Approved November 2013 by the Mathematics Department Advisory Committee and the Dean of CLAS, updated August 2017 to align with Faculty Handbook renumbering

Introduction and Rationale

Section 3.03.A of the Faculty Handbook reads:

Faculty members are responsible for meeting all classes for which they are scheduled. If faculty members are absent from teaching responsibilities due to illness, they should notify their unit heads and arrange for their students to be so informed at the beginning of the scheduled class meeting. In those cases where absences can be anticipated, approval for such absences must be obtained from the unit head and the Dean. The faculty members are then responsible for arranging for substitutes or otherwise covering their teaching assignments.

The purpose of this policy is to clarify the expectations of Mathematics Department faculty with regard to these requirements.

Approval and Documentation of Anticipated Absences

1. No prior approval is necessary for routine absences of three days or less for the purposes of professional travel such as attending conferences.  Approval is automatically granted in these situations.
2. Any absences for professional travel that require missing more than three days of classes, or any absences for documented personal reasons that involve missing more than two days of classes, must be approved in advance by the Unit Head, and, for extended absences, by the Dean.
3. ALL absences that involve missing one or more classes must be documented via e-mail with the administrative staff in the Mathematics Department, including details of the arrangements made for class coverage during the time of the absence.