College of Letters and Science Faculty Document No. 541 April 10, 2000 Recommendation of the Academic Planning Committee that the Faculty Adopt a Position Statement Regarding The Faculty Sabbatical Program Recommendation: That the following statement regarding the sabbatical program be endorsed by the Faculty of the College of Letters and Science: Rationale: After considerable discussion, the Academic Planning Committee members agreed that a formal position statement for the College faculty regarding the sabbatical program would be useful in setting consistent standards for awarding of sabbaticals and would inform the administration of the College and of the University regarding the Faculty's views. POSITION STATEMENT REGARDING THE FACULTY SABBATICAL PROGRAM The Faculty of the College of Letters and Science endorses the following positions on the faculty sabbatical program. These statements reflect the Faculty's perspective on aspects of the purpose and administration of the sabbatical program. They, in part, complement the current guidelines published by Academic Affairs. However, the Faculty's perspective on funding the sabbatical program (point C) differs from the Academic Affairs Guidelines. Purpose and Benefits of Sabbatical Leave Program Sabbatical leaves are important components of faculty development. They provide opportunities for enhancing the quality of research and teaching within the College by allowing faculty members to expand or enhance their skills, abilities, and experiences. Faculty members use the leaves for diverse purposes such as the development of new research skills and initiatives, the conduction of off-site research, the preparation of new courses, and the development of new teaching techniques. Sabbaticals also enhance faculty morale and promote retention of experienced faculty. As important instruments of faculty development, sabbaticals serve to promote the mission of the departments and the College by renewing and expanding the faculty's array of skills. The sabbatical program promotes the overall scholarly reputation of the College and enhances the quality and variety of its educational offerings. Sabbatical Proposals Faculty members applying for sabbaticals must prepare a proposal that specifies the objectives of their leaves and plans for accomplishing their goals. Proposals should indicate how the leave will benefit the faculty member's development and serve the educational and/or research mission of his/her department and/or the College. Proposals must be approved by the faculty member's department, the College, and the Vice Chancellor. The College requires that the faculty member submit a written summary of his/her accomplishments within one year of completion of the sabbatical. Sabbatical proposals also must address how the faculty member's absence will impact the department's responsibilities and overall mission. Maintaining course offerings is a particularly important consideration. These considerations may limit the number of simultaneous sabbatical leaves that can be accommodated within a single department or program. Departments should consider this when supporting sabbatical requests. Funding of Sabbatical Program Historically, the sabbatical program has been "self-supporting" in that savings from the reduced salary of academic year sabbaticals have paid for ad hoc instructors to replace faculty members on both academic year and semester leaves. In some years, this had lead to the rejection of some semester sabbatical leaves because insufficient funds were available from academic year leaves. We think that it is inappropriate to deny a sabbatical to a faculty member with the required service and a good proposal. Therefore, we recommend that supplemental funds be made available at the campus level to allow all qualified faculty members with good proposals to take sabbaticals and that these funds not be taken from instructional budgets such as those used for ad hoc instructors or teaching assistantships.