Policy 365: Sabbatical Leave

Section: Personnel Policies
Sub-Section: Benefits
Policy Number: 365
Subject: Sabbatical Leave
Covered Employees: Faculty
Origin Date: January 24, 1997
Revision Date(s): July 1, 1999, January 30, 2004, January 12, 2018
Effective Date: January 12, 2018
Download the PDF File for Policy 365

365.1 POLICY

A sabbatical leave is a professional leave of absence with compensation for tenured faculty members for a year or fraction thereof as determined by the appropriate dean, director, or vice president, and the Provost, for the purpose of renewing, updating, and broadening the individual's teaching, research, or professional skills and knowledge.

Credit toward sabbatical leave begins the day the tenured or tenure-eligible faculty member is employed as an instructor or higher rank; but a sabbatical leave shall not be granted until tenure has been attained. A faculty member must be employed with the rank of instructor or higher for 6 years at the University to be eligible for a sabbatical leave. Additional sabbaticals are earned at the rate of 1 sabbatical leave for every 6 years of professional service to the University. Any leave period of one semester or more does not earn credit toward sabbatical leave privileges.

A faculty member on sabbatical leave is eligible for advancement in rank and for any general or special adjustment in salary received by other faculty members of the University.

Faculty members are strongly encouraged to use sabbatical leave for advanced study or research at an institution with a distinguished reputation or for significant professional association with a reputable organization.

365.2 PROCEDURES

2.1 Application for Sabbatical Leave

Faculty members shall apply for sabbatical leave by completing an official form, available from the Office of the Provost, in which they provide justification, objectives, place, and other details of proposed activities during the leave period. Faculty members planning for sabbatical leave should consult with their department heads or supervisors to determine that their plans are feasible before any commitments are made involving the individual or the University. After consultation with the department head or supervisor the application for sabbatical leave shall be forwarded to the appropriate dean, director, or vice president for approval. After approval at this level, the application shall be forwarded to the Provost for approval.

Applications for sabbatical leave describing the proposed activity and specifying the personal, professional, and institutional benefits which will result shall be in the Provost's Office by February 14 for sabbaticals planned for the following full fiscal or academic year. Applications for sabbatical leaves of shorter durations must be submitted to the Provost's Office 6 months prior to the beginning of the proposed leave.

2.2 Sabbatical Leave and Scheduling

As far as possible, departmental schedules shall permit eligible faculty members to take sabbatical leaves. Departmental schedules shall minimize the disruption of departmental programs and activities caused by sabbatical leaves. Requests for leaves from faculty members of small or large departments shall receive equal consideration.

2.3 Sabbatical Leave Compensation

Compensation for sabbatical leave shall be calculated as a portion of the monthly base salary for the months taken as sabbatical leave under the following schedule:

12-month sabbatical	80% monthly base salary
Two-semester sabbatical	80% monthly base salary
One-semester sabbatical	100% monthly base salary

Sabbatical leave for one semester will be granted only in special circumstances where such leave is primarily in the interest of the University.

A faculty member is covered by benefits while on sabbatical leave, providing the usual premium deductions for same are made from his or her salary.

2.4 Sabbatical Leave and Other Employment

A faculty member who is on sabbatical leave may accept a fellowship, an assistantship, or professional employment in his or her field of specialization. The University shall not be obligated to pay more than that amount of sabbatical compensation which, when added to the outside source of compensation, will equal 110% of the faculty member's full regular salary for the period of the leave, after adjustment for regional cost-of-living difference. If an allowance for transportation is provided by the outside source, the amount of this allowance will be disregarded in computing the contribution to be made by the University.

2.5 Sabbatical Leave and Employee Benefits

A faculty member on sabbatical leave is covered by all employee benefits, except for the accrual of annual and sick leave. Annual leave is not earned and sick leave is not allowed to a faculty member while on sabbatical leave. However, any annual leave and/or sick leave accrued by a faculty member at the commencement of sabbatical leave will remain to the faculty member's credit until he or she returns to professional service for the University, after which, unused annual or sick leave shall be subject to the annual leave and sick leave provisions of policies 345 and 363.

2.6 Responsibilities Upon Return from Sabbatical Leave

Acceptance of a sabbatical leave binds the faculty member to return and to remain in the service of the University for at least one academic year. If the faculty member fails to return to the service of the University, he or she will pay a penalty to the University equal to the sabbatical leave salary received based on a calculation to be made by the Payroll Office. At the conclusion of the sabbatical leave, a written report shall be presented to the department head or supervisor, dean or director, and Provost.

365.3 RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 Provost, Deans, Vice Presidents

Responsible for approving/disapproving sabbatical leave requests according to the provisions of this policy and ensuring that the requested leave is in the best interest of the individual faculty member and the University.