Sabbatical Leave Information

Full-time faculty members are eligible for a sabbatical leave after six years of continuous service at the college. The purpose of a sabbatical leave is to enhance a faculty member's professional competence, and it may be granted for advanced study.

To view sabbatical leave final reports, access the lcc-all-public (\\fleetwood) (O:) drive while on campus and follow the file path: AA-Public/AA-CTE/Sabbatical-Reports.

Sabbatical Leave: (Article XXIII.C. Sabbatical/ Professional Development Leave)

Purpose: (Article XXIII.C.1)

The purpose of a Sabbatical Leave is to provide an opportunity for professional growth. Sabbatical Leaves may be granted for advanced study, research, writing or cognate pursuits which will contribute to the professional effectiveness of the faculty member and will significantly benefit the College.

Eligibility: (Article XXII.C.2)

As of February 1^st preceding the academic year for which the leave is sought, any actively employed Full-Time faculty member is elgible who has:

• Completed at least 6 years of full-time employment
• Performed at least 192 workload hours within the preceding 7 academic years
• Has not taken a Sabbatical leave within the preceding 6 academic years

Duration and Compensation: (Article XXIII.C.4 and
Article XXIII.C.4.4 & 5)

1. Full Pay - One Semester - Fall or Spring, benefits maintained
   or
2. ½ Pay - Two Semesters - Fall and Spring, benefits maintained

For information regarding a Sabbatical Leave and retirement credit, refer to the Office of Retirement Services website.

No leaves whatsoever shall be granted for the taking of employment for pecuniary advantage elsewhere, and a member on Sabbatical/Professional Development Leave shall not render service for compensation in another institution or enterprise without prior written approval of the Provost or the Provost’s designee. Provided full disclosure is made in the application materials, this condition does not preclude retention of pre-existing employment (whether or not related to the objectives of the Leave), or acceptance of a contract grant, or fellowship that materially aids the Sabbatical/Professional Development Leave. Violation of any condition of this subsection may lead to immediate suspension of the sabbatical pay and may result in disciplinary action.

If a member accepts a contract, grant or fellowship in connection with the Sabbatical/Professional Leave, the proceeds may be expended on documented, reasonable and necessary expenses incurred for the Sabbatical/Professional Development Leave. Any remaining proceeds shall be retained by the member, provided the amount retained plus the member’s compensation from the College shall not exceed the member’s base salary for the term of the Sabbatical/Professional Development Leave. The member shall refund any overpayment to the College.

Before You Apply: (Article XXIII.C.3.c)

Consider something you wish to do! Your project should be in alignment with your College assignment and must benefit both you and the College. You may want to meet with your Department Chair, Dean, and/or other members of your program or department to assist you in formulating a leave proposal. This discussion could include:

• the purpose of the leave and what you hope to accomplish
• eligibility to apply
• method of evaluating the accomplishment of the stated objectives
• value of the proposal to you and the program or department
• any burden to the program or department the leave may cause

The Process: (Article XXIII.C.3.c)

Submit a completed Sabbatical/Professional Development Leave Request Form with required supporting information to your Dean and follow the "Important Dates" matrix below:

Important Dates
November 15th	The year proceeding the academic year the Leave is sought. Deadline for a draft application with supporting documentation to be submitted to the Dean for review. Revisions & discussion may be requested.
January 5th	Deadline for a revised final draft application with supporting documentation to be submitted to the Dean for review and signature.
January 15th	Deadline for the Dean to submit a recommendation on the application, together with written explanation, to the applicant and the Sabbatical Leave Committee. Revisions may be requested.
January 25th	Deadline for submitting a final draft of the application to Human Resources, who will distribute copies to the Sabbatical Committee.
March 24th	Deadline for the Sabbatical Leave Committee to provide Human Resources, the College President, the Provost, and the Board of Trustees with a recommendation for, or against, each application.
April Board Meeting	President will review and report to the Board of Trustees.
April 30th	Deadline for Board of Trustees to make final recommendations.
Mid-May	Human Resources will notify the faculty member by courier mail.

Supporting information to include:

• statement of purpose with timelines
• method of evaluation
• statement of value to you
• statement of the value to the College
• description of any contract, grant or fellowship related to the Leave
• signed agreement (Promissory Note) that you shall return to the College for a period of 1 year of active employment or shall refund on a prorated basis the full compensation attributed to the Leave

Specific instructions for your supporting information are available on the form. Potential red flags that may cause your Sabbatical Leave proposal to be returned to you for clarification, revisions, addendums or potentially to be rejected, are:

• Unrealistic timelines
  Your project should be something that should take approximately 3 months to complete. A project that is too short or can take too long will raise some concerns.
• An evaluation plan that is too weak
  In developing a method to evaluate your accomplishments, be sure to include comprehensive plans that will document how well you met your goals. This section often determines the outcome and is the most frequently returned for revision.
• A value statement that suggests you are tired and simply feel you deserve a refreshing break
  Certainly fatigue is always an issue with hard working faculty, but it’s unrealistic to suggest that the College should reward you with a semester off with no commitments.
• Travel expenses
  Travel during Sabbatical Leave is considered the responsibility of the faculty member, not the College.

Review and Approval: (Article XXIII.C.3.d-f)

Human Resources will distribute copies of the proposal to the Sabbatical Leave Committee who will then review and score each Leave request based on criteria, such as merit, impact on the Faculty member and the College, specific deadlines and measurable objectives, and reasonable and equitable distribution of leaves across the College.

Upon completion of the review process, the Sabbatical Leave Committee will provide Human Resources with a recommendation for, or against, each application. The Sabbatical Leave Committee will also provide a rank order of each application.

The President will review and report to the Board of Trustees those leave requests that are endorsed. The Board will make the final decision.

Upon Completion of Approved Sabbatical Leave: (Article XXIII.C.4.b)

You will be required to submit a written final report, digitally in .pdf format, to Human Resources within 30 days of completion of your leave. The report must include a Sabbatical Final Report Form, and your supporting documentation, which might be in other digital formats.

You may also be required to present an overview of your Sabbatical Leave to the Board of Trustees, at a program, department or divisional meeting, or other appropriate venue.

View the Sabbatical Leave Process Flow Chart.

Completed Sabbatical reports will be saved to the CTE public workspace. You can visit the CTE workspace to view these reports at AA-Public/AA-CTE/Sabattical-Reports.

This document is intended as a summary of the Leave process and is not intended to replace language contained in the LCC/MAHE collective bargaining agreement. All MAHE members are encouraged to carefully review Article XXIII.C. in its entirety before applying for a sabbatical leave of absence.

If you have any questions regarding sabbaticals, please contact Human Resources at 517-483-1870.