Sabbaticals And Professional Development Programs
20.1 Sabbaticals and professional development awards for 2013-14 were granted under the provisions of the 2010-2013 collective bargaining agreement. The program below starts with the application process in 2013-2014.
20.2 The parties agree that research and development programs are intended to advance the abilities of faculty members and to strengthen the university as well. Such programs contribute significantly to the quality and success of research universities, and they provide eligible faculty members with the opportunity for professional renewal, planned travel, study, formal education, research, writing, faculty development, certification, or other experiences of professional value. The parties agree that such programs must be flexible to meet the diverse needs of faculty in the bargaining unit.
20.3 Sabbaticals.
Sabbaticals are granted to tenured faculty members to permit them to engage in intensive programs of research and/or study. Sabbaticals are accorded to faculty members to enable them to further their research or other creative activities, to improve teaching skills, to enhance the university’s distinction and a faculty member’s value to the university. Sabbaticals are granted in a process described in this article.
20.4 Sabbatical Eligibility.
(a) Full-time tenured faculty members with at least six (6) years of full-time service at the University who have not taken a sabbatical within the last six (6) years are eligible for sabbaticals.
(b) A faculty member may opt for an alternative sabbatical as described in 20.5.
20.5 Alternative Sabbatical Pilot Program.
(a) Tenured faculty members may have professional development needs that do not fit comfortably in a traditional sabbatical program. Included are such things as assignments of shorter duration than a sabbatical, special funding to support unique non-salary costs associated with a project (such as travel), or special projects where a summer appointment would be more useful.
(b) A tenured faculty member may opt to apply for an alternative sabbatical program at any time if not previously awarded an alternative sabbatical. The faculty member is limited to one such alternative sabbatical every three years.
(c) The alternative sabbatical is in lieu of a sabbatical and, if taken, re-sets the sabbatical eligibility clock.
(d) If not awarded, sabbatical eligibility is not affected.
(e) Provided there are sufficient qualified proposals for this alternative program, the University shall provide $500,000 in each fiscal year.
(f) Alternative sabbaticals are distinct from regular sabbaticals.
(g) This alternative sabbatical program is a pilot and concludes with awards made for the 2016-17 academic year.
(h) The parties agree to create a study committee in Spring 2015 to review the effectiveness of this pilot program and to recommend any changes to it.
20.6 Sabbatical Allocations.
The University will allocate 50 two semester full pay sabbaticals and 40 one semester full pay sabbaticals each fiscal year for members of the bargaining unit. If the pattern of such applications suggests a different allocation between one and two semester sabbaticals and the college committee so recommends, a college may change the mix of sabbaticals, so long as the total semester units awarded is equal to the total semester units allocated to the college. The University will distribute this sabbatical allocation to each of the colleges in proportion to the number of eligible faculty. The University shall notify UFF at the same time as the colleges of the allocation of the sabbatical units.
20.7 Applications for sabbaticals shall be submitted to the faculty member’s department chair by October 15. Final decisions shall be made by January 15. Each application shall state whether it is for a traditional one or two-semester sabbatical or the alternative sabbatical program. A faculty member may apply for only one option (two-semester sabbatical, one-semester sabbatical, or an alternative sabbatical). The application shall include the following:
applicant’s name;
applicant’s department;
number of years of full-time service at the University;
semester(s) that the sabbatical is requested for;
dates of previous sabbaticals, including any deferred sabbaticals;
a statement of no more than 750 words describing the planned activities, specific results anticipated from the sabbatical, and any anticipated income, particularly if proposal involves appointment at another academic institution.
20.8 The faculty member applying for an alternative sabbatical shall provide a detailed budget and may include a request for replacement costs for reduced teaching load during the alternative sabbatical. The maximum award shall be $50,000. The University, at its discretion, may not charge the replacement costs against the award.
20.9 Process for Review of Sabbatical Proposals
(a) The chair shall make a recommendation on whether the university should award a proposed sabbatical.
(b) The college committee (described in 20.11 below) shall make a recommendation to the dean on whether the university should award a proposed sabbatical.
(c) The dean may fund a proposal, refer it back to the faculty member for re-submission, or deny the proposal. Before denying a proposal that has been supported by both the chair and the college committee, the dean shall consult with the chair and the committee. The dean shall notify the faculty member in writing of the denial for the sabbatical, with reasons.
(d) A faculty member denied a sabbatical for whatever reason is free to submit a new proposal the following year.
(e) If a dean does not spend the allocation in a given year because there are not sufficient proposals to effectively use the allocation, the unused allocation will be forwarded to the following year.
(f) If there are more recommended traditional sabbaticals than available allocations, those individuals with the most years of service since a previous sabbatical shall be granted the sabbatical. In the event that the seniority provision requires a decision between those with identical seniority, the college committee shall rank order only those applications. This sabbatical seniority does not apply to the alternative sabbatical proposals.
20.10 Process for Review of Alternative Sabbatical Proposals.
(a) The chair shall make a recommendation on whether the university should award the alternative sabbatical.
(b) The college committee (described in 20.11 below) shall make a recommendation to the dean on whether the university should award the alternative sabbatical.
(c) A faculty committee consisting of tenured faculty from the bargaining unit shall make determinations about the awards, including a determination of appropriate funding for each. The Colleges of Education, Engineering, and Liberal Arts and Sciences shall elect a nominee from the tenured faculty to serve on the committee for staggered two-year terms. The other colleges in the bargaining unit, plus the museum and the library, shall each elect a nominee from the tenured faculty members to serve on the committee. The provost shall select three faculty members from the other colleges to serve on the committee for staggered two-year terms. The provost's selections shall strive to reflect both the relative size of the academic units and an appropriate disciplinary mix of the members.
20.11 College Committees on Sabbaticals.
Each College shall have a sabbatical committee elected by and from the fulltime tenured faculty members in the College. Its primary responsibility is to assess whether proposals meet the standards.
20.12 Terms and Conditions of Sabbaticals.
The following terms and conditions apply:
(a) A faculty member and the University may agree to a different schedule than the traditional one or two semester leave during a single academic year. Included options are sabbaticals spread over two academic years or a sabbatical at half pay.
(b) A faculty member must notify the chair and the dean by January 31 that the faculty member accepts or declines the awarded sabbatical. The faculty member may re-submit at a later time without prejudice.
(c) A sabbatical may be postponed for a semester or a year, either at the request of the faculty member or by the University. The period of postponement shall be credited for eligibility for a subsequent sabbatical.
(1) Staffing problems may, on occasion, require the University to postpone an awarded sabbatical. In such instances the faculty member will be provided with his or her sabbatical the following semester or year, or another time agreed to by the faculty member and the University.
(2) When a faculty member requests the postponement, the faculty member does not reapply but simply takes the sabbatical at a time approved by the chair and dean.
(d) A faculty member compensated through a contract or grant may receive a sabbatical if the contract or grant allows such and the faculty member meets all other eligibility requirements.
(e) A faculty member must return to the University for at least one (1) academic year following the completed sabbatical. Return to the University of salary received during the sabbatical may be required if the faculty member fails to meet this obligation.
(f) Contributions to retirement shall be continued on a basis proportional to the salary received.
(g) Contributions made to employee insurance programs and any other employee benefit programs shall be continued during the sabbatical.
(h) While on sabbatical, a faculty member shall be permitted to receive funds for travel and living expenses, and other sabbatical-related expenses from sources other than the University such as fellowships, grants-in-aid, and contracts and grants, to assist in accomplishing the purposes of the sabbatical. Receipt of funds for such purposes shall not result in reduction of the faculty member’s University salary.
(i) Grants for such financial assistance from other sources may or may not be administered through the University.
(j) If financial assistance is received in the form of salary, the University salary shall normally be reduced by the amount necessary to bring the total income of the sabbatical period to a level comparable to the faculty member’s current year salary rate. In certain instances, the University may waive this requirement because of special costs associated with the sabbatical.
(k) Employment unrelated to the purpose of the sabbatical is governed by the provisions of Article 26, Conflict of Interest and Outside Activity.
(l) Upon completion of the sabbatical, a faculty member shall provide the University with a written report addressing the results of the sabbatical. Accruing eligibility for a future sabbatical will not begin until appropriate report has been submitted.
20.13 Professional Development Program. The University will provide professional development awards for those not eligible for sabbaticals, as described below.
20.14 Professional Development Program Eligibility.
Full-time faculty members with six (6) or more years of service at the University shall be eligible for the professional development program, except those members who are serving in tenure-accruing or tenured positions. PKY faculty members are included in this group, including PKY faculty with permanent status. Once eligible, faculty members may receive a professional development award once every six years of fulltime service.
20.15 Each year, the University shall make available at least one (1) professional development award for one (1) semester at full pay or a mutually acceptable alternative for each twenty (20) eligible faculty members, subject to the eligibility, application, and selection criteria set forth in this article. Professional Development Awards shall be divided among the colleges according to their proportion of eligible faculty.
20.16 Professional development assignments normally are one semester in length, but individuals may propose alternative approaches (a summer stipend, support for other professional development activities that do not fit a standard semester schedule, internship support).
20.17 At least one such award shall be reserved every other year for P.K. Yonge faculty.
20.18 Applications for the professional development program shall be submitted to the faculty member’s department chair by October 15. Final decisions shall be made by January 15. Each application shall include the following:
applicant’s name;
applicant’s department;
number of years of full-time service at the University;
semester(s) that the award is requested for;
dates of previous awards;
a statement of no more than 750 words describing the planned activities, specific results anticipated, and any anticipated income.
20.19 Process for Review of Proposals.
(a) The chair shall make a recommendation on whether the university should support the proposal.
(b) The college committee (described in 20.21 below) shall make its recommendations on whether the university should grant the award.
(c) The dean will make decisions on which proposals to approve and which to deny.
(d) A faculty member denied for whatever reason is free to submit a new proposal the following year.
20.20 Terms and Conditions. The terms and conditions for the professional development programs shall be the same as for sabbaticals as specified in section 20.12.
20.21 College Committees on Professional Development Program.
Each college shall have professional development program committee elected by and from the fulltime faculty members in the College. Its primary responsibility is to make recommendations on supporting proposals.
20.22 Study Leave for Those not Tenured or in Tenure-accruing Positions.
(a) Job-Required. A faculty member required to take academic course work as part of assigned duties shall not be required to charge time spent attending classes during the work day to accrued leave.
(b) Job-Related. A faculty member may, at the discretion of the University, be permitted to attend up to six (6) credits of course work per semester during work, provided that:
(1) That the absence will not interfere with the proper operation of the work unit;
(2) The course work would improve the productivity of the department; and
(3) The faculty member’s work schedule can be adjusted to accommodate such job-related study without reduction in the total number of work hours required per pay period, or the faculty member uses accrued leave or takes approved leave without pay for the hours of absence.
20.23 Annual Report.
Not later than April 30 of each year, the University shall provide a report, by college, of the sabbatical and professional development program results. The report shall include the following information (separated by sabbaticals, alternative sabbaticals, and professional development awards):
(1) Number of faculty members eligible;
(2) Number of applications;
(3) Number awarded;
(4) Number accepted;
(5) Number accepted but deferred;
(6) Number recommended by faculty committee and chair and denied by dean; and
(7) Expenditures for the alternative sabbaticals.