Academic leaves of absence are intended to benefit the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester by strengthening the creative activity and research productivity of tenured or tenure-eligible faculty members, and they ultimately require the Provost’s approval following a recommendation of the department chair, the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, and the Dean.
The following guidelines apply to academic leaves of absence. This information does not apply to requests for personal leaves. Information is also available in the Faculty Handbook. Please note that application dates have now changed. See below.
Academic Leave of Absence – Guidelines
Application for Academic Leave of Absence, Part I – Faculty Applicant
Application for Academic Leave of Absence, Part II – Chair Recommendation
Academic leave of Absence applications should be approached with the same seriousness of purpose and rigor that would be applied to any grant application. Academic Leaves of Absence are intended to benefit the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester by strengthening the creative activity and research productivity of tenured or tenure-eligible faculty members. An academic leave recognizes the importance to faculty of having time for scholarship and creative work but is not an entitlement and must be proposed and reviewed by administrators at various levels. The process includes a sequence of reviews by the Eastman department chair, the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, the Dean, and the Provost of the University.
Application Deadlines:
- Full time faculty members who are interested in applying for an Academic Leave of Absence during the 2025-2026 year must submit the required Application for an Academic Leave of Absence – Part I together with attachments to their Department Chair by September 6, 2024.
- The Department Chair must submit the faculty Application for an Academic Leave of Absence – Part I with appendages together with recommendations on the Application for an Academic Leave of Absence – Part II to Cody Norling (cnorling@esm.rochester.edu) by September 27, 2024.
Talk to Your Colleagues:
The experience of taking a leave was important to several of your faculty colleagues during the previous academic year, and you are encouraged to consider conversations not only with your department chairs but also with any of the following people who were on leave for various portions of 2022-23 or 2023-24. They have submitted reports of their leave activity, which clearly demonstrate that this was a significant opportunity for each of them. The Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs is also available to have a discussion about your ideas and your proposed schedule for a leave.
2022-23
Michael Burritt
Roger Freitas
John Kapusta
Mark Kellogg
Sarah Marlowe
George Taylor
Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon
2023-24
Michael Anderson
Jonathan Baldo
Nicole Cabell
Nicholas Goluses
Revised, July 2024