UWRF SABBATICAL LEAVE GUIDELINES

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Faculty Sabbatical program is to enable recipients to be engaged in intensive study in order to become more effective teachers and scholars and to enhance their service to the University. The Sabbatical program should also be understood as recognition of past and continuing academic contributions of the recipients in keeping with the Select Mission of UWRF.

In February 2004, the education committee of the Board of Regents identified several emphases to be addressed by sabbatical projects, including:

• Projects in support of the mission of the institution;
• The scholarship of teaching and learning;
• Interdisciplinary activities;
• Collaborative program activities;
• International education;
• Application of technology to instruction and distance education.

TYPES:

Two types of sabbatical leaves are available to faculty members.

A. A faculty member may take a sabbatical leave for an academic year and receive from the institution financial support at any level up to 65% of her/his full compensation for that period.

B. A faculty member may take a sabbatical leave for one semester of the academic year and receive from the institution financial support at any level up to a maximum of his/her full compensation for that period.

ELIGIBILITY:

A. At the time the sabbatical proposal is submitted, the faculty member must have met the following criteria:

1. The faculty member is tenured at the time of application.
2. The faculty member has completed at least six years since the conclusion of their last sabbatical leave.
3. The faculty member has completed at least six full years of employment at UWRF as a probationary or tenured faculty member.
4. If the faculty member has taken a leave of absence, for whatever reason, the leave period shall be excluded in determining the faculty member's years of full-time service.

B. A sabbatical will NOT be awarded to a faculty member who does not plan to return to UWRF for at least one academic year of service after the completion of the sabbatical.

REQUIREMENTS:

Each applicant shall complete the Sabbatical Proposal Form, which describes the proposed sabbatical in complete, clear, and specific terms, including each of the following items:

1. An abstract of 100 words or fewer summarizing the objectives of the proposals.
   
2. The nature and objectives of the proposed sabbatical program which include a detailed account of proposed sabbatical activities.
   
3. The relationship of the proposed sabbatical to the applicant's field of expertise is to be demonstrated, and as appropriate, supported by references to the vita and other documentation.
   
4. The anticipated contribution of the proposed sabbatical program to the enhancement of teaching and/or course and curriculum development at UWRF which may or may not include the relationship of the sabbatical program to the research interests of the applicant.
   
5. The proposed period and/or schedule of the sabbatical study including a time line which shows when the work will be done.
   
6. A copy of the personal vita which must include evidence of excellence in teaching and of the academic contributions made by the individual. If possible submit an electronic version of your CV to FASDB@uwrf.edu. If your proposal is approved, an electronic CV will be required.
   
7. A transmittal form signed by the department chair and the dean acknowledging their support of the sabbatical.
   
8. Letters confirming the existence of a proposed relationship, travel/residence, or outside institutional commitment germane to the sabbatical, if any, should be included.  Letters of support from colleagues, department chairs, deans, or others are NOT to be included in the proposal and will not be considered by the committee in its deliberations.
   
9. Applicants should submit seven copies to the the Director of Faculty and Student Academic Support Programs, 104 North Hall.

1. In the administration of faculty sabbaticals, creditable service for retirement purposes will vary, depending on the length of the sabbatical and level of compensation. A faculty member considering a sabbatical leave request should consult with the institutional fringe benefit coordinator prior to submitting a formal request.
   
2. A faculty member may receive supplementary grants or other awards while on sabbatical leave, but such compensation, when combined with the amount of institutional compensation, shall not exceed the full compensation normally received from the UW System for that period.
   
3. Such additional grants or awards may be received by a faculty member only if the conditions for accepting the additional resources do not interfere with the stated purpose of a faculty member's sabbatical program.
   
4. A faculty member may seek additional grants specifically for travel or unusual living expenses incident to the sabbatical program without restriction by the full-compensation maximum (see condition 2).
   
5. A faculty member may not use the sabbatical period to accept other paid employment during the period of the leave, unless stipulated as a condition of the leave. If so stipulated, condition 2 is operative.
   
6. A faculty member must specify all grants or other awards applied for or to be received during the leave in his/her application for the sabbatical program.
   
7. A faculty member must agree to return to UWRF for at least one academic year of service after the termination of the sabbatical or repay any compensation (salary plus the University's share of fringe benefits) received from the UW System during the sabbatical.
   
8. A faculty member must submit to the Provost & Vice Chancellor a written report outlining his/her accomplishments during the leave. This report should be submitted within three months after the faculty member's return to full-time employment.

SELECTION/EVALUATION:

1. CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The Provost & Vice Chancellor shall notify the faculty of the availability of sabbatical leave each March and shall call for applications for the leave period beginning 18 months hence. The Provost & Vice Chancellor shall make explicit in the call that funds for sabbaticals are limited. In addition, any financial exigencies which might indicate preference for year-long as opposed to semester-long sabbatical must be announced with the call. If no such exigencies are announced then all proposals must be evaluated, and sabbaticals awarded, without preference to one period over another.
   
2. EVALUATION:
   
   A. The UWRF Faculty/Academic Staff Development Board's (FASDB) Faculty Professional Development committee will evaluate all Sabbatical Proposals, forwarding its recommendations to the full board and the Provost & Vice Chancellor.
   
   B. The criteria to be applied by the committee are as follows:

1. The candidate must meet the minimum eligibility requirements.

2. All forms of sabbatical activity are valid. That is, preference may not be given to one particular form of activity (research, publication) over another (travel, creative, course development). Proposals are to be evaluated on their merits.

3. Preference shall be given to those candidates who have made significant academic contributions to the University. Academic contributions include those activities normally recognized in decisions of promotion and tenure: quality of teaching, scholarly activity, and service to the University and the wider community. The committee shall refer to the vita for evidence of academic contributions. For candidates who have not received a previous sabbatical, the time period for purposes of evaluation shall be the candidate's full length of employment at this University. For candidates who have received a previous sabbatical, the candidate should submit, and the committee will consider, only contributions made since the completion of the previous sabbatical.

4. After candidates have been evaluated on the basis of their academic contributions, the committee shall evaluate the merits of the specific sabbatical proposals. This evaluation shall judge the extent to which the proposal clearly follows the guidelines for proposals as specified under Proposal Requirements 1-8.

5. The committee shall use an evaluation form approved by the Faculty Senate to ensure the following:

a. 65% of the overall evaluation shall be based on the candidate's record of academic contributions to the University, and
b. 35% shall be based on the merits of the sabbatical proposal.

---

More information Faculty Sabbatical can be found in the Faculty/Academic Staff Handbook on page IV-42. In addition, a PowerPoint presentation made during the Spring 2005 Faculty Development days can be downloaded here.