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Sabbatical Policy

  1. Background information
  1. Policy writer information

Lead writer:

Co-writers:

Representing: Academic Affairs

  1. Specification of required review, engagement, and approval process

Senior administrator who will review Version 1: President, Board of Trustees

Campus stakeholders who will review Version 2:

  • President’s Area: Council of Vice Presidents
  • Academic Affairs: Council of Chairs and Deans Council, via Barbara Morris; Faculty Senate (leaders, members, committee chairs), via Chuck Riggs

Approving official or body: Provost

  1. Current status of development process

Date of senior administration response: n/a

Date of each campus stakeholder response: n/a

Date of approval(s): n/a

  1. Version History

Version number: 1

Summary of changes since version 1: n/a

  1. Header Content
  1. Administrative Information

Policy type: Administrative

Policy owner: Provost

Policy oversight: Provost

Policy contact: Provost

Month and year of next review: Leave blank.

  1. High level content information

Policy title: Sabbatical Program Policy

Policy summary: Fort Lewis College recognizes the necessity of maintaining a high caliber of faculty and the role sabbaticals play in developing and enhancing faculty expertise.

  1. Search information

Policy identification number: Leave blank. The policy number will be assigned prior to posting.

Policy category: Administrative

Policy audiences: Faculty

Policy keywords: Sabbatical, college policies

  1. Substantive content

Policy statement

Section 24, Faculty Handbook

  1. Sabbaticals or Leaves of Absence for Professional Improvement

i)Tenured members of the Regular Faculty may apply for sabbaticals upon the completion of six (6) academic years of service at the College, not including time spent on previous leaves, with or without pay. The Board may award such leaves of absence on a discretionary basis for one-half year (one term) with full current salary or for a whole year (two terms) with half current salary. The number of sabbaticals awarded each year will be limited to the College financial resources available for such use. Once a member of the Tenured Faculty is awarded a sabbatical, he/she may apply for another sabbatical during or after an additional six (6) years of academic service.

ii)Applications for sabbatical leave shall be submitted to the President through the appropriate dean (or equivalent) and the Provost one (1) calendar year in advance of the date the sabbatical is to begin. The application must state the professional goals to be achieved on a sabbatical and the plan or program for achieving these goals.

iii)A sabbatical leave shall not have as its primary purpose financial gain for the faculty member. Financial support from sources other than the College may be obtained for income replacement and for additional expenses related to the sabbatical project, including travel, materials, supplies, and living expenses away from home. Faculty members are encouraged to pursue opportunities for such supplemental support.

iv)The Board may grant sabbaticals upon the recommendation of the President after consultation with the Provost and the appropriate dean (or equivalent) and department chair (or equivalent). Each application is decided upon its individual merits, with consideration of the following: the professional goals to be achieved; the program planned for the sabbatical; the benefits to the applicant, to the College and to the students of the College; the ability of the applicant’s academic school, department or other unit to make satisfactory adjustments during the period of absence; and the character of the applicant's service.

v)Sabbaticals are normally granted in recognition of the benefit to the College of facilitating independent study, research, and creative activity among Regular Faculty. The Board may make exceptions if formal advanced study shall promote the interest of the College.

vi)A report of the activities undertaken on a sabbatical and the professional goals achieved on the sabbatical is to be submitted to the appropriate dean (or equivalent) and to the Provost within two months of completing a sabbatical.

vii)Sabbaticals are granted on the express condition that the recipient shall return to the service of the College for a minimum period of one (1) academic year, or reimburse the College for the full amount of the salary, benefits and retirement contribution paid by the College for the period of the sabbatical. To be eligible for a sabbatical, a faculty member must sign a written notice agreeing to the conditions set forth in this paragraph.

viii)The Office of the Provost shall maintain a record of all sabbaticals granted and denied and shall keep a record of such other information relating to sabbaticals as is required by state law. Upon request, such records shall be made available as required by state law.

Board of Trustees- CCHE POLICY

  1. On or before October 1, 1994, the governing board of each state-supported

institution of higher education shall have in place and enforce policies regarding faculty sabbaticals.

  1. Effective October 1, 1994, a governing board of an institution of higher education may not authorize a sabbatical or extended paid administrative leave for any person holding an administrative position at a state-supported institution of higher education; except that a governing board may, for a reasonable period of time authorize paid administrative leave for disciplinary or investigatory purposes.
  2. A governing board may not grant a sabbatical for any faculty member more often than once every seven years.
  3. A governing board may not grant a subsequent sabbatical for any faculty member who does not meet the goals stated in the faculty member's sabbatical plan.
  4. The governing board of each institution shall approve any sabbaticals taken by

faculty at the institution in advance. In approving a sabbatical, the governing board shall consider the quality of the faculty member's proposed activities while on sabbatical, the individuals who will be involved in such activities, and the benefits to be received from such activities by the faculty member, the institution, and the students at the institution.

  1. Each governing board shall produce all sabbatical records for all approved

sabbaticals and a list of all disapproved sabbaticals for inspection by the

Commission upon request. In addition, each governing board shall distribute copies of the sabbatical policies developed by each governing board pursuant to this section, with amendments as necessary, to the Commission.

  1. Each governing board shall specify a mechanism to hold each participant in the sabbatical process accountable for meeting the sabbatical policy requirements.

Reason for policy

In compliance with both Colorado state statute 23-5-123 Sabbatical leave – legislative declaration – policy- production and CCHE policy, each state-supported institution of higher education must have policies in place regarding faculty sabbaticals.

Scope of policy

Faculty

Accountability for policy

Provost

Notification

1. The Provost will be responsible for notifying approved faculty members after the December Board of Trustees meeting.

Procedures

  1. Procedures for applying for sabbatical leave can be found in the faculty handbook [add link]

Responsibility for Procedures

The President is responsible for all procedures associated with this policy.

Definitions

1. Sabbatical: a period of paid leave for the purpose of professional advancement

Cross-Referenced Policies

Procedures for submitting application for sabbatical leave

  1. Consult Faculty Handbook, Section 25 and Sabbatical Leave policy for eligibility
  2. If eligible, prepare a Sabbatical Plan using Fort Lewis College Application
  3. Submit application to Department Chair (if applicable) for review and approval by September 1
  4. If approved, application with Statement by Department Chair will be forwarded by appropriate dean to College-Wide Personnel Committee for review and approval by October 1
  5. If approved, application with Statement by College-Wide Personnel Committee will be forwarded to dean by November 1
  6. I approved, complete application will be forwarded to Provost by November 7
  7. Final Approval by Trustees – December meeting

Procedures for submitting application report

A report of the activities undertaken on a sabbatical and the professional goals achieved on the sabbatical is to be submitted to the appropriate dean (or equivalent) and to the Provost within two months of completing a sabbatical. The report shall contain:

  1. A substantive written narrative describing the completed work in detail, including the benefits the faculty member derived from the leave, completion of objectives and activities as stated in the approved sabbatical application, and a thorough discussion of how your project advanced departmental/college program goals and added value to Fort Lewis College.
  2. The Provost will evaluate the Sabbatical report and will forward a recommendation to the Board of Trustees at their Fall meeting.
  3. The Board of Trustee will review the Sabbatical Report and will vote on whether or not the faculty member achieved the goals stated in the faculty member’s sabbatical plan.
  4. If the Board of Trustee’s rejects a faculty member’s Sabbatical report, then the faculty member will be ineligible for future sabbatical leave.

Fort Lewis College

Application for Sabbatical Leave 20__-20__

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Name and Rank of Applicant

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School/Department

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Date of last sabbatical

Term of sabbatical requested (select only one):

AY______FALL 20_____ SPRING 20_____

After six years of service to Fort Lewis College on regular full-time appointment, a tenured member of the faculty shall be eligible for a sabbatical assignment. It is expected that the faculty member will use the sabbatical assignment in a manner that will enhance the reputation of the College, add value to the institution, the students’ education, and the State. A sabbatical is a privilege granted by the College for the advancement of the College, subject to the availability of resources. A sabbatical assignment is an important tool in developing academic scholarship and is a time for concentrated professional development.

In accepting a sabbatical assignment, the faculty member shall agree to return to the College for at least one year thereafter.

I have reviewed The Faculty Handbook, Section 24 and the Sabbatical Leave. In submitting this application, I agree to abide by these rules.

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Applicant's SignatureDate

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Department Chair's SignatureDate

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Chair of College Committee’s Signature Date

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Dean’s Signature Date

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Provost’s SignatureDate

SABBATICAL PLAN

Title of Sabbatical Plan: ______

______

The following information be provided by each faculty member applying for a sabbatical assignment. Please complete the following questions:

(1)Describe your project's academic objectives, including the contribution to your professional growth and expertise.

(2)Describe your work plan (i.e., where will you spend your sabbatical, etc.).

(3)Describe how your project will advance departmental/college program goals.

(4)Describe how your project will enhance Fort Lewis College’s reputation.

(5)Describe how your plan will contribute to the educational experience of the students.

(6)Describe your efforts to achieve outside funding for your sabbatical.

(7)Is your half-pay sabbatical contingent upon a successful grant application?

Yes______No______

Any alteration to your sabbatical plan after it has been approved by the Board of Trustees must be resubmitted for approval to your Department Chair and Dean. Your sabbatical plan will be a public document and, therefore, no proprietary information reflecting intellectual property issues should be included.

STATEMENT BY DEPARTMENT CHAIR

(If Applicable)

Please assess the Sabbatical Plan and indicate below how you propose to cover the teaching assignments of this faculty member.

Include specific courses or numbers and levels of courses to be replaced each semester. List the replacement method/cost and list approved replacements.

Please include your assessment of the sabbatical plan.

Fall:

Spring:

______

Department Chair's SignatureDate

Approved as noted:

______

Dean's SignatureDate

STATEMENT BY COLLEGE-WIDE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE

Please include an assessment of the sabbatical Plan

______

College Personnel Committee Chair's SignatureDat

Approved as noted:

______

Dean's SignatureDate