One of the main objectives of the Office of Faculty Success (OFS) is to foster a collegial and inclusive campus environment where faculty can thrive. As a part of this initiative, we are kicking off a regular feature in the OFS newsletter – a caring and connecting corner. The month’s feature is on policies and procedures that help to support faculty who are adding to their family either through birth, adoption, or foster care. Last year, the Provost’s office, in collaboration with the Faculty Senate and HR, developed a new workload modification procedure that allows faculty to be released from any time-specific responsibilities during this time. Here is a link to the Faculty Workload Modification for Parental Leave as well as a form to request the modification – (embed here). All faculty on a 9 month appointment, are eligible. This, along with the potential to extend the probationary period for extraordinary circumstances (0 6.004 Faculty Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion, Section D) for tenure-track faculty, is just one way that UNT is demonstrating that it cares about the faculty and wants to help support work-life balance. Here is a link to the Stop-the-clock form - https://vpaa.unt.edu/sites/default/files/legacy/provost/Stop%20the%20Clock%20Final.pdf.
Stay tuned for more work-life balance events!