The granting of sabbatical leaves of absence is intended for the mutual benefit of the University and the person granted such a leave. Sabbatical leaves may be granted faculty members in order to provide a period of creative activity for the purpose of furthering professional competence (Board of Control Policy Manual, 6.1).

The January 1996 Report of the Faculty Development/Sabbatical Leave Policy Task Force found that MTU faculty are less likely to take a sabbatical than faculty at other Michigan institutions.

Academic administrators should be encouraged to promote sabbaticals as an avenue for faculty professional development.

To encourage more MTU faculty to take sabbatical leaves, the Senate recommends the following incentive programs.

A. SUPPLEMENTAL SABBATICAL FUNDS AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUAL FACULTY MEMBERS

The University shall establish a pool of supplemental sabbatical funds to defray certain expenses for individual faculty members approved for sabbatical leaves.

1) The pool will initially consist of $50,000.

2) Supplemental sabbatical leave funds will be awarded by the Sabbatical Leave Committee through a need-based program and on a competitive basis.

a) The Sabbatical Leave Committee will develop guidelines for the award program.

b) Individual awards may vary in size and the maximum award will normally be $5,000 per faculty member.

c) The Sabbatical Leave Committee will update forms and procedures in the Faculty Handbook.

3) The MTU Center for International Education will provide support in locating additional supplementary funding for foreign travel.

B. FUNDS FOR DEPARTMENTS

1) Any monies "released" by an individual faculty member's sabbatical leave (e.g., the remaining % of salary for a full-year leave) will be left in control of the individual academic unit.

Adopted by Senate: January 12, 2000
Approved by President (with proviso): January 28, 2000
"I recommend approval with the proviso that this program will be funded if and when budget support becomes available through the normal budget process."
See Proposal 9-05