Work/Life Balance for Faculty

Lehigh is committed to helping faculty members balance the responsibilities of their professional and private lives. The ever changing demands, and the university's efforts to face these challenges, have evolved over the past decade and continue into the future as we work for greater flexibility in the tenure clock and faculty careers.

Tenure-Clock Extensions for Other Reasons

An untenured faculty member (assistant, associate, or full professor) may request from the Provost a tenure-clock extension of one semester or one year for the reasons listed below.

1. Public or military service
2. Extreme personal hardship, e.g., death of a partner/spouse or child
3. Any reason. If requested, this extension is granted in the year prior to the final probationary year.

The faculty member must provide adequate documentation of the situation necessitating the request (with the exception of the extension for any reason). Notification of the extension request must be received by the provost prior to the date on which the faculty member's tenure package is required to be sent to external reviewers. The maximum length of the probationary period, with all extensions, is eight years. Tenure candidates who receive extensions will be evaluated with the same academic standards as candidates who do not receive extensions. For more information, please follow this link or contact the Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs.