The University Senate of Michigan Technological University
Proposal 4-10
(Voting Units:
Academic and Staff)
"Entrepreneurial Leave Proposal"
Background/Rationale:
Michigan
Technological University’s Strategic Plan states that MTU should
“promote economic and social development and innovation in Michigan the nation,
and the world” (3.2). In order to accomplish
this, we should “encourage and support technology transfer and start-up
businesses emerging from faculty, staff, and student expertise and scholarly
activity.”
Faculty and staff have found our leave policy
structured in ways that hamper their ability to take advantage of opportunities
for entrepreneurial leadership. Currently,
our professional leave policy in the faculty handbook (chapter 4.2, see
appendix) requires professional leave to be full time. Some departments and
units would like the flexibility to pursue opportunities requiring only part-time
leaves. By comparison, the Staff
Handbook includes language that permits leave for professional development
(Section 3.6), but the language does not encourage entrepreneurial activities. Staff have created
valued companies like GSE, Signature, ThermoAnalytics,
etc.
More
flexible leave policies should allow faculty and staff part-time leave and will allow individuals and units to pursue certain
professional development, service, research, and entrepreneurial
activities. Entrepreneurial
activities, such as commercializing university intellectual property, clearly
provides institutional benefit and meets the university's mission to
enhance economic development in the state and region.
Provost
Seel explained that this is a basic housekeeping
issue, since individual faculty and chairs are already doing this using various
release time arrangements on a case-by-case and unit-by-unit basis. He also said that the administrative team’s
preferred option would be to highlight MTU’s entrepreneurial spirit by creating
a special category of leave for entrepreneurial activities.
The
Academic Policy Committee saw value in giving this flexibility to individual
departments as a way to reinforce existing practices with release time. There was less consensus
about privileging entrepreneurship over other types of professional development
or service. Many committee members saw
no reason why part-time leaves should be extended for entrepreneurial
activities, for example, but not sponsored research opportunities or
professional service to professional organizations. These committee members
felt that the current leave policy should be modified to include
entrepreneurship activities. That text
is included for reference in Appendix B.
Proposal:
It is
therefore proposed to either create an Entrepreneurial Leave Policy for the
Faculty Handbook. It is further
recommended that the University’s Administrative Team direct staff to revise
the Staff Handbook to include appropriate language.
Recommended text:
4.2.x
Entrepreneurial Leave
Leaves of absence not to exceed
one year may be granted to University employees to pursue entrepreneurial
activities. Such leaves may be full or part-time and are without pay. Employees
must meet normal university standards for benefit eligibility to retain
benefits while on entrepreneurial leave. These leaves must have the
recommendation of the Department Chair and approval of the Dean, the Provost
and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the President, with notification
to Human Resources. Renewals may be granted under special circumstances.
It is
further recommended that the senate adopt updated language for the current
leave policy (Faculty Handbook, 4.2 Professional Leave) by striking line last
line that refers to an outdated Board of Control policy: “(Board of Control
Policy 5.6.1)”
Appendix
A: Current
Language on Leave Policy
Faculty Handbook, 4.2 Professional
Leave
Leaves
of absence not to exceed one year may be granted to regular University
employees, to pursue graduate study, to gain professional experience in
industry, to engage in research sponsored by an agency other than the
University or for other purposes beneficial to the University and to the
professional stature of the individual. These leaves of absence are without pay
and must have the recommendation of the department chair and approval of the
dean, the Executive Vice President and Provost, and the President, with
notification to Human Resources. Renewals may be granted under special
circumstances. (Board of Control Policy 5.6.1)
(For
additional information regarding leaves of absence see Section 6.2,
"Leaves/Absences.")
Staff Handbook, 3.6: Professional
Development Leave
A
Professional Development Leave may be granted to regular, full-time, exempt,
non-faculty, non-represented staff who are more than one echelon below a Vice
President. The leave is not to exceed one year, and may be granted to eligible
employees for the purpose of pursuing graduate study, maintaining professional
expertise, engaging in research sponsored by an agency other than the
University, or for other purposes beneficial to the University and to the
professional stature of the individual. The leave is intended for employees
with at least three years of continuous employment at Michigan Tech. There
should be at least one year between Professional Development Leaves. The leave
provides for benefits to continue at no additional cost to the person on leave.
Staff may not accept full-time employment outside the employment proposed in
the leave application. Employees agree to return to Michigan Tech upon
completion of the leave for a period equal to the length of the leave.
For more information or to obtain an application for Professional Development Leave, contact the Benefits Office in Human Resources.
Appendix B:
Current Leave Policy,
modified to include Entrepreneurial Leave (changes in bold italic print,
strikethrough text removed):
4.2
Professional/Entrepreneurial Leave
Leaves
of absence not to exceed one year may be granted to regular University
employees, to pursue graduate study, to gain professional experience in
industry, to engage in research sponsored by an agency other than the
University, pursue entrepreneurial activities or for other
purposes beneficial to the University and to the professional stature of the
individual. These leaves of absence may be full or part time and are
without pay and must have the recommendation of the department chair and
approval of the dean, the Executive Vice President and Provost, and the
President, with notification to Human Resources. Renewals may be granted under
special circumstances. (Board of Control Policy 5.6.1)
Reintroduced to
Senate with editorial changes: February 10, 2010
Adopted by Senate: February 10, 2010
Approved by Administration with editorial change: February 23, 2010
Became Senate Policy 906.1