Guidelines for Teaching Faculty Absences from the Department
- During the semester faculty members are expected to provide the front office with the following contact information; Lodging phone number, contact information at the conference site, etc. if available, and whether, or not, you expect to be able to access your email. It is fine to include this information in the comment section of the travel request form. For faculty with administrative assistants, it is important that the front office also have contact information in case your assistant is out of the office when we need to contact you. Every effort will be made to avoid having to contact you, however we may need to be able to reach you if something urgent arises.
- It is normally understandable and acceptable that a teaching faculty member could be absent for one week of classes during any semester due to professional travel obligations. However faculty will normally be expected not to be absent during the first and last week of classes.
- In exceptional circumstances, permission for a faculty member to miss a second week of classes during a semester will be possible. Every effort should be made to ensure that these two weeks are not consecutive.
- The restriction on length of professional travel is only during the semester. It is understood and expected that significant travel may be needed during the winter break and the summer for fieldwork, conferences and collaboration. For faculty with direct supervisory responsibility for research employees, we request that you also provide contact information for your travel during the winter term and summer.