CVPA Guidelines for Faculty Educational Leave Applications Submitted in AY 2025-2026 

Purpose

The College of Visual and Performing Arts at James Madison University offers Educational Leaves to provide faculty members with opportunities to expand their research and/or teaching abilities and/or to foster intellectual growth. The ultimate purpose of these leaves is to sustain vigor, especially in the College’s academic instructional programs, and to ensure that faculty members have the opportunity for professional development.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for an Educational Leave, a faculty member must meet the following qualifications:

1. The candidate must be a full-time faculty member or school director in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
2. The candidate must occupy a renewable term appointment (e.g. lecturer), a tenure-track position or have tenure at the time of application.
3. The candidate applying for the first time must be in at least the third year of full-time service at James Madison University.
4. A previous recipient of an educational leave must complete five full academic years of teaching before he or she is eligible for another leave. Those who last received a leave in 2024-2025 are eligible to apply for a leave for the 2030-2031 academic year.
5. The candidate must not be serving as a member of the College's Professional Development Committee.
6. The candidate must have the written endorsement of their academic unit head (AUH).

Application Submission Procedures

Written application for Educational Leave must be submitted on the attached forms and forwarded to the applicant’s school AUH in advance of the due date. The proposal must be reviewed and endorsed by the school director. The original application and endorsement must be submitted via email to the Interim Associate Dean no later than 4 pm on Friday, October 10, 2025. Only applications received by this date will be accepted for consideration by the CVPA Professional Development Committee.