Upon recommendation of the President and approval by the Council of Trustees and the Chancellor of the State System of Higher Education, a leave of absence for a period not to exceed eighteen college calendar weeks with full pay or a leave of absence for a period not to exceed thirty-six college calendar weeks with half pay, for restoration of health, study, travel or other appropriate purposes, may be granted to any member of the faculty of any university which is part of the State System of Higher Education who has completed seven or more years of satisfactory service as a member of the faculty of one or more universities in the State System of Higher Education: Provided, That at least five consecutive years of such service shall have been rendered to the university from which the leave is sought. At the option of the employe, if the university operates on a system of units other than semesters, the employe may be granted a period corresponding to one or more units, within the previous restriction of total weeks. Leaves may be granted for any part of the calendar year. After completion of the requisite seven years, one leave of absence shall be allowed for each additional seven years of service upon recommendation of the Council of Trustees and approval by the Chancellor of the State System of Higher Education. Leaves shall be accumulated so that no one shall lose entitlement because of failure to use leave, but no one shall be entitled to use more than thirty-six weeks of the accumulated leave in succession. The President of any such university may be granted a leave of absence on the same basis as faculty members, as defined in this act.

No leave of absence shall be granted unless such person shall agree, in writing, to return to his or her employment with the State Teachers College for a period of not less than one year immediately following the expiration of such leave of absence.

No such leave of absence shall be considered a termination or breach of the contract of employment and the person on leave of absence shall be returned to the same position he or she occupied prior thereto.

Every employe, while on such leave of absence, shall be considered to be in regular full-time daily attendance in the position from which the leave was taken during the period of said leave, for the purpose of determining the employe's length of service and the right to receive increments as provided by law.

Every person on leave of absence shall retain the right to make contributions as a member of either the State Employes' Retirement Fund or the Public School Employes' Retirement Fund and continue his or her membership therein in whichever system he currently holds membership.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any person on leave of absence from receiving a grant for further study from any institution of learning other than the State Teachers College by which employed.

The Trustees of each State Teachers College shall have the right to make such regulations as they may deem necessary to make sure that employes on leave shall utilize such leave properly for the purpose for which it was granted, requiring reports from the employe or employes on leave in such manner as they may deem necessary.