SP 05-33 - Sabbatical Leave (superseded by SP 08-14)

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 (Article 27.10). 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 retraining. (Article 27.1)

The guidelines for sabbatical leave in the CSU are set forth in Article 27 of the Unit 3 Memorandum of Understanding. Changes in the M.O.U. supersede this policy.

Eligibility

A full-time faculty 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. (Article 27.2)

Percentage of Tenure-Track Faculty on Sabbatical Leave

Although the total number of sabbatical leaves granted in any academic year is subject to the discretion of the President, in general, at least five percent of the tenure-track faculty shall be granted sabbatical leave during any academic year.

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. (Article 27.11)

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. (Article 27.11)

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 (see “The Application and Review Process Below) and the Provost or his or her designee and the approval of the President. (Article 27.12)

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. (Article 27.13)

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. (Article 27.14)

Faculty on sabbatical leave shall not accept additional and/or outside employment without prior approval of the President. (Article 27.15)

The Application and Review Process

The Professional Leave Committee. The M.O.U. calls for the creation of a Professional Leave Committee that (a) recommends application and response deadlines to the President (Article 27.4), and (b) reviews sabbatical leave applications and make recommendations to the Provost or his or her designee (Article 27.5). The Professional Leave Committee shall consist of tenured faculty employees and shall be elected by probationary and tenured faculty unit employees. The election of the Professional Leave Committee shall take place at the same time as the election of the standing committees of the Academic Senate. A faculty unit employee applying for a sabbatical leave shall not be eligible for election to the Professional Leave Committee. (Article 27.5). Representation on the Professional Leave Committee for the 2006-07 AY shall be as follows:

The Professional Leave Committee 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).

Initially the composition of the committee shall include one representative from each of the following: Arts & Humanities, Math and Sciences, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Library/Counselors, and Education.

As the number of faculty grows and as the structure of the Division of Academic Affairs shifts, it may become necessary to change the composition of the Professional Leave Committee. In future years, the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate, in consultation with the Professional Leave Committee, may change the composition of the Professional Leave Committee. Any changes to the composition of the Professional Leave Committee shall be announced at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Academic Senate prior to the election of the standing committees of the Academic Senate for the next academic year, and shall become effective for the next academic year.

The recommendation ensuing from such a review shall be submitted to the Provost or his or her designee. This review shall consider questions related to the quality of the proposed sabbatical project.

The Sabbatical Leave Application

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 and the CSU resources, if any, necessary to carry it out, and a statement of the time requested, which shall not exceed one (1) year. (Article 27.3) The Professional Leave Committee shall consult with Provost or his or her designee in the development of Sabbatical Leave Application forms.

Professional Leave Committee Review of Sabbatical Leave Application. In its review of sabbatical leave applications, the Professional Leave Committee shall first determine which of the applications is meritorious.

An initial charge to the Professional Leave Committee shall be to determine criteria defining a meritorious application. These criteria shall be developed in consultation with the Provost or his or her designee, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of the Faculty, Dean of the Library, program chairs and the Faculty Affairs Committee of the Academic Senate, and are subject to the final approval of the President.

In the event that an application is deemed non-meritorious, a representative from the Professional Leave Committee will contact the applicant and, if the applicant desires, will convey feedback from the Professional Leave Committee in the interest of improving the application. Applicants may submit amended applications for consideration during the current academic year, but not later than deadlines established in the sabbatical leave application process.

Next, the Professional Leave Committee will rank the meritorious applications using the point system described below:

(a) 1 point will be granted for each year of service at CSUCI since the last sabbatical leave or difference in pay leave taken at CSUCI.
(b) 1 point will be granted for each year in which the applicant submitted a meritorious application in previous academic years and the application was not funded since the last sabbatical or difference in pay leave. For example, if the applicant submitted meritorious applications in each of the two previous years, and if neither application was funded, 2 points would be granted. It should be noted in this example that applications do not have to be submitted in consecutive years to earn points under this provision.
(c) 1 point will be granted if the applicant has not previously been granted a sabbatical leave at CSUCI.

Program Review of Sabbatical Leave Application. 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 his or her designee regarding the possible effect on the curriculum and the operation of the program should the employee be granted a sabbatical. (Article 27.6)

Administrative Review. Prior to making a recommendation to the President regarding the sabbatical leave application, the Provost or his or her designee shall consider the recommendations of the Professional Leave Committee and the program, other campus program needs and campus budget implications. (Article 27.7)

Presidential Review. 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 Professional Leave Committee, the program, and the Provost or his or her 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 Professional Leave Committee. (Article 27.8)

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 Professional Leave Committee.¹

Additional Provisions Stipulated by the M.O.U.

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. (Article 27.9)

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. (Article 27.10)

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. (Article 27.17)

¹This provision is consistent with Article 27.16 of the M.O.U.