Career Advising
Irvine Division of the Academic Senate Work-Life Balance Statement
June 4, 2008
The Irvine Division of the Academic Senate endorses in the strongest terms work-life balance in faculty careers. Such balance is integral to a healthy faculty culture and essential to advancing excellence in the mission of the University of California. Under the leadership of UC President Richard Atkinson, the university began consolidating and clarifying policies to equip faculty with tools to address planned and unexpected life changes. These Family Friendly accommodation policies include child-bearing leave, active service modified duties for child-rearing, deferral of mid-career appraisal, and tenure clock extension for up to two years. These and related policies promote equity and inclusiveness, enhance job satisfaction and productivity, and facilitate the recruitment and retention of our most promising and accomplished faculty.
The Irvine Division therefore strongly endorses the following principles:
Eligible men and women faculty are entitled to utilize the benefits associated with Family Friendly policies. (For a comprehensive description, see APM 760 and APP 7-12)
Childbearing leave and active service modified duties are automatic upon notice to the department.
Childbearing leave and active service modified duties are available to non-child-bearing parents and parents by adoption upon request.
Costs associated with active service modified duties accommodation, administration and not by the department or school.
Approved interruption of service should have no substantive bearing in personnel actions, i.e. appointment, appraisal and promotion, in the department or program, school and campus levels of review.
The time during approved interruption neither should increase nor decrease the normal expectation of faculty productivity, i.e. research, teaching, and service.
Web Resources for the Senate Statement:
APM 760 (Family Accommodations)
APP 7-41 (Childbearing and Childbearing)