Washington University in St. Louis School of Engineering and Applied Science

Washington University in St. Louis
School of Engineering and Applied Science

Sabbatical Leave Policy

1. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

Sabbatical leave provides opportunity for planned, active-status academic effort to focus on, advance, and freshen scholarship and to open new avenues for research, teaching, and outreach, for the benefit of both the faculty member and the academic programs of Washington University and the School of Engineering & Applied Science. Sabbatical leaves are available only to tenured faculty members.

As described in greater detail below, tenured faculty members with at least 12 Fall and/or Spring semesters of active academic service since becoming a full-time member of the SEAS faculty or since a prior SEAS sabbatical may apply for a sabbatical leave. Sabbatical leave may be taken at full salary for one semester or half-salary for two semesters (with salary based on a nine-month appointment).

For faculty members with a joint or secondary appointment in another of the University’s schools, prior approval of both SEAS and the other school is required. The salary obligations of each school must be determined prior to granting approval of a sabbatical request.

Sabbatical leave is a privilege granted to faculty who are fulfilling – in an exemplary way – their duties and responsibilities in the areas of teaching, research and service. Sabbatical leave is not an entitlement, and is approved at the discretion of the dean and department chair.

1. ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for a sabbatical leave, a faculty member must have completed 12 Fall or Spring semesters of active, on-campus academic service at SEAS since a previous SEAS sabbatical or, if it is his/her first sabbatical, since becoming a full-time member of the SEAS faculty. A semester does not accrue toward sabbatical eligibility if half or more of that semester is spent on leave.

Up to six semesters of prior full-time service in tenured or tenure-track academic positions at other educational institutions may be credited toward initial sabbatical eligibility at SEAS. Credit for prior service is subject to the dean’s approval and requires a request from the department chair to the dean when an individual is hired, with attached documentation of the prior service (typically from the c.v.).

Eligibility for a sabbatical leave does not accumulate; once a faculty member becomes eligible to apply for a sabbatical, any subsequent service semesters prior to taking the sabbatical do not count toward future eligibility. For example, an eligible faculty member who has not applied for a sabbatical in 10 years is eligible only to apply for a one-semester leave at full pay or a two- semester leave at half pay, and after taking a sabbatical must accrue another 12 semesters before becoming eligible to apply for another sabbatical.

III. APPLYING FOR SABBATICAL LEAVE

Requests for sabbatical leave must be made in writing to the department chair and meet the requirements below. Requests will be reviewed by the department chair, who will then make a recommendation to the dean.

1. Timing of Request: Sabbatical leave must be requested sufficiently in advance (at least one semester) to enable the department and School to properly plan for academic obligations, such as course offerings.
2. Timing of Leave: The timing of the sabbatical must be carefully coordinated with the department chair to avoid an adverse impact on the functions of the department and School. Department chairs must balance legitimate requests for sabbatical leaves against the requirements of the department’s academic mission.
3. Sabbatical Plan: The faculty member must submit to the department chair a specific written plan for research or other scholarly activity to be conducted during the sabbatical. The plan must describe how the proposed work is expected to benefit the department’s and School’s academic and research programs. Approval of the leave is contingent on approval of the academic plan by the department chair and dean.

Research and scholarship should be the primary focus of the sabbatical, although related development of pedagogy may also be an appropriate sabbatical component. With the dean’s approval, teaching at another institution is permissible if it is an appropriate part of a sabbatical plan that will permit freshening of scholarship and will benefit the academic program of SEAS. Sabbatical leaves are not to be used to spend time in industry or to engage in company start-ups or other personal ventures.

1. Duration of Leave: The request must specify the proposed starting and ending dates of the leave, which cannot exceed one year. While it is anticipated that sabbatical starting and ending dates will coincide with the academic calendar, the dean may approve different starting and ending dates for appropriate reasons as long as there is no disruption resulting to the School’s academic functions and the maximum length of sabbatical leave is not exceeded. If a faculty member returns from a sabbatical prior to the planned ending date, he/she forfeits the remainder of the leave.
2. Location: Sabbatical leave is meant to engage the faculty member in a different academic environment and to minimize distractions, and this means leaving the St. Louis area. The dean may approve a local sabbatical if the academic plan is appropriate. While the option for a local sabbatical may be helpful for family or special academic purposes, it is not anticipated to become the norm for sabbatical leaves.

1. OUTSIDE FUNDING

Faculty are encouraged to seek grants or other sources of external funding that will provide the other half salary to complement the half salary from the University during a two-semester sabbatical. Depending on the policy of the granting agency, such grants may be paid directly to the faculty member by the granting agency, or they may be received by SEAS which then pays the faculty member. However, if University funding is used, the combined total of University funds and external funds may not exceed the faculty member’s regular full-time annual salary.

A sabbatical cannot be automatically taken whenever a faculty member receives an external grant that would financially support such a leave. Faculty members should receive approval from the department chair and dean to take a sabbatical prior to applying for grants which would require an absence.

1. POST-SABBATICAL SERVICE REQUIREMENT

Because sabbatical leave exists for the benefit of the School’s academic programs, the faculty member must return to active faculty status at SEAS for at least one year immediately following completion of the sabbatical. Failure to do so, for other than health-related reasons, will require the faculty member to reimburse the University for the amount of salary and benefits received from the University during the sabbatical. This requirement may not be waived. Reimbursement of post-sabbatical salary and benefits is not pro-rated for fulfillment of part of the one-year service requirement, nor is it waived in whole or in part for a shortened sabbatical leave.

Retirement does not waive the post-sabbatical service requirement, except in special circumstances and with prior approval.

Sabbatical Leave Application

Page 1: To be Completed by Applicant

Application for a Leave of Absence During the Academic Year: ____ ― ____

Current Request:

Duration (check one): Fall Semester  Spring Semester  Academic Year

Salary (check one):  100%  50%  0%  Other $ ______

Compensation from Grant, if any: $ ______Name of Granting Agency:______

Will the amount, above:Will the agency, above,

 be paid directly to the faculty member, or pay fringe benefits in addition to the amount, above, or

 be transferred to Washington University? only pay the amount above, including fringe benefits?

Previous Leaves:

Sabbatical Leave Plans

To be Completed by the Department Chair

Please indicate the following, and include any explanations, below:

1. The faculty member has been in residence teaching at Washington University for at least six full academic years (twelve semesters) since a previous sabbatical leave, or if this is the first such leave, since joining this Faculty. Exceptions are for faculty coming from another university; they may be granted up to three years of accrued time.
2. The faculty member has a specific and acceptable plan for research or other scholarly activity related to his/her position at Washington University.
3. The proposed timing of the leave will not cause significant problems with the program or function of the faculty member’s home department.

Revised October 2006 1