Presidential Advisory Committee of
(Voting Units: Academic Departments)
PROPOSAL 09-05
Sabbatical
Leave Procedures
Background: There is need to revise the University’s current sabbatical leave procedures to: (1) ensure that sabbatical reports are written in a timely manner and are available in a centralized location; (2) include provisions requiring department chairs and deans to forward proposals to the Sabbatical Leave Committee even with negative recommendations, and (3) incorporate a Board of Control policy change switching from quarters to semesters.
Proposal: The
University Senate proposes that the University adopt the following procedures
for sabbatical leaves (a comparison of the current procedures and this proposal
is found in the appendix).
Sabbatical
leaves are not a fringe benefit and are not automatically granted. The purpose
of sabbatical leaves is to give faculty a respite from their normal duties in
order to facilitate their exploration of professional avenues which performance
of their normal duties would prevent. Faculty are encouraged to leave the
Houghton area, develop contacts with other academic institutions, research
institutes, businesses, or government agencies as part of the sabbatical. These
encouragements are in keeping with the philosophy underlying sabbatical leaves.
They are, however, not required.
In order to be
eligible for a sabbatical leave, a faculty member must have (1) been granted
tenure at the University, and (2) served for at least six years as a faculty
member at the University. Eligibility for subsequent sabbatical leaves requires
a minimum of six years to pass since the completion of the previous sabbatical
leave.
3.
Proposal Guidelines
In order to be
considered for a sabbatical, faculty must prepare a sabbatical leave proposal,
using the current guide for preparation of applications as provided and
approved by the Sabbatical Leave Committee. Copies of the guide will be
available in printed and on-line form at the Center for Teaching, Learning and
Faculty Development (or successor unit), and from the Chair of the Sabbatical
Leave Committee.
Sabbatical leave
will be approved only under these conditions:
4. Compensation
Michigan Tech
will compensate the faculty member on sabbatical leave as follows:
Duration of
Leave |
Salary in
Sabbatical Leave Year |
1 Semester |
100% of
Academic Year Salary |
2 Semesters |
50% of
Academic Year Salary |
Note: Most faculty
are on nine-month appointments. For those who are not on nine-month
appointments, academic year salary is what their salary would be if they were
on normal, nine-month appointments. Pay for administrative duties is not part
of a normal, nine-month faculty salary.
Faculty agree to
adhere to Board Policy 6.1 Program for Sabbatical Leave regarding full time
employment and funding from fellowships, grants or other sources during the
course of the sabbatical. University funds under discretionary control of the
faculty member, but not general university funds, may be used to subsidize
travel as described in the sabbatical leave proposal.
Any funds
“released” by an individual faculty member’s sabbatical leave (i.e. the
remaining 50% of a full-year’s leave) will be left in control of the individual
academic unit.
During the
period when a faculty member is on sabbatical leave:
See the Faculty
Grievance Procedures in the Faculty Handbook.
Everyone
involved in the sabbatical leave approval process should act in a timely
manner. Even though plans for sabbatical leaves sometimes do not solidify until
rather late in the academic year, applicants should begin the process as early
as possible.
Applications received after March 15 will be less likely to be approved.
Once a
sabbatical leave has been approved, any substantive changes in the faculty
member's sabbatical plans, including
changes while the leave is underway, must be submitted in writing and approved
by the faculty member's supervisor, the University Sabbatical Leave Committee,
and the President. The final decision on approval of modifications of proposed
plans rests with the President. Copies of the notification of approval or
disapproval will be distributed as in 6.g. above.
The faculty
member must prepare
a narrative report of accomplishments during the sabbatical leave, including a
description of the extent to which the activities indicated in the approved
proposal were realized.
This report must
be submitted to the Sabbatical Leave Committee and as a permanent attachment to the next annual
update of the curriculum vitae after completion of the leave. The Provost will deposit
the sabbatical narrative report in the faculty member's academic record file.
The Sabbatical
Leave Committee shall consist of five tenured members of the Academic Faculty
appointed by the President of the University. The Committee is to (1) review
and make recommendations on applications for sabbatical leave; (2) review
reports of and evaluate completed sabbatical leaves; (3) recommend
modifications of sabbatical leave procedures.
Members of the
Committee shall serve for five-year terms ending on August 1. Any vacant
position on the Committee, including temporary vacancies, shall be filled by a
tenured member of the Academic Faculty selected by the President of the
University from a list of three candidates submitted by the University Senate.
The Senate shall assemble and forward the list to the President as soon as
possible after any vacancy occurs. Each Senator representing an academic
department shall be permitted to make one nomination. At a regular meeting of
the Senate, each senator eligible to vote on academic matters shall vote for up
to three nominees from the list of all nominees. The three nominees receiving
the largest number of votes shall be the candidates which the Senate will
submit to the President of the University.
The Sabbatical
Leave Committee is responsible for development of the format and guidelines for
applications for sabbatical leave. The current guidelines are attached as an
appendix to this proposal. A notice of any substantial changes to the guidelines
should be transmitted to the Senate office.
In consultation
with the Provost, the Sabbatical Leave Committee will submit an annual report
to the Senate which details sabbatical leave activities. The Senate
will undertake periodic review of these reports and investigate additional
initiatives to encourage sabbatical leaves as an avenue for faculty
professional development.
The Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development (or successor
unit) my consult if necessary with the Committee in developing information,
particularly web-based material, to inform faculty and academic departments
about the sabbatical leave policy and about avenues for funding of sabbatical
leaves.
This proposal
supersedes, and upon approval nullifies, previous Senate Proposals concerning
sabbatical leaves, including Proposals 13-78, 1-95, 29-96, 5-00, 6-00, and
12-00.
Adopted by Presidential
Advisory Committee: 26 January 2005
Approved by President Mroz: 17 March 2005
Became Senate Procedures 706.1.1