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Operational procedures regarding faculty professional improvement leaves (sabbatical leaves)

  1. Eligibility.
    1. All regular, full-time tenured members of the faculty at the rank of assistant professor or higher who are in their seventh year of regular tenure-track appointment by the university are eligible to apply for a faculty professional improvement leave. A faculty member granted a professional improvement leave must wait until the seventh year of regular faculty appointment after returning from that leave in order to be eligible to apply for another faculty improvement leave.
    2. A faculty member cannot simultaneously have both a faculty professional improvement leave and a university research leave.
    3. Members of a review committee at any level are eligible for a faculty professional improvement leave, although they cannot participate in any decision affecting themselves, a spouse or a relative.
  2. Initiation.
    1. A faculty member initiates a request for a faculty professional improvement leave by submitting a concise proposal of no more than three hundred words. The proposal must clearly indicate the purpose of the leave, how it is related to the faculty member's professional growth and development, and how it is of benefit both to the individual and the university. The proposal must also note any appointment the faculty member expects to accept during the term of the faculty professional improvement leave.
    2. The faculty member may withdraw his/her proposal from further consideration at any time.
  3. Submission.
    1. The university permits a tenured faculty member who has completed at least seven years of full-time service to the university and has the rank of assistant professor or higher to be freed of instructional or official responsibilities and granted a faculty professional improvement leave for purposes of:
      1. Upgrading professional skills;
      2. Acquiring new skills; or
      3. Intellectual and professional development that will be of benefit to the individual and the university.
    2. In order to grant a faculty professional improvement leave, the following conditions must be met:
      1. The purpose of the leave must be judged acceptable, and
      2. The department or other budgetary unit must be able to support the programmatic and staffing needs of the unity in the absence of the participant.
    3. For the purpose of submission and determination of seniority the lowest budgetary level to which a faculty member belongs will be considered the department. In the case of regional campus faculty, the lowest budgetary level is the regional campus in which a faculty member holds the primary appointment. 
    4. For Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ campus faculty, the proposal must be submitted to the faculty member's department chairperson/school director or independent school dean. The final date for submission to the chairperson/school director of the proposal is the fifteenth of October of the prior academic year.
    5. For regional campus faculty members, the proposal is submitted to the dean of the regional campus and to the faculty member's department chairperson/school director. A copy of this plan must also be sent by the faculty member to the associate vice president for the extended university. The final date for submission to the chairperson/school director of the proposal is the fifteenth of October of the prior academic year.
  4. Review process at department/school level.
    1. The proposal shall be reviewed by the department/school advisory committee to determine whether eligibility requirements have been met and consider the appropriateness of the proposed plan to the interest of the university and the applicant's professional development. Upon completion of its review, the advisory committee shall advise the chairperson as to whether the purpose and plan for the faculty professional improvement leave is acceptable.
    2. The chairperson/school director, after consulting with the advisory committee, shall determine for each proposal form a Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ campus faculty member the budget and staffing capability of the department to replace the faculty member requesting the leave.
    3. The chairperson/school director shall make a decision on both the merits of the proposal(s) and the capacity of the department to provide the staffing support required by the proposal(s). For regional campus faculty, the chairperson's recommendation shall be concerned solely with the merits of the proposal.
    4. For Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ campus faculty, the chairperson/school director shall recommend staffing support, where possible, first to those applicants in the department or school whose proposals were judged acceptable:
      1. Who have the greatest years of service to the university at the date of submission, and
      2. For whom the interval since the last award of faculty professional improvement leave has been greatest.
    5. The chairperson/school director shall then forward the proposal(s) and all recommendations to the college dean.
    6. After forwarding the recommendation(s) and proposal(s) to the dean, the department chairperson/school director shall inform the faculty member of the status of the proposal, including chairperson/school director recommendation(s). In the case of regional campus faculty, the chairperson/school director shall also send a copy to the regional campus dean and the associate vice president for the extended university.
  5. Review process at the regional campus level.
    1. The proposal shall be reviewed by the regional campus advisory committee to determine whether eligibility requirements have been met and consider the appropriateness of the proposed plans to the interests of the university and the individual's professional development. Upon completion of its review, the advisory committee shall advise the campus dean as to whether the purpose and plan for the faculty professional improvement is acceptable.
    2. The campus dean, after consulting with the advisory committee, shall determine for each proposal the budget and staffing capability of the campus to replace the faculty member requesting the leave.
    3. The campus dean shall make a decision on both the merits of the proposal and the capacity of the campus to provide the staffing support required.
    4. The campus dean shall recommend staffing support, where possible, first to those applicants from the campus whose proposals were judged acceptable:
      1. Who have the greatest years of service to the university, and;
      2. For whom the interval since the last award of a faculty professional improvement leave has been the greatest.
    5. The campus dean shall then forward the proposal(s) and all recommendations to the associate vice president for the extended university.
    6. After forwarding the recommendations and proposal(s) to the associate vice president, the campus dean shall inform the faculty member of the status of the proposal, with copies to the chairperson and college dean.
  6. Review process at the independent school level.
    1. The proposal shall be reviewed by the school advisory committee as to its merits and determine whether eligibility requirements have been met and consider the appropriateness of the proposed plan to the interests of the university and the applicant's professional development. Upon the completion of its review, the advisory committee shall advise the dean as to whether the purpose and plan for the faculty professional improvement leave is acceptable.
    2. The dean, after consulting with the advisory committee, shall determine for each proposal from a Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ campus faculty member the budget and staffing capability of the school to replace the faculty member requesting the leave.
    3. The dean shall make a decision on both the merits of the proposal(s) and the capacity of the department to provide the staffing report required by the proposal(s). For regional campus faculty, the dean's recommendation shall be concerned solely with the merits of the proposal.
    4. For Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ campus faculty, the dean shall recommend staffing support, where possible, first to those applicants in the school whose proposals were judged acceptable:
      1. Who have the greatest years of service to the university at the date of submission, and
      2. For whom the interval since the last award of a faculty professional improvement leave has been greatest.
    5. The dean shall then forward the proposal(s) and all recommendations to the office of the vice president for faculty affairs and personnel for review by the vice president for academic and student affairs.
    6. After forwarding the recommendation(s) and proposal(s) to the vice president, the dean shall inform the faculty member of the status of the proposal, including the dean's recommendation(s). In the case of regional campus faculty, the dean shall also send a copy to the regional campus dean and the associate vice president for the extended university.
  7. Review process at the collegial level.
    1. The college dean shall review the recommendation(s) concerning each proposal and, after consultation with the college advisory committee, shall make a recommendation concerning the proposal. The dean shall then forward the proposal, together with all previous recommendations, to the vice president for faculty affairs and personnel for review by the vice president for academic and student affairs (for Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ campus faculty members), and to the associate vice president for the extended university (for regional campus faculty members).
    2. The college dean shall inform the faculty member of the status of the proposal, including his/her recommended decision to the vice president, with a copy going to the chairperson/school director. In the case of a regional campus faculty member, a copy of the recommended decision shall also be sent to the regional campus dean.
  8. Review process at the associate vice presidential level.
    1. The associate vice president for the extended university will review the recommendations from the college deans and campus deans for all proposals submitted by regional campus faculty members, and make a recommendation concerning the proposal. The associate vice president shall then forward the proposal, together with all previous recommendations, to the vice president for faculty affairs and personnel for review by the vice president for academic and student affairs.
    2. The associate vice president shall inform the faculty member of the status of the proposal, including his/her recommended decision to the vice president, with copies to the chairperson, the campus dean, and the college dean.
  9. Review at university level.
    1. The vice president for academic and student affairs may consult, where appropriate, with the dean of the graduate college. After review by and consultation with the vice president for faculty affairs and personnel, the vice president shall then make a final recommendation to be forwarded to the president.
    2. The vice president for academic and student affairs shall inform the faculty member of the decision and, in the case of a negative decision, shall include the reasons therefore. In all cases a copy of the decision shall be sent to the vice president for faculty affairs and personnel, the dean and the department chairperson/school director. In the case of a regional campus faculty member, a copy shall also be sent to the regional campus dean and the associate vice president for the extended university.
  10. Appeal.
    1. If the decision of the vice president is negative, the faculty member may appeal to the president.
    2. The appeal must be sent to the office of the vice president for faculty affairs and personnel, in writing, within ten working days after receiving notification of the vice president's decision.
    3. In the appeal letter to the president, the faculty member should state completely and concisely why the appeal should be upheld.
  11. Resignation. In the event a faculty member has to resign a faculty professional improvement leave, notification shall be sent to the vice president for academic and student affairs as soon as possible, with copies sent to the appropriate dean and the vice president for faculty affairs and personnel.
  12. Summary report. No later than two months after the beginning of the semester following completion of a faculty professional improvement leave, the faculty member shall submit a summary report of the leave activities to the vice president for academic and student affairs, with copies going to the vice president for faculty affairs and personnel, the appropriate dean, and the department chairperson/school director. In the case of regional campus faculty, copies must also be sent to the associate vice president and the campus dean.
Policy Effective Date:
Mar 01, 2015
Policy Prior Effective Dates: 
3/18/1982, 10/29/1984, 6/11/1986, 12/29/1986, 3/16/1987, 6/1/2007
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