Staff Study Educational Leave of Absence

I. SCOPE

The policies and procedures provided herein apply to all George Mason University full-time and part-time (0.5 FTE or greater) classified staff and administrative and professional faculty. This policy applies to all George Mason University locations, owned, and leased.

II. POLICY STATEMENT

  1. Educational Leave of Absence

Classified Staff and Administrative and Professional Faculty, with one (1) or more consecutive years of service in a benefited positon at George Mason University, are eligible to apply for an educational leave of absence of up to twelve (12) months. Employees will receive partial pay for a certain number of months based on years of service (see chart in section III, procedures). State service time at other agencies will not be considered. Educational leave is designed to support the training or further education of employees. Employment as a wage or student employee does not qualify as credit towards the service requirement.

  1. Staff Study Leave of Absence

Classified Staff and Administrative and Professional Faculty, with seven (7) or more years of service in a benefited position at George Mason University, are eligible to apply for a paid staff study leave of absence of up to three (3) months. State service time at other agencies will not be considered. Staff Study leave is for the purpose of development of new competencies and skills, or for research and development of services, programs, or other initiatives which will benefit the University. Employees will receive full pay during the approved staff study leave. Employment as a wage or student employee does not qualify as credit towards the service requirement.

III. PROCEDURES

  1. Educational Leave

A. Application

The request can be submitted electronically or in writing to the department and should include the following:

  1. General Purposes of the Educational Leave
  2. Specific Plan of Activity
  3. Proposed dates of leave within the time frame listed in the chart below.

    Years of Service

    Amount of Pay

    Duration Leave with pay

    Duration Leave without pay

    1 Year 50% Up To 1 Month Up to an additional 11 months
    3 Years 50% Up To 3 Months Up to an additional 9 months
    5 Years 50% Up To 6 Months Up to an additional 6 months
  4. Any employee on approved educational leave with pay will be compensated at 50% of his/her approved salary during leave with pay. Employees may supplement 50% educational leave with other eligible leave e.g. annual leave. Contributions to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) or Optional Retirement Plans (ORP) and retirement credit will continue based on full salary as long as at least half salary is received. Health Insurance will continue with the employer contribution as long as the employee pays his/her premium. Life insurance and Administrative and Professional Faculty Long Term Disability with the Standard will continue for the duration of the leave.  Leave accruals will continue for the first 90 days of paid leave; after 90 days, leave accrual will stop.
  5. Employee on an approved educational leave without pay will not receive any retirement contributions.  Under the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), the employee would be eligible to purchase the retirement credit for an educational leave without pay up to a maximum of two years for each period of leave.  Health insurance may continue with the employee paying the full cost of the health insurance. Life insurance and Administrative and Professional Faculty Long Term Disability with the Standard will continue for the duration of the leave. Leave accrual will stop as soon as employee goes on leave without pay.
  6. Once approved, the department must forward a transaction form with a copy of the approved educational leave plan to Benefits in Human Resources & Payroll.
  7. Employees may apply for an additional educational leave one (1) year after the completion of the prior leave.

B. Compliance

  1. Supervisors and department heads must agree that the employee’s responsibilities can be accomplished during his/her absence and that departmental resources are available to cover any additional temporary operating costs associated with maintaining the existing level of departmental service during the absence of the employee.
  2. An applicant for an educational leave shall agree to return to University for a period twice the time of the approved leave; or, to refund the compensation paid by the University during the leave, unless this obligation is specifically waived or deferred by the University in writing. The reimbursement for the educational leave compensation will be prorated consistent with the portion of required service not completed.
  3. An individual on educational leave shall not provide personal service that will adversely affect, or in any manner compromise, the purposes for or the quality of the leave project. Any service for compensation, during such a leave, must be approved in advance by the appropriate vice president/provost.
  4. The university reserves the right to postpone or suspend an approved educational leave for cause, including but not limited to loss of institutional capacity to operate with the absence of the employee.

Staff Study Leave

A. Application

The request can be submitted electronically or in writing to the department and should include the following:

  1. General Purposes of the Staff Study Leave
  2. Specific Plan of Activity and Deliverable: The Specific Plan of Activity outlines how the purpose of the staff study leave is to be accomplished. The deliverable is the final outcome of the study leave, which may take the form of a report, proposal, or other format.
  3. Proposed Dates of Leave: A statement outlining the proposed dates of the leave and the potential flexibility of the start/end dates.
  4. Once approved, the department must forward a transaction form with a copy of the approved staff study leave plan to Benefits in Human Resources & Payroll.
  5. Employees may apply for an additional staff study leave three (3) years after the completion of the prior leave.
  6. Coverage may continue 12 months; in general, the employer pays no contribution and the employee pays the entire cost.

B. Compliance

  1. Supervisors and department heads must agree that the employee’s responsibilities can be accomplished during his/her absence and that departmental resources are available to cover any additional temporary operating costs associated with maintaining the existing level of departmental service during the absence of the employee.
  2. Any employee on approved staff study leave will be compensated at his/her approved salary during the term of the leave.  All fringe benefits will continue at the same cost to the University and the employee.
  3. An applicant for a staff study leave shall agree to return to University service for at least one (1) year following completion of the leave; or, to refund the compensation paid by the University during the leave, unless this obligation is specifically waived or deferred by the University in writing.  Generally speaking, in the event an employee leaves the employment of George Mason University prior to the completion of one year of post-study leave service, the reimbursement for the staff study leave compensation will be prorated consistent with the portion of required service not completed.
  4. An individual on staff study leave shall not provide personal service that will adversely affect, or in any manner compromise, the purposes for or the quality of the leave project.  Any service for compensation, during such a leave, must be approved in advance by the appropriate department head.
  5. The deliverable will be submitted to the appropriate department head within thirty (30) days of the completion of the staff study leave.
  6. The University reserves the right to postpone or suspend an approved staff study leave for cause, including but not limited to loss of institutional capacity to operate with the absence of the employee.

IV. RESPONSIBILITIES

The Provost; Sr. Vice President; Executive Vice President; Vice President for University Life; Vice President for Information Technology; Vice President for Development; Vice President for Compliance, Diversity, and Ethics; Vice President for University Relations; and Vice President for Operations will be responsible for selecting individuals for a staff study leave of absence with pay, in a manner that reflects an equitable allocation of these opportunities across entire spectrum of the University community.

Supervisors and deans and directors will have the responsibility to authorize and/or approve the availability of fiscal and operational support during the period of the leave of absence, and to forward the application to the appropriate vice president/provost.

The Associate Vice President of Human Resources & Payroll will be promoting and administering the administrative staff study leave program.

VI. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPROVAL

This policy is effective December 17, 2002. This Administrative Policy shall be reviewed and revised, if necessary, annually to become effective at the beginning of the University’s fiscal year, unless otherwise noted.

Approved:

__/S_____________________
Lester Arnold
Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Payroll

__/S_____________________
Mark R. Ginsburg
Provost and Executive Vice President

Date approved: December 18, 2002
Revised: June 11, 2021