Off-Campus Duty Assignments
Off-Campus Duty Assignment Request Form (MS Word)
Departmental Impact Statement Form for OCDAs (MS Word)
The UALR Faculty Handbook and Universitywide Administrative Memorandum 435.4 gives information concerning eligibility and procedures regarding off-campus duty assignments.
The purpose of an off-campus duty assignment is to enhance the individual’s value to the institution, and such assignments are usually very beneficial to the individual. Applicants must have completed six-years of continuous service at UALR in order to be eligible for off-campus duty assignments. Applicants for successive off-campus duty assignments must have completed six years of continuous service at UALR since the last off-campus duty assignment, however, off-campus duty assignments are not automatic after six years of continuous service but must be judged meritorious. They must also be judged feasible by the University and the unit immediately affected. In practice, a key point is that the college/school/department must be able, within their budgets and personnel resources, to provide necessary replacement personnel.
Under University policy, within 60 days after returning to campus from an off-campus duty assignment, the faculty member or administrator must submit a written report on activities and accomplishments during the off-campus duty assignment. This report is submitted to the department chair for review and forwarded through administrative channels. In addition, a recipient of an off-campus duty assignment is expected to submit quarterly progress reports and should expect to participate in colloquia or other reporting formats arranged to maximize the benefit of the off-campus duty assignment to the person and to the University.
Off-campus duty assignments which involve a significant change in setting are more likely to serve the intended purpose than are those in the local setting. Therefore, out-of-town settings are generally viewed more positively.
Just as grants cannot be used to raise one’s own salary, off-campus duty assignments, which are performed on University time (paid leave), are not to be vehicles for raising one’s own salary. Accepting another compensated position, although sometimes suitable, can be inconsistent with the purposes intended by the Board of Trustees. Off-campus duty assignments, most emphatically, are not to be used to secure time off for building a house, developing one’s private business, taking an extended vacation, or otherwise pursuing interests other than those related directly to the approved project or activity.
Timetable for Off-Campus Duty Assignment Requests
| Activity | Completion Date |
|---|---|
| 1. Faculty member eligible for consideration for off-campus duty assignment completes form and submits request to department. | Date to be established by college/school/library |
| 2. Department acts on application and forwards recommendation to Dean. | Date to be established by college/school/library |
| 3. Dean acts on applications and forwards recommendations to Provost. | February 8 |
| 4. Provost acts on applications and forwards recommendations to Chancellor. | To be determined |
| 5. Chancellor acts on applications and forwards recommendations to President. | To be determined |
| 6. President acts on applications and OCDA is approved or disapproved. | To be determined |
Notes:
The UALR Faculty Handbook and Universitywide Administrative Memorandum 435.4 give information concerning criteria and procedures concerning off-campus duty assignments.