SP 08-14 - Sabbatical Leave (superseded by SP 11-15)

The guidelines for sabbatical leave in the CSU are set forth in Article 27 of the Unit 3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Changes in the MOU supersede this policy.

Preamble

CSUCI regards sabbatical leave as an investment in its faculty that will assist the campus in fulfilling its mission. It is the intent of this policy that eligible CSUCI faculty who meet the conditions of this policy receive their sabbatical leave. All sabbatical leaves shall be for purposes that provide a benefit to the CSU, such as research, scholarly and creative activity, instructional improvement or faculty professional development.

Eligibility

A full-time faculty member shall be eligible for a sabbatical leave if s/he has served full-time for six (6) years at CSUCI in the preceding seven (7) year period prior to the leave and at least six (6) years after any previous sabbatical leave or difference in pay leave. Credit granted towards the completion of the probationary period for service elsewhere shall also apply towards fulfilling the eligibility requirements for a sabbatical. A leave of absence without pay or service in an academic administrative appointment excluded from the bargaining unit shall not constitute a break in service for eligibility requirements.

Percentage of Tenure-Track Faculty on Sabbatical Leave

All applications for sabbatical leave at one-half (1/2) of full salary shall be approved if they meet the criteria set forth in the memorandum of understanding. If there is a sufficient number of faculty unit employees eligible for sabbatical leave, then a campus shall grant no fewer than twelve percent (12%) of the total number of faculty members eligible to apply for such leaves in that year. This is in addition to those faculty members approved for sabbatical at one-half (1/2) of full salary.

Length of Leave and Work Status, Salary and Benefits During Leave

A faculty member may be granted a sabbatical leave for: a. one (1) semester at full salary; or b. two (2) semesters at one-half (1/2) of full salary. A library faculty member may be granted a sabbatical leave for:

a. four (4) months at full salary;
b. eight (8) months at one-half (1/2) of full salary.

A sabbatical of two (2) semesters may be implemented within a two (2) consecutive year period, subject to the recommendations of the Professional Leave Committee and the Provost or the Provost’s designee and the approval of the President.

Faculty on sabbatical leave shall be considered in work status and shall receive health, dental and appropriate fringe benefits provided by the CSU in the same manner as if he/she were not on sabbatical leave.

Faculty on sabbatical leave shall be entitled to accrue sick leave, vacation, and service credit toward merit salary adjustment eligibility, eligibility toward promotion, if applicable, and seniority credit.

Faculty on sabbatical leave shall not accept additional and/or outside employment without prior approval of the President.

The Application and Review Process

The Professional Leave Committee (PLC) shall consist of tenured faculty employees and shall be elected by probationary and tenured faculty members. The election of the PLC shall take place at the same time as the election of other Academic Senate standing committees. The PLC shall include representation by faculty from each of the major disciplinary areas within the university (i.e., Arts & Humanities, Math and Sciences, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Library/Counselors, and Education).

To be considered for a sabbatical leave, a faculty member must submit an application for a sabbatical leave. The application shall include:

• a statement of the purpose of the sabbatical;
• a description of the proposed project;
• the CSU resources, if any, necessary to carry it out;
• a statement of the time requested, which shall not exceed one (1) year.

The PLC shall consult with the Provost or the Provost’s designee in the development of sabbatical leave application forms and criteria for evaluation of the applications.

In its review of sabbatical leave applications, the PLC shall use the approved criteria to determine the merit of the applications. Evaluation criteria are available from the Faculty Affairs Office and are posted on the Faculty Affairs website. Any modifications to these criteria will be made by the PLC and be approved by the Provost prior to February 28.

Applications for 1-year half-pay sabbaticals must be granted if they are judged meritorious. The responsibility of the PLC, in the case of these applications, is to judge them meritorious or not meritorious. The PLC will forward a list of those 1-year half-pay sabbatical applications judged meritorious to the Provost.

The Provost shall inform the PLC of the number of one-semester full-pay sabbaticals based on the formula given in the CBA, as well as the number of any additional sabbaticals that can be funded. The PLC shall then forward to the Provost a list of meritorious applications corresponding to the number of sabbaticals available in that academic year. Any additional sabbaticals shall be drawn from the list of remaining meritorious applications.

The recommendations to the Provost shall be presented in the following order of priority:

1. Meritorious applications to be granted in number as communicated by the Provost to the PLC;
2. Meritorious applications to be granted if additional funding becomes available - only this category shall be ranked;
3. Non-meritorious applications.

In the event that an application requires significant improvement and is not recommended for funding, a representative from the PLC will contact the applicant and, if the applicant desires, convey feedback.

A copy of the application shall be sent to the faculty member’s program. The program chair shall provide a statement to the Provost or the Provost’s designee regarding the possible effect on the curriculum and the operation of the program should the employee be granted a sabbatical.

Prior to making a recommendation to the President regarding the sabbatical leave application, the Provost or the Provost’s designee shall consider the recommendations of the PLC and the program, other campus program needs and campus budget implications. If the Provost’s recommendations differ from those of the PLC, the Provost shall respond to the committee with a rationale for the decisions made.

Prior to making a final determination regarding the sabbatical leave and the conditions of such an approved leave, the President shall consider the recommendations made by the PLC, the program, and the Provost or the Provost’s designee. The President shall respond in writing to the applicant and such a response shall include the reasons for approval or denial. If a sabbatical leave is granted, the response shall include any conditions of such a leave. A copy of this response shall be provided to the affected program and the PLC.

Dissemination of the Results of Sabbatical Leave

Upon completion of a sabbatical leave, the recipient of the leave will make a formal presentation of the results of his or her leave to the campus community. The format of the presentation shall be approved by the PLC.

Additional Provisions

Final approval of a sabbatical leave shall not be granted until the applicant has filed with the President a suitable bond or an accepted statement of assets (not including PERS holdings) and/or a promissory note that is individually or collectively at least equal to the amount of salary paid during the leave. The guarantee posted shall indemnify the State of California against loss in the event the employee fails to render the required service in the CSU following return of the employee from the sabbatical leave. The guarantee posted shall immediately be canceled in full upon completion of required service or upon waiver of that service by mutual agreement of the faculty member and the CSU.

Arrangements may be developed by the program and approved by the President to accommodate granting sabbatical leaves for faculty unit employees whose leaves have been approved. Such arrangements may include rearranging workload within the program and other University funding. No faculty unit employee will be involuntarily required to work in an overload situation by such arrangements.

A faculty member shall render service to the CSU upon return from a sabbatical leave at the rate of one (1) semester of service for each semester of leave.