Academic Policy  1435.40 

Off-Campus Duty Assignments

In alignment with University of Arkansas System Policies and Procedures 435.4, an Off-Campus Duty Assignment is an appointment, usually away from the campus, which allows eligible faculty and administrators to pursue an approved project while being relieved of teaching and administrative duties.  The purpose is to enhance the individual’s value to the University of Arkansas’s mission.

An Off-Campus Duty Assignment is a privilege, not a right. A limited number may be approved by the President each year upon the recommendation of the Department Head/Chair, Dean, Provost, Chancellor, and, if applicable, the Vice President for Agriculture (Agriculture only). Such assignments are made based on the merit and accomplishments of the person to be assigned and the significance of the work proposed.

Assignments should not exceed one semester at full salary or two semesters at half-salary for employees on nine-month appointments or six months at full salary or twelve months at one-half salary for employees on twelve-month appointments. The University assumes no financial responsibility beyond the salary and fringe stated above.

Tenured faculty members who have completed a minimum of six years of continuous full-time service with the University or who have completed a minimum of six years of continuous full-time service since a previous Off-Campus Duty Assignment may apply for an Off-Campus Duty Assignment.¹

While on an Off-Campus Duty Assignment, it is assumed that faculty are released from all teaching, service, and administrative responsibilities.  Therefore, faculty approved for an Off-Campus Duty Assignment cannot receive any other form of compensation from the University for work performed during the period of their assignment including but not limited to extra compensation or faculty incentive awards.

Off-Campus Duty Assignment proposals for the following fiscal or academic year are due from the Dean and the Associate Vice President(s) for Agriculture (Agriculture only) to the Office of the Provost by November 15. All such proposals from school or college faculty members should be collected and reviewed by a faculty committee, the Dean and the Associate Vice President(s) for Agriculture (Agriculture only) before submission as a group, along with a listing of proposals sent. The electronic list should include faculty member’s name, title, and department; dates of proposed OCDA, and title of proposed project. Recommendations from the Deans and the Associate Vice President(s) for Agriculture (Agriculture only) should indicate higher and lower priorities among the proposals and should be specific in describing how the assignments of the faculty member will be handled in their absence. Recommendations from the Department Head/Chair to the Dean and the Associate Vice President(s) for Agriculture (Agriculture only), when there is more than one applicant from a department, should also be sent forward with priority stated among them.

Faculty members should follow the Guidelines for Proposals for Off-Campus Duty Assignment (OCDA), Academic Policy 1435.40A, in preparing proposals.

Within 60 days after returning to campus from an Off-Campus Duty Assignment, the faculty member or administrator must submit a written report of their activities and accomplishments during the Off-Campus Duty Assignment using established procedures within their college.

In accepting an Off-Campus Duty Assignment, the recipient agrees to return to the University for at least one year following the end of the assignment.  Failure to return to the University for a full year following the end of the assignment will require the recipient to repay the University an amount equal to the salary and fringe received while on assignment.

¹ In rare cases, tenure-track faculty may, during the fall of their sixth year of continuous service at the University, apply for an Off-Campus Duty Assignment to be taken during their seventh year of continuous service at the University, and may be recommended to the President pending a positive tenure decision.

06/16/25
Reformatted for Web October 2, 2014
5/19/11