplines, programs, and campuses
• Whether the work can reasonably be accomplished through another mechanism
• The potential impact on course scheduling, instructional coverage, and students
• The anticipated fiscal impact of providing the release

NOTE: Preliminary vetting does not constitute approval of release time. It determines only whether the request should move forward for formal consideration. If the proposed assignment does not meet the threshold for consideration, the dean should address the matter before a formal request is submitted.

*Determination of Release Time Points

The number of release time points associated with an approved request will be determined based on the demonstrated need, scope, complexity, and workload of the assignment.

In determining the appropriate number of points, consideration may be given to the anticipated time commitment, number of students or faculty supported, level of coordination

required, regulatory or accreditation requirements, expected deliverables, duration of the assignment, institutional impact, and other relevant factors.

Step 2: Formal Request

Following successful preliminary vetting, a formal Non-Department Chair Faculty Release Time Request may be submitted through the established Academic Affairs process.

• Faculty member's name, academic discipline/program, and campus or organizational unit
• Academic term(s) requested
• Applicable release-time category
• Amount of release time requested
• Detailed description of responsibilities
• Estimated workload and time commitment
• Expected outcomes, milestones, and deliverables
• Explanation of why the responsibilities exceed normal faculty expectations
• Instructional impact and proposed course coverage, when applicable
• Funding source or estimated replacement cost, when applicable
• Dean's recommendation and confirmation that preliminary vetting has occurred

Step 3: Academic Affairs Review and Approval

Vetted requests will be reviewed through the established Academic Affairs approval process. Final approval should consider:

• Institutional need and strategic alignment
• Scope, complexity, and duration of the assignment
• Reasonableness of the number of release time points requested in relation to the demonstrated need, scope, complexity, and workload of the assignment.
• Expected outcomes and deliverables
• Equity and consistency with comparable assignments
• Previous release time provided for the activity, if applicable
• Instructional and operational impact
• Availability of instructional coverage
• Fiscal impact and available resources

NOTE: Submission of a vetted request does not guarantee approval. Release time is contingent upon final authorization through the established Academic Affairs approval process.

Step 4: Renewal and Continued Release Time

Release time should normally be approved for a defined term or academic year and should not automatically continue from one approval period to the next. Requests for renewal should undergo the same vetting and approval process and should include:

• Accomplishments from the previous release period
• Status of previously identified deliverables
• Remaining work to be completed
• Rationale for continued release time
• Any proposed change in the amount of release time

Continued release time should be based on demonstrated need and documented progress rather than prior approval alone.