Single Semester Leaves; Sabbatical Leaves; Sabbatical Supplements
Questions regarding faculty development leaves should be directed to the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, 612-624-1032.
The College strongly encourages faculty to take advantage of the professional development opportunities that semester leaves and sabbaticals make possible. These leaves enable faculty to acquire new skills and knowledge, as well as to enhance communication of knowledge to students and society. As a result, they benefit the individual, the students and the University of Minnesota, the citizens of the state, and all who are affected by the research, teaching, creative activity, and service mission of the University.
| Type of request | Eligibility | Required forms | Requests due in CBS Deans’ office | Report of leaves granted due in Provost’s office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single semester leave | Probationary Faculty: After 2 academic years of service Tenured Faculty: After 4 years of academic service |
End of January; decision by end of February | End of March | |
| Sabbatical leave | Leave of up to one year after six academic years of service | Accepted anytime throughout the year (should be discussed with department head at least 1 year prior to requested start of sabbatical; application preferred by end of January) |
||
| Sabbatical supplement | Faculty who are tenured at the time of sabbatical application | End of January; decision by end of February | End of March |
Probationary faculty may apply for a single semester leave after two academic years of service or a sabbatical leave after six years of service. Granting of the requested leave will be contingent upon conferral of tenure by the start date of the proposed leave.
Faculty are eligible for a sabbatical leave after six academic years of service. Granting of a sabbatical leave is based on review and scheduling at the department/collegiate levels and the approval of the dean. Faculty may apply for a sabbatical leave during the sixth academic year of service, to be taken the following year.
Faculty meeting the eligibility requirements for a sabbatical leave may apply for a sabbatical supplement. Sabbatical supplements are available for both one- and two-semester sabbaticals.
Salary & benefits during semester leaves: During single semester leaves, faculty receive their usual salary and benefits. The normal teaching and service duties of the faculty member on leave are typically covered by other members of their department. Alternatively, department heads may make different accommodations that enable the department’s duties to continue in the absence of the faculty member’s normal contributions. No additional funding is provided to the department for this accommodation.
Salary & benefits during sabbatical leaves: Faculty on sabbatical leaves receive one-half salary and full benefits. Sabbatical supplements, which are competitively awarded, provide an additional 30 percent of the base salary, up to a maximum award of $30,000. The combination of sabbatical leave support, sabbatical supplement support, and any other salary support may not exceed 100% of the recipient’s full-time base salary. Sabbatical supplements may not be used to provide summer support. The award of a sabbatical supplement is contingent upon the approval of a concurrent sabbatical leave.
Following the leave: Sabbatical leaves for faculty on nine-month academic year appointments begin and end with the beginning and ending of semesters (B-term appointment dates).Faculty must return to work at the University immediately following completion of the leave and remain employed for at least a period of time equal to the leave. If this condition is not met, the faculty member will have to reimburse the University for their salary and benefits received during the leave. Within 3 months following completion of either a semester and sabbatical leave, the University requires the faculty member to report on the professional development accomplishments made during the leave. The report should summarize the activities and accomplishments during the sabbatical, and should indicate how the leave can be expected to enhance the faculty member’s future scholarly or creative work, teaching, or outreach activities.
University of Minnesota policy restricts the number of faculty semester leaves to 4% of the tenure-track faculty lines. Thus, about 125 semester leaves can be granted each year across the University. Based on the number of faculty in CBS, we are typically allowed to grant 4 semester leaves. Although there is no set limit on the number of sabbatical leaves, in practice the College typically accounts for semester and sabbatical leaves together. Thus, we typically award 4 semester or sabbatical leaves per semester.
Because of the impact on departments, faculty should discuss their semester leave and sabbatical plans with their department head at least one academic year in advance of when they hope to start their leave.
Semester and sabbatical leaves, as well as sabbatical supplements, are awarded competitively. Review of these requests occurs once a year, in early February.
Semester and sabbatical leave requests are submitted to the CBS Dean’s Office at the end of January. (Although requests for sabbatical leaves may theoretically be submitted at any time, sabbatical supplement requests are considered at the same time as semester leave requests. Thus, in practice, sabbatical requests are typically evaluated in early February, together with semester leave requests.)
Faculty who wish to be considered for a sabbatical supplement should indicate this fact on their CBS Sabbatical Application.
Applications for faculty leaves and supplements are reviewed by a College Committee that includes the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, the Associate Dean for Research, and the Chief Financial Officer. Review criteria include:
