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Date: July 1984 (revised)
APPLICATIONS FOR SABBATICAL LEAVE FOR FACULTY
I. PURPOSE:
To set forth the procedures that will outline the procedures to be used by faculty when they are seeking sabbatical leave.
II. APPLICABLE TO:
Full-time, tenure-track/tenured faculty
III. RESPONSIBILITY:
1. The applicant should supply a curriculum vita which is relevant to the sabbatical leave activity being proposed.
2. Specific arrangements which have been made for the use of laboratory space, studio space, or library facilities should be noted.
3. The applicant should be specific about the intended outcome of the sabbatical leave activity proposed. If the applicant intends to finish a book, for example, an outline of its contents should be provided.
4. A time frame for accomplishing sabbatical leave goals should be established. The applicant should indicate what portion of the research, writing, or other scholarly activity he or she hopes to complete during stated periods of the sabbatical leave. This is especially important if it is time rather than special facilities which an applicant requires to complete a project.
5. Supporting materials, including a bibliography relevant to the activity being proposed and, where deemed appropriate by the applicant, evaluations of the project, should be appended. The reason for this request is to provide reviewers with a basis for evaluating the proposal.
IV. POLICY:
Section 20.1 of the University of Rhode Island AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement outlines the criteria and guidelines for sabbatical leave applications. Forms for such applications are available in each Dean’s Office.
1. The sabbatical leave activity should be one that is judged by the faculty member’s Department Chairman and Dean to be of value to the University. The activity should be one which makes an important contribution to the applicant’s professional growth and/or to the applicant’s field, as well as to the University.
2. The sabbatical leave activity should be one that could not normally be pursued or pursued as expeditiously while the faculty member is engaged with his or her regular academic responsibilities. The sabbatical leave is intended to provide an interrupted period of time for scholarly enrichment.
3. The location to where the sabbatical leave is to be taken must serve, and be related to, the purposes of the leave. The faculty member should comment on the importance of the location where the sabbatical will be taken.
4. The sabbatical leave activity should be one involving original scholarship and research or one involving retraining or updating to meet the goals and needs of the University. In either case, the applicant should indicate the thinking and preparation which have gone into the particular project being proposed.
5. In the judgment of the Department Chairman and Dean, the past performance of the applicant and/or the applicant’s potential for effectively using the sabbatical leave should make it likely that the applicant will successfully complete the proposed project. The Department Chairman and Dean should pay special attention to the applicant’s past performance on sabbatical leaves and/or during periods when the applicant was supported by summer faculty fellowships or research grants. In cases where past performance may be lacking, the applicants need and potential for effectively using a sabbatical leave, as well as the needs of the University, should be considered.
6. The sabbatical leave applicant’s proposal must be sufficiently specific and detailed to demonstrate that the applicant has a well thought out, viable plan for activity and reasonable assurance that this activity can be completed within the time period set for the leave.
V. PROCEDURE:
Sabbatical leave applications (six copies) for the academic year preceding the leave should be forwarded to the Dean by September 15.
