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Sabbatical Policy

[Excerpted from Faculty Handbook, 2004-2005]


A. Sabbatic Leave Policy and Procedures

The By-Laws of the College provide for sabbatic leave for members of the faculty. Section 7.7 of the By-Laws states:

Members of the faculty with the rank of Professor or Associate Professor may apply for a sabbatic leave of absence once in each seven years, the year in question to count as a year of service to the College. Assistant Professors may apply during their third year of service for a sabbatic leave of absence, ordinarily to be taken during their fourth year of service.

1. Purpose

The purpose of this provision is to make available to members of the faculty opportunities to pursue scholarly, artistic, and professional activities related to their development as teachers and scholars or artists. Therefore, sabbatic leaves may not be used ordinarily to teach at other institutions. Should special opportunities arise for some teaching during a sabbatic leave which might have particular benefit for a faculty member, approval for accepting such opportunities must be obtained from the Dean for Academic Affairs. Faculty members are expected to teach at the College for a period of two years after the sabbatical.

2. Eligibility

Eligibility to apply for a sabbatic leave is determined by the number of semesters of full-time teaching; twelve semesters of full-time teaching constitutes the basic requirement to be met. Leaves of absence from the College, whether spent in teaching or research activities, will not count as service to the College in determining eligibility for sabbatic leaves. At least three years of teaching at the College should intervene between a leave of absence and a sabbatic leave; exceptions require the approval of the Dean for Academic Affairs.

The faculty member shall develop a plan for sabbatic leave activities. The plan should describe the relation of the planned activities to previous research and scholarly or artistic work, professional development and teaching and course development in the future.

The granting of a sabbatic leave will depend upon the necessary period of teaching, an evaluation of the prospects for the successful completion of the sabbatic leave activities and the value of those activities for the faculty member and the College. Consideration will also be given to the leave pattern in the department.

Assistant Professors who are in their third year of service to the College may apply for a sabbatic leave of absence pursuant to the By-laws of the College. Approval of such a leave will be contingent upon reappointment. If tenure is granted, the next sabbatic leave will occur after twelve semesters of full-time teaching following the leave taken in the rank of Assistant Professor. The leave will be taken normally in the fourth year, but should it be postponed until the fifth year, the twelve semesters necessary for the next leave will be counted from the fourth year. A candidate for tenure may normally postpone the tenure review by no more than one year as a result of a pre-tenure sabbatical or leave of absence for research, scholarship or artistic work, including leave taken prior to reappointment. That review normally occurs during the fall of a faculty member’s sixth year of service to the College (see Section IV.E.3).

3. Procedure

During each academic year, the Dean for Academic Affairs will determine which members of the faculty will be eligible, on the basis of the number of semesters taught, for a sabbatic leave during the academic year two years beyond a current academic year (e.g., in the spring of 1998-99, the determination of eligibility on the basis of the number of semesters taught will be calculated for the academic year 2000-01). The Dean for Academic Affairs will notify Assistant Professors of their eligibility for sabbatic leave of absence at the time at which reappointment in the rank of Assistant Professor is offered. The Dean will then inform those members of the faculty about their prospective eligibility and invite discussions of possible sabbatic leave plans among the faculty member, department and the Dean for Academic Affairs.

The Dean will consult with the relevant department chair, evaluate the leave plan, and may consult with the Faculty Affairs Committee in determining approval for the leave. The Dean will review annually sabbatic leaves and their activities with the Faculty Affairs Committee and with the Academic Affairs Committee of the Trustees.