Fulbright Leave Policy

• SCHOLARLY REASSIGNMENT
  • A scholarly reassignment is an assignment that is requested by the faculty member for the purpose of permitting the faculty member to engage in activities that are not part of his or her normal academic assignments and that are designed to enable them to concentrate their efforts in special areas of scholarly interest 
  • Scholarly reassignment must be supported by the department head and approved by the dean 
• ELIGIBILITY
  • Full time tenured and tenure-track faculty members and permanent full-time, benefits eligible professional faculty with 0 .75 FTE or greater are eligible.
• PROCEDURES
  • The faculty member requests scholarly reassignment by submitting a Scholarly Reassignment Form to the Department Head. 
  • The Form must include a statement describing the expected benefits from the reassignment to the university. 
  • If the Department Head supports the request, the Head forwards the Scholarly Reassignment Form to the Dean with a recommendation for approval. The Dean shall review the request and recommendation of the Department Head and notify the faculty member and the Department Head as to whether the request is approved. 
  • Departments must complete the Processing Scholarly Reassignments in the Human Resources system to ensure timely reporting and dissemination of benefits information.
• TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF APPROVED SCHOLARLY ASSIGNMENTS OFF CAMPUS
  • An academic year (9 month) faculty member may be granted a scholarly reassignment for one semester at full salary or for one academic year at half salary.
  • A fiscal year (12 month) faculty member may be granted a scholarly reassignment for 6 months at full salary or for 12 months at half salary.
  • During the period of paid scholarly reassignment, the faculty member’s salary from the university may not exceed his/her regular full-time salary. Funds obtained by the faculty member for travel, per diem, housing, and similar expenses are not considered salary. Exceptions to the cap on salary may be approved by the Dean in cases where a prestigious scholarship, fellowship or program provides a salary exceeding the faculty member’s regular full time salary.
  • By the end of the semester following the faculty member’s return, he or she must prepare and submit a written report to their department head describing the activities undertaken during the scholarly reassignment, and prepare and present a seminar to the department, college, or university community. It is the responsibility of the dean to assure compliance with this requirement.
• CONTINUATION OF BENEFITS
  • The University will continue making the employer paid contributions for retirement [Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS) and the Optional Retirement Program (ORP)] and health insurance [options provided under the State’s health insurance program] for faculty members participating in a scholarly reassignment with full or partial pay.
  • Members of TSERS must return to service as a full-time contributing member within 12 months after completion of the reassignment and contribute to retirement for at least three more years (except in the event of death or disability) or contributions will be refunded and the service credits canceled.
  • The University will continue funding contributions the same as prior to the scholarly reassignment. The faculty member is required to continue making his/her employee pre-tax contributions through payroll deduction.
  • Faculty may consider how Fulbright would affect their need for U.S.-based healthcare. You may be eligible for healthcare in your host country, and a Fulbright might qualify as a significant life event, allowing you to make mid-year changes to policies beyond the enrollment window. Work with HR to ensure you meet all requirements. Learn more about healthcare here.

Travel Insurance Options

Below is information on travel insurance. While this is not required to travel abroad, it is good to be aware of this option.

• NC State uses GeoBlue as our international health care provider. Faculty and Staff traveling abroad should reach out to the office of Insurance & Risk Management using this form to request coverage. IRM cannot bill faculty/staff directly, we can only bill department project IDs. Please provide the information requested on the form at least 2 weeks prior to departure. IRM will upload coverage and you will be able to access your ID card the same day we upload coverage. At that point, you will have online access to GeoBlue to request specific information regarding your medical, prescription, and other health insurance needs abroad. 
• This insurance provides first dollar health insurance, pharmacy, medical evacuation if you need to be evacuated to a specialized hospital, political unrest evacuation, and repatriation of remains. We strongly recommend you maintain your domestic health insurance in the states while you are abroad, as the GeoBlue coverage does not provide coverage in the states. 
• For more information, click here as well as reach out to IRM

Additional Resources

Scholarly Reassignment Form
Processing Scholarly Reassignments
IRS Code Section 415
IRS Code Section 414

Contact Info: Director, Human Resources-Benefits (919-515-4310); Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (919-513-7741)

View the complete scholarly reassignment here: REG 05.20.24 – Scholarly Reassignment for Faculty