Sabbatical Leaves

1. Full-Year or Half-Year Sabbaticals: The University may in its discretion grant either full year or half year sabbatical leaves to eligible management faculty members in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

   A sabbatical leave for management faculty with nine-month contract periods will be for either one semester at the management faculty member’s nine-month base salary or two consecutive semesters within the same academic year at one-half the management faculty member’s nine-month base salary.

   A sabbatical leave for management faculty with ten-month contract periods will be for either five months at the management faculty member’s ten-month base salary or ten months within the same fiscal year at one-half the management faculty member’s ten-month base salary.

   A sabbatical leave for management faculty with twelve-month contract periods will be for either six months at the management faculty member’s annual salary or twelve months within the same fiscal year at one-half the management faculty member’s annual salary.

   For management faculty on nine-month contract periods, the fall sabbatical period begins on the first day of the nine-month contract period and ends on January 14, and the spring sabbatical period begins on January 15 and ends on the last day of the nine-month contract period.

   The starting and ending date of any sabbatical for management faculty with ten or twelve-month contract periods will be agreed upon between the management faculty member and his or her Dean.

2. Workload Release during the Sabbatical Period: In all cases of one-half year (semester, five-month, or six-month) sabbaticals, management faculty with a seven (7) unit workload will receive a reduction of four workload units from their annual workload requirements and management faculty with a nine (9) unit workload will receive a reduction of five (5) workload units.
3. Eligibility: Management faculty who have been employed at the University for a minimum of six years are eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave. Management faculty on temporary contracts are not eligible for sabbatical leaves. A management faculty member who has been awarded a full-year or half-year sabbatical is eligible to apply for an additional sabbatical after six years of service at the University following the conclusion of the prior sabbatical.
4. Sabbatical leaves are intended to provide opportunities for individual faculty development and renewal which may take many forms: projects of intellectual renewal which will foster professional development; training or branching out into new areas of teaching or research; or improving technical skills through focused study. A sabbatical is a substantial period of time and it is important that the scope of the project be appropriate for the amount of time requested for its completion.
5. Since the sabbatical provides substantial release from institutional responsibilities for the purpose of individual study and research, a management faculty member granted a sabbatical may not assume any instructional or non-instructional responsibilities from the University during the sabbatical period, except in unusual circumstances and with the prior written approval of the Provost.
6. A management faculty member who is granted a sabbatical must return to the University for a minimum of two years of service, except in unusual circumstances and with the prior written approval of the Provost.
7. During sabbatical leaves, benefits are paid as usual and the sabbatical leave time is counted toward determining eligibility for salary increase, appointment length, and promotion.
8. Application: Following the timeline developed annually by the Faculty Life and Development Committee, a management faculty member who is eligible to apply for sabbatical leave submits his or her Application for Sabbatical Leave, with a copy of his or her most recent annual report, to his or her Academic Dean for consideration. The Academic Dean shall forward the application to the Dean of Faculty for consideration by the Faculty Life and Development Committee. The Application for Sabbatical Leave must include the following:
   1. A full discussion of the sabbatical program with attention to the following:
      1. Goals of the sabbatical
      2. The activities that will be undertaken to achieve those goals
      3. The timeline and implementation plan for those activities
      4. Intended accomplishments of the sabbatical, including a discussion of how the sabbatical will help the applicant contribute to the field
      5. The intended “product” that will demonstrate success of the plan
   2. A full discussion of the relationship of the sabbatical program to the professional development of the individual within the context of benefit to the University
   3. Prior relevant professional activity and/or interest of the applicant
   4. Relationship of the proposed sabbatical to the current and subsequent professional growth of the applicant
   5. Relationship of the intended sabbatical accomplishments to the applicant’s performance of University responsibilities
   6. A current vita
9. The Academic Dean submits his or her recommendation for or against the sabbatical leave request to the Faculty Life and Development Committee. The Committee then discusses the application and makes its recommendation to the Provost. The Provost reviews the recommendations of the Academic Dean and the Faculty Life and Development Committee and forwards the sabbatical application with his or her recommendation to the President. The President reviews the three recommendations and makes the final decision whether to award the sabbatical leave or not.

Pursuant to the May 18, 2017 vote of the Board of Trustees, the President and the Provost hereby adopt the foregoing policies (Contracts and Promotions; Evaluations, Reappointment, and Promotion Procedures; Workload; and Sabbatical) with an effective date of July 1, 2017. The President and the Provost shall review and may revise the policies from time to time.