It provides paid leave for faculty members to care for a newborn or newly placed child, ensuring that they can take time off without compromising their career.

To be eligible for Paid Parental Leave, faculty members must:

• Be full-time, tenure-track, or tenured faculty members at Southwestern University.

• Not be on a short-term or visiting appointment.

• Be the parent of a child who has been born, adopted, or placed through foster care during the leave period.

• Faculty would be eligible upon hire.

Faculty members may also be eligible for FMLA requirements, which include:

• At least 12 months of service at Southwestern University.

• A minimum of 1,250 hours worked during the 12 months prior to the leave.

FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act):
FMLA is a federal law that provides eligible employees with up to 16 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons, including the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. To qualify for FMLA, employees must meet specific eligibility requirements, such as having worked for the employer for at least 12 months and 1,250 hours during the past year. FMLA provides job protection but is typically unpaid, though employees may use accrued paid leave (e.g., sick or vacation days) during this time.

Paid Parental Leave:
Paid Parental Leave (PPL) is a specific benefit offered by the employer to support employees after the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Unlike FMLA, PPL provides paid time off, usually for a specific number of weeks (e.g., six weeks). While it may run concurrently with FMLA, Paid Parental Leave ensures that employees continue to receive their full salary during their leave, unlike FMLA, which is generally unpaid unless the employee uses accrued leave. PPL is typically only available for eligible employees under specific conditions and may differ by employer.

In summary, FMLA provides job protection for up to 16 weeks of unpaid leave, while Paid Parental Leave offers paid time off, often for a shorter duration, specifically for parental responsibilities.

Eligible faculty members are entitled to up to six (6) weeks of Paid Parental Leave. This leave must be used within 16 weeks of the birth, adoption, or foster care/kinship placement of a child.

Yes. You can choose to take your leave as:

• Six consecutive weeks of full-time leave.
• Or, a reduced work schedule for up to 16 weeks (for example, teaching one course instead of a full load).

If you request a reduced schedule, you must submit a proposed work plan for approval by the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and your department chair.

Yes, Paid Parental Leave will be paid at 100% of your base salary during the leave period. You will also continue to receive full benefits, including health, dental, and vision, while on leave.

Yes, Paid Parental Leave (PPL) will run concurrently with FMLA for eligible faculty members. FMLA provides up to 16 weeks of job-protected leave, with the first six weeks covered as paid leave under this policy.

If additional leave is required beyond the six weeks of Paid Parental Leave, you may use a combination of accrued leave or unpaid leave. Non-teaching duties may also be arranged to extend your leave if you are unable to return to teaching responsibilities. Please note that full pay is not guaranteed for the entire semester.

You must provide legal documentation (e.g., birth certificate, adoption decree, foster care placement document) within 30 days of the qualifying event (birth, adoption, or foster care placement) or as soon as it becomes available.

Faculty members should submit a written request to the VPAA at least 5-6 months in advance of the anticipated leave date. In cases of unexpected circumstances (e.g., premature birth, emergency foster placement, or adoption finalization), please notify the VP and Human Resources as soon as possible.

If you need additional time beyond the six weeks of Paid Parental Leave and any accrued leave, this will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Arrangements to continue leave to the end of the semester can be arranged.

Faculty leave should be scheduled during a semester when the faculty member is teaching only two courses. This helps minimize disruption to academic responsibilities and ensures continuity in course delivery. Additionally, it makes it easier to identify other duties that can be assigned to extend the leave period throughout the semester.

No, taking Paid Parental Leave will not negatively impact your tenure or promotion eligibility. If you are tenure-track, you may request a tenure clock extension of up to one year for each leave event, to be made within one year following your return to work. The extension will be granted unless there are exceptional institutional concerns, which will be communicated to you in writing.

No, Paid Parental Leave cannot be donated to another employee.

The VPAA is responsible for reviewing and approving Paid Parental Leave requests. Human Resources will assist in tracking your leave and ensuring that all documentation is collected and properly filed.

No, Paid Parental Leave can only be used for either adopting a child or fostering a child, but not both for the same child. If PPL is used for fostering, it cannot be used again for adopting the same child.

No, the use of Paid Parental Leave will not affect your eligibility for sabbatical leave.

For further information or assistance with requesting Paid Parental Leave, faculty members can contact Human Resources at hr@southwestern.edu or visit the Human Resources webpage.

Faculty Member: Dr. Jane Smith, Assistant Professor of Biology

Event: Birth of a child

Details:

• Dr. Smith is a full-time, tenure-track faculty member at Southwestern University. She is expecting the birth of her child in early August.
• Dr. Smith submits her request for Paid Parental Leave in February, well in advance of the birth.
• She is eligible for six weeks of Paid Parental Leave, which she plans to take as six consecutive weeks starting in August, following the birth.

Outcome:

• Dr. Smith will take six weeks of Paid Parental Leave from early August to mid-September, receiving full pay and benefits during this time.
• Her leave will run concurrently with FMLA, allowing her to take up to 16 weeks of total leave (six weeks paid, six weeks unpaid if needed) under FMLA, using any accrued leave or taking unpaid leave for the remaining weeks.
• Her tenure clock will not be negatively impacted, and she may request an extension of up to one year on her tenure timeline.

Faculty Member: Dr. Thomas Reed, Associate Professor of History

Event: Adoption of a child

Details:

• Dr. Reed is a tenured faculty member at Southwestern University.
• He is adopting a 2-year-old child from another country and expects the child’s arrival in early September.
• He requests Paid Parental Leave, which will begin immediately after the child arrives in September.
• Dr. Reed wishes to take a reduced work schedule for up to 16 weeks, teaching only one course instead of his usual full load to adjust to his new parental responsibilities.

Outcome:

• Dr. Reed will receive six weeks of Paid Parental Leave, starting in September. He will continue receiving his full salary and benefits during this time.
• Since he is on a reduced work schedule for 16 weeks, his proposed work plan is reviewed and approved by the VPAA and his department chair.
• Dr. Reed can use additional leave (accrued sick/vacation time or unpaid leave) for any time beyond the six weeks of paid leave.

Faculty Member: Dr. Sarah White, Associate Professor of English

Event: Birth of twins

Details:

• Dr. White is a tenure-track faculty member at Southwestern University and has been at the university for five years.
• She is expecting twins in early October.
• Dr. White submitted her request for Paid Parental Leave in advance, expecting to use six weeks of leave starting in early October.
• Although Dr. White is having twins, the birth event is still considered one qualifying event under the policy.

Outcome:

• Dr. White will take six weeks of Paid Parental Leave from early October through mid-November. Seeing that she has been at the university for 5 years, she will have access to 3 months of leave per the faculty sick leave policy, covering her leave for the remainder of the semester.
• She will not receive additional parental leave for the birth of twins. The leave is only granted once per birth/adoption event, regardless of the number of children born or adopted.

Faculty Member: Dr. Michael Carter, Assistant Professor of Sociology

Event: Foster care placement of a child

Details:

• Dr. Carter is a full-time, tenure-track faculty member and has recently been approved to provide foster care for a child under the age of three.
• He expects the foster child to arrive in early February and requests Paid Parental Leave to help with the transition.
• He plans to take six consecutive weeks of leave immediately following the placement.

Outcome:

• Dr. Carter is eligible for six weeks of Paid Parental Leave under the policy, which will start in early February.
• Dr. Carter will receive full pay and benefits during the leave period, and his leave will be treated as running concurrently with any potential FMLA leave, if applicable.
• If additional time is needed beyond the six weeks of paid leave, Dr. Carter may request additional unpaid leave.

Faculty Member: Dr. Laura Green, Professor of Chemistry

Event: Acting as a gestational carrier for a child

Details:

• Dr. Green is a tenured faculty member and has agreed to be a gestational carrier for a friend’s child.
• The child is expected to be born in early December.
• Dr. Green plans to take leave to recover after the birth and to support the intended parents, but since she is only acting as a gestational carrier and has no legal parental claim to the child, she is not eligible for Paid Parental Leave.

Outcome:

• Dr. Green will not be eligible for Paid Parental Leave under this policy, as the policy specifically excludes employees acting solely as gestational carriers or reproductive donors.
• Dr. Green may still apply for other leave options (e.g., FMLA. sick leave) if she needs time off following the birth, but it will not be covered under the Paid Parental Leave policy.

Faculty Member: Dr. James Lee, Associate Professor of Physics

Event: Unexpected premature birth

Details:

• Dr. Lee is a full-time, tenure-track faculty member expecting his first child in late April.
• However, his child is born prematurely in early March, requiring immediate care.
• Dr. Lee had planned for Paid Parental Leave in April, but now needs to request leave on short notice due to the early birth.

Outcome:

• Dr. Lee is eligible for Paid Parental Leave and can take the leave immediately after the birth, even though it is earlier than originally planned.
• He will receive six weeks of Paid Parental Leave starting from the birth in early March, ensuring he can care for his newborn child.
• Dr. Lee will notify the VP for Academic Affairs and Human Resources as soon as possible and provide the necessary documentation (e.g., birth certificate) within the required 30 days.

Dr. Jane Smith, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, has taken parental leave following the birth of her child. She will exhaust 6 weeks of parental leave and has only a month (4 weeks) of paid leave remaining. Dr. Smith works with Academic Affairs to establish an extension of non-teaching duties, allowing her to extend her leave for an additional 6 weeks, through the end of the semester.

During this extension, Dr. Smith continues to contribute to the department in a reduced capacity by engaging in non-teaching duties.

These include:

• Advising: Dr. Smith continues to provide academic advising to her graduate students via email and virtual meetings, helping them with course selection, research plans, and thesis progress.
• Committee Work: She participates in departmental meetings and contributes to a university-wide curriculum committee through virtual meetings, providing input on upcoming course offerings and helping shape new academic initiatives.
• Research: Dr. Smith uses the additional leave time to complete the data analysis for an ongoing research project. She schedules virtual collaboration sessions with her research team and prepares draft sections of an upcoming paper for publication.

In consultation with Academic Affairs, the department works with Dr. Smith to tailor these duties to her reduced availability while ensuring she continues to contribute meaningfully to the department’s academic and research goals. This arrangement allows her to extend her leave while maintaining her connection to the department, and the reduced teaching load is compensated with a partial reduction in pay based on her level of non-teaching responsibilities.

Non-Teaching Duties:

Possible non-teaching duties that faculty members may engage in during their leave period or as part of their regular responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Advising Students
   • Academic advising
   • Mentoring an honors project
   • Mentoring research students
2. Committee Work
   • Departmental service
   • University-wide governance committees (e.g., curriculum, diversity, or research committees)
3. Research Activities
   • Ongoing research projects or collaborations
   • Writing or reviewing scholarly articles or grants
4. Administrative Roles
   • Serving as a program director or coordinator
   • Managing department or school-level initiatives
   • Oversight of departmental budgets or resources
5. Curriculum Development
   • Designing or revising course materials or curricula
   • Preparing syllabi
   • Updating or reviewing course catalogs
6. Faculty Development
   • Participating in professional development workshops or training
   • Organizing or leading faculty training sessions
   • Mentoring junior faculty or conducting peer reviews
7. Service to the Institution
   • Representing the department or faculty on university boards or advisory groups
   • Assisting in university recruitment or orientation activities
   • Contributing to accreditation or institutional assessment efforts

Academic Affairs will work on a case-by-case basis to establish the most appropriate responsibilities for the faculty member.