Sabbatical Leave Process

Sabbatical Leave Policy and Procedures

Introduction

According to Article XIII, Title E of the Policies of the Board of Trustees (BOT), “sabbatical leaves shall be granted for planned travel, study, formal education, research, writing, or other experience of professional value). The objective of a sabbatical leave “… is to increase an employee’s value to the University and thereby improve and enrich its program. Such leave shall not be regarded as a reward for service nor as a vacation or rest period occurring automatically at stated intervals (p.52).”

Criteria and eligibility may be found in the BOT policy listed above; Article 23.6 of the UUP Agreement; and Chapter 210.07 of the College Handbook.

Documents

Eligibility

Academic employees with continuing appointment who have completed at least six consecutive years of service are eligible for sabbatical leave. Employees who have previously had a sabbatical leave must have completed at least six consecutive years of service from the date of return. Vacation leave and sick leave with salary are included in the computation of consecutive years of service, but other leaves of absence are not to be included. Please refer to Article XIII, Title E, Section 3 of the Policies of the Board of Trustees.

Criteria

All applications (both full year and half year) will be judged on the following criteria:

The value of the proposed leave to the faculty member, the department, school, and/or college
The necessity of the leave for completion of the proposed work, to distinguish the proposal from work that can reasonably be expected to be accomplished as part of the faculty member’s normal obligation
Anticipated outcomes (e.g., new curriculum, presentations, publications, external grant applications)
Evidence of qualifications for completing the proposed project (e.g., results of prior sabbaticals, related peer-reviewed scholarly activity, grants awarded)
The ability of the department to satisfy its teaching and service responsibilities in the faculty member’s absence

Sabbaticals will be judged primarily on their intellectual merit and evidence provided that supports the applicant’s ability to fulfill the goals of the sabbatical (e.g. Vitas, annual reports, prior sabbatical reports, etc.). Special consideration will be given to first-time applicants.

Time Period, Salary and Benefits

The President’s Cabinet will determine the number of half-year sabbaticals that can be supported (and at what salary rate) based on budgetary considerations. Sabbatical leaves may be granted for:

A period of one year at rates not to exceed one-half basic annual salary or
A period of one-half year at rates not to exceed full basic annual salary

Employees who remain in at least half-time pay status continue health, dental and vision coverage without interruption.

Full retirement system service credit or contributions will apply to full-pay sabbaticals. Partial retirement system service credit or contributions will apply for less than full-pay sabbaticals in a ratio equivalent to the percentage of pay.

Leave accruals are not used or earned during the period of sabbatical leave.

Faculty may not earn extra service and/or also receives pay at SUNY Cortland while on sabbatical leave.

Procedures

For specific dates, please refer to the Personnel Actions Calendar.

Faculty applications to the department chair are due in the first week of October.

All applications must include the application form, a current curriculum vitae, and a detailed proposal submitted on the Sabbatical Proposal Template.
Applicants who previously completed a sabbatical must include the following additional items:
- A copy of their most recent sabbatical application and report
- A summary of their productivity since the previous sabbatical
Chairs submit their recommendations to the respective dean in the third week of October.
If there are multiple applications from a department, the chairs will prioritize If the chair is applying for a sabbatical leave, only the other applications will be prioritized.
By the second week of November, deans will submit their recommendations to the
If the number of recommendations exceeds the number of sabbaticals that can be supported, the three deans will meet with the Provost to arrive at consensus on a rank ordering of the applications.
The Provost submits recommendations to the President in the first week of December.
The President has final approval of sabbatical applications.

Responsibilities Following Sabbatical Approval

Circumstances beyond your control may necessitate a change in Such changes must be approved, in writing, by the School Dean, the Provost and the President.
Changes should generally be approved before completion of leave.
Faculty returning from sabbatical are expected to complete a report using the Sabbatical Summary Template. This report should be submitted to the chair in SL&L Watermark Faculty no later than the end of the first full semester after returning from the sabbatical. This report will also be reviewed by the dean and the provost.