Teaching Faculty Departmental Absence 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, the front office should also have their 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 speak with 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 are generally expected to be on campus 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 is 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.