Policy Statement - 97-10 Sabbatical and Difference-In-Pay Leave
SABBATICAL AND DIFFERENCE-IN-PAY LEAVE
POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND CRITERIA
This policy was recommended by the Academic Senate on April 10, 1997 and
approved by the President on July 14, 1997. This policy supersedes PS 95-05.
- I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
A. The number of leaves granted in any one semester or year in any department, college, or the campus as a whole, shall not be so great as to disrupt the continued and regular course offerings or to affect the level of the quality of education offered to the students. An approved leave may be deferred for up to one year in order to avoid adverse impact on programs or educational quality.
B. Each College faculty may adopt a professional leave document which outlines the procedures for the election of the College Professional Leave Committee and which may include criteria for a sabbatical or difference-in-pay leave in addition to the University criteria stated in this policy. College professional leave policies and procedures are subject to review and approval by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the University Faculty Personnel Policies Council.
C. An applicant for a sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave shall forward a request, with the appropriate information of the applicant's plan of study, research, or travel and service together with a statement of the benefits which would accrue to the CSU.
D. Each faculty member/librarian granted a sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave will be required to sign a statement agreeing to carry out the proposal to the best of his/her ability. In addition, final approval of a sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave shall not be granted until the faculty member/librarian has filed with the President's designee 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 faculty member/librarian fails to render the required service in the CSU following return of the employee from the leave.
E. Normally, a faculty member/librarian on sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave shall not accept employment elsewhere (although he/she may go on a Fulbright or similar fellowship or accept payment of travel expenses connected with a sabbatical program). There may be a rare instance where employment would contribute to the goal of the individual's leave. The intention to do so, however, must be clearly stated in the leave plan submitted and must be approved in advance. The burden of proof shall be on the individual in any such exceptional circumstance to demonstrate the worth of such employment. Such employment shall be minimal and purely incidental and subject to prior approval of the President's designee.
F. A faculty member/librarian on sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave shall not accept additional employment without prior approval of the President's designee.
G. A faculty member/librarian on sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave shall be entitled to accrue sick leave, vacation, and service credit toward service salary increase eligibility, eligibility toward promotion, if applicable, and seniority credit.
H. A faculty member/librarian granted sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave may be required by the President's designee to provide verification that the conditions of the leave were met. The statement of verification shall be provided to the President's designee and the applicable Professional Leave Committee.
I. A faculty member/librarian shall render service to the CSU upon return from a sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave at the rate of one term of service for each term of leave.
J. Each faculty member/librarian on sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave shall be entitled to exercise all his/her normal faculty privileges.
K. Each faculty member/librarian granted a sabbatical or difference-in-pay leave shall, upon return to service, submit a written report of study to the department chair, dean/director of the college, and the President's designee for inclusion in his/her personnel file. In addition, faculty granted sabbaticals should be prepared to present the results of the sabbatical leave in a department and/or college seminar.
- II. ELIGIBILITY
A. Sabbatical Leave: A full-time faculty/librarian employee shall be eligible for a sabbatical leave if he/she has served full-time for six years at that campus in the preceding seven-year period prior to the leave and at least six years after any previous sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave. Credit granted toward the completion of the probationary period for service elsewhere shall also apply towards fulfilling the eligibility requirement of 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 or eligibility requirements.
B. Difference-in-Pay Leave: The same provisions as in II.A. above shall apply with respect to eligibility for a difference-in-pay leave, with the exception that a faculty member will be eligible for a subsequent difference-in-pay leave after he/she has served full time for three years after the last sabbatical leave or difference-in-pay leave.
- III. SALARY CONDITIONS OF LEAVE
A. Sabbatical Leave: The salary of a faculty member on a sabbatical leave shall be in accordance with the following:
1. One semester at full salary.
2. Two semesters at one-half of full salary.
The salary of a librarian employee on a sabbatical leave shall be in accordance with the following:
1. Four months at full salary.
2. Eight months at one-half of full salary.
B. Difference-in-Pay Leave: The salary for a difference-in-pay leave for a faculty employee shall be the difference between the faculty employee's salary and the minimum salary of the instructor rank. The salary for a difference-in-pay leave for a librarian employee shall be the difference between the librarian employee's salary and the minimum salary of the lowest comparable time-base librarian rank.
- IV. PROCEDURES
A. Sabbatical Leaves
1. A Professional Leave Committee composed of tenured faculty/librarian employees shall review sabbatical leave applications in each college. The professional leave committee shall be elected by probationary and tenured faculty/librarian employees of the unit. A faculty/librarian employee applying for a sabbatical leave shall not be eligible for election to the Professional Leave Committee.
2. The applicant's request for a sabbatical leave shall be forwarded through the department chair to the College Professional Leave Committee. The department chair shall provide a statement to the dean regarding the possible effect on the curriculum and the operation of the department if the faculty member is granted a sabbatical leave.
3. The College Professional Leave Committee on the basis of the material submitted shall evaluate the applications and make recommendations to the College dean. The committee's review shall consider questions related to the quality of the proposed sabbatical project. The dean shall review the committee's recommendations and forward his/her recommendation to the President's designee. Prior to making a recommendation to the President's designee regarding the sabbatical leave application, the dean/director shall consider the recommendations pursuant to the above provisions, other campus program needs, and campus budget implications.
4. Deadlines: Applications for sabbatical leave for the following year must be submitted to the College Professional Leave Committee by the third Monday in November. The College Professional Leave Committee shall forward its recommendations to the dean of the college by the second Monday in December. The dean's recommendations and accompanying proposals should be submitted to the Academic Personnel Office by the third Monday in December.
5. For faculty holding joint appointments in two or more departments or programs, the following procedures shall apply:
a. The department chair or director of each affected academic unit shall provide a statement regarding the possible effect on the curriculum and the operation of that unit if the faculty member is granted a sabbatical leave.
b. If the faculty member holds a joint appointment in two or more colleges, the faculty member's proposal shall be reviewed by the college Professional Leave Committee which the faculty member considers the most appropriate for the evaluation of his/her proposal. The college-level committee shall consider questions related to the quality of the proposed leave project, and shall forward its recommendation to the deans of the affected colleges. Those deans shall confer about the proposal and the recommendations received, and shall, if possible, forward their joint recommendation to the President's designee. In cases of disagreement, each dean may forward a separate recommendation.
6. Prior to making a final determination regarding the sabbatical leave and the conditions of such an approved leave, the President's designee shall consider the recommendations made pursuant to the above provisions. The President's designee 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 chair(s) of the affected department(s) and the Professional Leave Committee.
B. Difference-in-Pay Leaves
1. A Departmental Professional Leave Committee composed of tenured faculty unit employees shall review difference-in-pay leave requests. The departmental committee shall be elected by probationary and tenured faculty unit employees. A faculty unit employee applying for a difference-in-pay leave shall not serve on this committee.
2. The faculty unit employee shall submit a request for a difference-in-pay leave request through the department chair to the Departmental Professional Leave Committee. The department chair shall provide a statement to the College dean regarding the possible effect on the curriculum and the operation of the department/program should the employee be granted a difference-in-pay leave.
3. The Departmental Professional Leave Committee shall evaluate the difference-in-pay leave applications submitted and forward its recommendations to the College dean. The committee's review shall consider questions related to the quality of the proposed difference-in-pay leave. The dean shall review the departmental committee's recommendations and forward his/her recommendation to the President's designee. Prior to making a recommendation to the President's designee regarding the difference-in-pay leave application, the dean/director shall consider the recommendations pursuant to the above provisions, other campus program needs, and campus budget implications.
4. Applications for difference-in-pay leave for the following year must be submitted to the Departmental Professional Leave Committee by the third Monday in February. The Departmental Professional Leave Committee shall forward its recommendations to the dean/director by the second Monday in March. The dean/director's recommendations and accompanying proposals shall be submitted to the Academic Personnel Office by the third Monday in March.
5. When a faculty unit employee is afforded an unexpected opportunity, such as external funding, a scholarship or fellowship, a rapid and expedited review for a difference-in-pay leave will be provided.
- V. CRITERIA
A. The minimum eligibility requirements which must be met for sabbatical or difference-in-pay leave to be authorized are set forth in Section II, above. Faculty must apply according to procedures set forth in Section IV, above, and must file a detailed plan of study, research, travel, or service. The application must state how the carrying out of this plan by the faculty member will be of benefit to the CSU.
B. A sabbatical or difference-in-pay leave shall be for purposes which provide a benefit to the CSU; a benefit provided to this campus in particular shall be considered a benefit to the CSU. The benefit to be derived from the granting of a leave is dependent upon the nature of the leave activities proposed and also upon their being completed as planned. In determining whether the granting of a leave will provide a benefit, committees and administrators shall consider the following:
1. The value of the completion of the proposal to the University. This assessment may consider the needs of the program/department to which the faculty member is assigned (or may be assigned). The following are considered of value to the University:
a. Improved instructional effectiveness (for example, intellectual and professional growth of the applicant, exploration or training in new instructional modes and methodologies) with the exclusion of study toward completion of any degree including the terminal degree.
b. Scholarly and creative contributions to the field (for example, publication, exhibits, performance).
c. Research activities or projects which directly contribute to instructional effectiveness or to University-community interrelationships.
2. The likelihood that the proposal will be completed as planned, and will result in definite accomplishments as stated in the plan. The program should therefore be clearly stated (purpose, methodology, specific work to be undertaken, expected outcomes). Evidence in the form of the proposer's training, background or past achievements, or in the form of work on the project already begun should be cited.
3. The necessity of a leave for the completion of the proposal.
C. If it is necessary to defer an approved sabbatical leave because of its impact on a department's ability to offer its programs, a difference-in-pay leave may be offered to the applicant, as an alternative to the deferred sabbatical leave, provided that the unpaid portion of the applicant's salary can be guaranteed to the applicant's department for replacement faculty. If two or more sabbatical leaves are approved for members of a single department or equivalent unit, and some but not all of them must be deferred, the decision concerning which leaves to defer shall be based on:
1. Specific programmatic needs (e.g., the need to offer a specific course or courses) stated by the department chair or college dean.
2. The number of years of full-time employment in the CSU system since the last sabbatical leave, or since employment if no previous sabbatical leave is on record.
EFFECTIVE: Fall 1997
