OAA COVID-19 Updates


Faculty Campus Presense

Beginning Fall Quarter 2021, the expectation is that all faculty members, except for those on authorized sabbaticals or leaves, will return to campus. As stated in the Stanford Faculty Handbook, “It is important that members of the faculty be regularly available to students and colleagues, participating continuously in the educational programs of the University.” Any faculty member who wishes to request an exception to on campus presence policy must request to have their exception approved by their Department Chair, Dean, and Provost.

 

COVID-19 Health Emergency Tenure Clock Extension

In recognition of the serious academic and personal challenges posed by the COVID-19 viral pandemic, the Provost is granting automatic one-year extensions to the following faculty members:

  1. Untenured faculty who are University Tenure Line in tenure-accruing positions or who will be appointed to the faculty before 12/31/21 and for whom the Covid-19 Extension would not extend beyond the 10-year tenure clock. 
  2. Assistant Professors who are Non-Tenure Line - Research in fixed term renewable positions or who will be appointed to the faculty before 12/31/21.
  3. Assistant Professors in the University Medical Line in their first term of appointment or who will be appointed to the faculty before 12/31/21. As the standard University Medical Line Assistant Professor duration in rank is already 10 years, no such extension will be offered for those in their second term.

Departments do not need to submit FASA documentation. The Provost’s Office will directly process the extensions.

In effect, this extension will postpone the initiation of the review process by one year. The extension will not be granted if a faculty member’s promotion or reappointment process formally commenced prior to January 1, 2020, given that the work to be evaluated was done prior to the current pandemic. The promotion or reappointment process is deemed to commence on the date the Dean or Chair notifies the candidate in writing that the review process has begun. The extension will also not be granted to faculty who are in a terminal year appointment. As noted, the COVID-19 Tenure Clock Extension, though it extends the seven-year tenure clock deadline, does not extend the ten-year appointment clock deadline except by a Provostially-granted exception for extraordinary personal or institutional circumstances.

Faculty who wish to apply the COVID-19 extension outside of the current term should email their Chair and FAA. If the Chair agrees, the FAA should then forward the request to the OAA shared email inbox (som-professoriate@stanford.edu). Such exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Dean. Exceptions granted to future terms are done so pending the positive outcome of any reappointment review.

The extension will be granted unless the faculty member opts out: Faculty members who wish to opt out of the extension should fill out and attach Appendix I – Covid-19 Extension Opt-Out Request Form and submit it via email to their Chair and FAA (See FAQ for further details). If the Chair agrees, FAAs should submit the completed form to our shared email inbox (som-professoriate@stanford.edu).

The Provost’s Office will process the extensions by the end of the Fall quarter.  Currently, there is no deadline for opting out, but it must be before the official commencement of the promotion process.

COVID-19 Extension for Clinician Educators

In recognition of the serious academic and personal challenges posed by the COVID-19 viral pandemic, Clinical Assistant Professors are entitled to a one-year extension which we hope will alleviate stressors of working on a reappointment or promotion now.  If Clinical Assistant Professors and Chairs feel a COVID-19 Extension is needed the below procedure should be followed-

Procedure: FAAs should process requests for the COVID-19 Extension through the online FASA system before December 31, 2021.   The FASA form should also clearly note in the comments section that the extension request is for the COVID-19 emergency.

 

Leave Requests/International Travel in Response to COVID-19

In order to meet the directive set forth by the University, please ensure that all leave requests that include international travel have a start date of no earlier than June 1, 2020. Requests for exceptions must to be reviewed/approved by Vice Dean, Dr. Linda Boxer, and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity, Dr. Yvonne Maldonado.

Travel should be registered with the University. Given the uncertainty of the COVID-19, please note that there is the possibility that leave requests that include international travel must be postponed further based on any significant updates regarding the campus response to COVID-19.

You can also find the educational guidelines that the University and CDC has set for self-isolation when Faculty/Clinician Educator’s returning from their leave by clicking here.

 

COVID-19 Post-Pandemic Programs

The Post-Pandemic Research Quarter will allow untenured Assistant and Associate Professors in the UTL, Assistant Professors in the NTL-Research and in the UML to take a research quarter in the academic year 2021-22 or in subsequent years prior to tenure or promotion. UML Assistant Professors are allowed to divide the research quarter over two quarters if desired due to clinical responsibilities (this applies only to the UML).

The Post-Pandemic Research Quarter is not a sabbatical or a leave. Faculty will still be “on service” during the quarter but will be released from their usual teaching/service duties.

  • The Post-Pandemic Research Quarter provides “relief” to eligible faculty for teaching assignments.
  • The Post-Pandemic Research Quarter provides “relief” to eligible faculty for “service”, which encompasses departmental citizenship and other contributions to the departmental/school/university committees and activities.
  • The Post-Pandemic Research Quarter does not provide “relief” for administrative roles.
  • The Post-Pandemic Research Quarter does not provide “relief” for clinical care responsibilities.
    • Therefore, UML faculty may split their Post-Pandemic Research Quarter over 2 sequential quarters as they are unable to be fully dedicated to research because of their continuing clinical care responsibilities.
    • UTL faculty with clinical care responsibilities may not split their Post-Pandemic Research Quarter.

 

During this time, faculty will not be eligible to accrue towards sabbatical.  

  • If a UML activates their “quarter” over a larger span of time (partially over two consecutive quarters), their sabbatical accrual for the period will be adjusted to reflect partial accrual over both active quarters.

 

Who is eligible?

Untenured Assistant and Associate Professors in the UTL, who will not have received tenure before September 1, 2021, as well as Assistant Professors in the NTL-Research and in the UML can take this research quarter in the 2021-22 academic year or in subsequent years prior to tenure or promotion. Eligibility is limited to those whose tenure or promotion review process has not already begun and who are not on terminal year appointments. The Post-Pandemic Research Quarter will be available for faculty effective September 1, 2021. Junior faculty who have formally begun the tenure or promotion review process are ineligible to take the Post-Pandemic Research Quarter, but may be eligible for the additional sabbatical credit accrual after a positive outcome of the tenure or promotion review. Use of the research quarter is optional; there is no requirement to take it. 

SoM Procedure for Post-Pandemic Research Quarter

The Office of Academic Affairs must track all SoM faculty who use the Post-Pandemic Research Quarter. Eligible faculty who wish to take the research quarter should work with their department chair, and if applicable, division chief to determine a mutually agreed upon optimal time to minimize negative effects on teaching, clinical, and other programmatic needs. For faculty planning to take the Post-Pandemic Research Quarter, we ask departments to submit a transmittal memo to

som-leaves@stanford.edu with the following information: planned dates, planned research activities, list of responsibilities the faculty member will be released from and what arrangements have been made for them during the planned dates.  Please note, the transmittal memo must be signed by the department chair, and if applicable, division chief.

 

Additional Sabbatical Credit Accrual

Senior faculty in the professoriate lines will automatically receive an additional 12 service months toward sabbatical accrual in the 2021-22 academic year to help mitigate disruptions to their research programs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This provides an additional month of sabbatical accrual, pro-rated for the individual’s percent time of appointment. The additional sabbatical credit will be available for faculty use effective September 1, 2021.

Junior faculty who do not use the Post-Pandemic Research Quarter are eligible for the additional sabbatical credit accrual after tenure or promotion review.

Faculty who began their appointments at Stanford on or before September 1, 2020 and meet other eligibility requirements participate fully in the program. Faculty whose appointments began after September 1, 2020, will receive a pro-rata accrual based on the individual’s appointment start date.

Please note, exceeding the cap on sabbatical credit accrual is allowed only by Provostial exception. The Provost will consider exceptions to allow faculty to exceed the cap on sabbatical credit accrual so that they can receive the additional month of sabbatical accrual.

SoM Procedure for Requesting an Exception to Exceeding the Cap on Sabbatical Credit Accrual

To request an exception, we ask departments to submit a transmittal memo to som-leaves@stanford.edu with the following information: next planned sabbatical leave, explanation/justification as to why the faculty member should be able to accrue over the maximum sabbatical cap. If departments wish to request an exception for multiple faculty OAA will accept a blanket request.

We hope these programs will be helpful to our faculty. If you have any questions, please contact som-leaves@stanford.edu.  NOTE: The Provost’s Office released the following COVID Post Pandemic Programs FAQ available here.

 

Visa Information from Bechtel Website

Excerpt from Bechtel website:

With respect to individual faculty, staff, graduate student and postdoctoral scholar travelers, Stanford University strongly recommends against, but does not prohibit, travel to countries where the International SOS risk rating (either the medical risk or travel risk) is “High” or “Extreme,” or where there is other reliable information of significant health or safety risks  for either the country destination, or for the particular region or location of intended travel within the country destination, or where there is other reliable information of significant health or safety risks. To determine a location’s International SOS medical and travel risk ratings, To determine a location’s International SOS medical and travel risk ratings, please visit this page.

The final decision about making a trip to such a country is up to the individual making the trip, however the University reserves the right to require the execution of an appropriate release or waiver before permitting such travel.

 

SoM Process:

  • We (OAA) will review all requests, regardless of home country/current location of candidate. Recognizing that Bechtel is the office overseeing the visa process at Stanford, we will follow their advice/direction.
  • We (OAA) will add a comment to all FASA transactions (with corresponding visas) confirming that the appointment approval is contingent upon successful entry into the USA for the identified dates.
  • If the candidate is unable to come to Stanford and is canceling their visit, Departments should cancel the visa and notify OAA by email for the deletion of the approved appointment. If the candidate is changing the appointment period, a modify appointment should be submitted to OAA and an amendment to the visa should be submitted to Bechtel.