Parental Leave for Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty

Information regarding can be found on the . Additional information can be found on the .

  • Tenured and tenure-track faculty members who will be the primary caregiver for their child may request one semester’s leave at full pay, using no sick leave, within twelve months of birth or adoption.
  • Two parental leaves at full pay, using no sick leave, are allowed under the policy. 
    • Per College guidelines, a third paid parental leave with full pay may be taken using accrued sick leave.
    • Once sick leave is exhausted, primary caregivers may continue this leave for the remainder of one semester and be paid at half-time.
    • Parental leaves subsequent to the third leave will be paid using accrued sick leave only, after which the leave may continue at no pay for the remainder of the semester. In cases of a third parental leave, the faculty member should complete the Request for Leave of Absence form.
  • If a faculty member utilizes family medical leave or parental leave during the tenure probationary period, and the leave period is of sufficient length that the faculty member’s performance cannot be appropriately evaluated during that period, the faculty member shall be granted a one-year extension of the tenure probationary period.  In accordance with , a faculty member may irrevocably elect, no later than six months following their return to full-time service, to have the leave time count as part of the tenure probationary period.  Such an election shall be made in writing and is subject to approval by the dean and the chancellor. 
    • If the tenure clock stop is accepted, a comprehensive review scheduled for Academic Year (AY) 2024-25 would be moved to AY 2025-26, and the mandatory promotion/tenure review would also move back by one year, from 2027-28 to 2028-29.
    • University policy stipulates that the tenure clock will be stopped only twice for parental leave purposes. However, even if the tenure clock stop is accepted, faculty may be reviewed for tenure during their original review year assuming their record meets the Regent's standards and department criteria.
  • The policy is meant to minimize the disruption of students' education that occurs when faculty must be replaced by another instructor. CEAS faculty should note that paid parental leave is not available during the summer when a faculty member's AY contract is not in effect.
  • It is the intention of the policy that faculty will arrange parental leaves, when possible, to coincide with the semester calendar.
  • The Family Medical Leave Act runs concurrently with parental leave, which is an unpaid form of job protection. Therefore, employees requesting parental leave must also complete Family Medical Leave forms. 
    • In addition to other eligible reasons that are not included here, Family Medical Leave may be taken by eligible employees for the following medical reasons: 
      • the birth and care of a newborn child
      • the placement and care of a child from adoption or foster care
      • care for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition; and
      • the employee's own serious health condition.
    • Officers and professional exempt staff, 9-month and 12-month faculty, and research faculty may receive up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of unpaid Family Medical Leave during a 12-month period, so long as they have been employed by the University for at least 12 months (employment for an academic year fulfills the 12-month requirement) and have worked at least 1,250 hours during the most recent 12-month period.
    • Eligibility is calculated based on a rolling 12-month period that begins with the end date of the most recent Family Medical Leave approval and moves backward over 12 months.

Procedures for Requesting Parental Leave

Faculty members applying for Parental Leave should do the following:

  • Contact the FMLA coordinators at fmla@colorado.edu to initiate the application process for Family Medical Leave Act coverage. The FMLA coordinators will guide the faculty member on all documentation required for FMLA coverage (if applicable). 
  • Contact ceashr@colorado.edu for a calculation of sick leave accrual balance. Tenured/Tenure Track: If the request is for a period of time over and above one semester at full pay or it is a third request for parental leave, the calculation of accrued sick leave balance is needed.
  • Upon official FMLA designation (if applicable) by the FMLA coordinators, the faculty member should complete the formal Request for Parental Leave – Tenured / Tenure-Track form and send it to their chair/director. 
    • Chair/Director reviews and approves the Request for Parental Leave and forwards the request to the unit HR Liaison and CEAS HR.  
  • CEAS HR reviews the request, completes the sick leave accrual balance section (if applicable), and submits it to the Dean for signature via DocuSign.
  • Once the Dean signs the Request for Parental Leave, the form is forwarded to the Office of Faculty Affairs for signature.  
    • Upon return, a copy of the final, approved request is submitted by CEAS HR to the unit HR Liaison, HR Service Center, FMLA team, and CEAS Sr. Director of Budget and Finance.  
    • Unit HR Liaison saves a copy to the personnel file, forwards a copy to the faculty member, and works with the HR Service Center.  
  • CEAS HR updates tracking sheets as applicable.