Section V.C: Academic Leaves (Sabbatical) Policy - Graduate School
Eligibility
Only tenure-track, tenured, or term members of the faculty are eligible for sabbatical leaves.
Tenure-Track Faculty
In the third year of full-time service, junior faculty may apply for a one-semester sabbatical at full salary to be taken in the fourth year of full-time service, based upon a positive developmental review.
Tenured Faculty
Full-time tenured faculty with 12 semesters of full-time teaching since the previous sabbatical are eligible for a one-semester sabbatical at full salary or a two-semester sabbatical at two-thirds normal annual salary. An exception to the 12-semester interval between sabbaticals will be made in the case of faculty who took the junior sabbatical and were subsequently awarded tenure. In this case, the faculty member shall be eligible in the eighth year of service (i.e., after one year of service as a tenured faculty member provided that the tenure process took the usual seven years).
Conditions
A faculty member must agree to return to Lewis & Clark College for a minimum of one year of full-time teaching following a sabbatical leave. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, if a faculty member does not return for the minimum one-year period, the faculty member must repay all salary paid to the faculty member by the Graduate School during the sabbatical leave.
Both the recipient and the College shall continue to make their regular contributions to the retirement program during the period of sabbatical leave, such contributions to be based upon the sabbatical-leave salary. Time spent on sabbatical leave shall be counted as time in rank for purposes of promotion and tenure.
Application
A complete and detailed description of the objectives of the sabbatical and the methods to be used in accomplishing those objectives is required. Applicants must include a statement as to how the sabbatical relates to prior experience and future professional activity. If the applicant has had a previous sabbatical at Lewis & Clark, a copy of the report of the most recent sabbatical must accompany the application. Appropriate outside sources of funds for projects of the type proposed should be identified. If application has been made for outside funding, the applicant may submit a copy of the funding request. The application should be signed by the dean to indicate approval.
Basis of Approval
Applications are submitted to the Personnel Committee of the Graduate School, through the associate dean’s office, by February 15 of each year prior to the academic year for which the sabbatical is requested. The Personnel Committee evaluates each application and ranks those it believes worthy of funding in priority order.
The scholarly merit of the project is the primary basis of approval. Factors that will also be considered include 1) the relationship between the sabbatical and the continuing professional development of the applicant and 2) the likelihood of achieving the goals of the sabbatical.
The priority ranking of worthy applications and the rationale for those rankings are considered by the Personnel Committee for approval. The number of sabbatical leaves that can be granted will depend on three variables: 1) the total cost of the leaves being sought, 2) the ability of the department to function adequately in the applicant’s absence, and 3) the total number of regular faculty members away from the campus in one academic year. In weighing this last variable, the Personnel Committee will consider overseas or on-site teaching assignments and other leaves of absence as well as the sabbatical applications.
The Personnel Committee will review the matter of replacement cost on a case-by-case basis on departmental grounds. In the context of a five-course annual teaching load, a one-semester sabbatical is considered to be the equivalent of two courses.
Other Remuneration
The faculty member is encouraged to seek outside grants to provide additional financial support for the sabbatical. If a faculty member proposes to work for a salary during all or part of the sabbatical, this plan must be specified in the application and approved by the Personnel Committee and the dean. Since the purpose of the sabbatical is scholarly work, such employment will not normally be approved.
Reports of Results
A written report to the Personnel Committee, associate dean, and dean is required the first semester back on campus. If appropriate, arrangements should be made to present the results of a sabbatical leave to the campus at large through a seminar or faculty colloquium.