Faculty Policies (FAC)

Sabbatical Leave Policy

Policy Purpose

To describe sabbatical leaves at CSN.

Policy Statement

  1. Definition. A sabbatical leave means a leave of absence with compensation for one year or a fraction thereof as determined by the President and pursuant to the terms and conditions of the NSHE Code. The Nevada System of Higher Education makes a limited number of sabbatical leaves available to qualified faculty members each year, for which CSN pays for the leave. Not all sabbatical openings are required to be used. Contingent on funding, qualified faculty in good standing may receive a sabbatical leave to provide time and resources to revitalize themselves through scholarship, writing, or professional/artistic development. Faculty may also use a sabbatical leave for completing a terminal degree.
  2. Eligibility. CSN will consider applications for sabbatical leaves from tenured faculty. Eligibility for sabbatical leave commences at the end of the sixth year of full time service in the same position. Any period of time spent on an unpaid status is not considered a part of the six-year service requirement under this policy. Applications for a sabbatical leave must be submitted while a faculty member is in a paid status. Faculty shall serve at least six (6) additional years prior to eligibility for subsequent sabbatical leaves.
  3. Selection. Selection criteria for sabbatical leave include the merit of the proposed use of the sabbatical leave time, the applicant’s past performance at CSN, and available resources for sabbatical leave. Proposals for sabbatical leave may be submitted by faculty for the purpose of non-degree study and degree-seeking study. All proposals will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and ranked by the Faculty Senate’s Committee on Sabbatical Leaves in order of merit. In cases where non-degree-seeking proposals have equal merit, preference will be given to terminally qualified faculty members to revitalize themselves through scholarship, writing, or professional/artistic development. Criteria for evaluating applications will be consistent with the Evaluation Sheet, including Merit of Proposal, Accomplishments of Applicant at CSN as a Salaried Full-Time Professional Since Hire Date or Last Sabbatical Leave, and Number of Years of Salaried Full-Time Professional Service at CSN Since Hire Date (or Last Sabbatical Leave, whichever is least). Scoring criteria is posted on the Faculty Senate Sabbatical Committee website.
  4. Compensation.
    1. Salary. Faculty on sabbatical leave receive 67% of anticipated regular contract salary for 10 months' leave (two semesters), or 100% of anticipated regular contract salary for 5 months' leave (one semester).
    2. A faculty member approved and taking a sabbatical leave must return to the College and work for a period not less than that required by his/her most recent contract of employment with the College upon the completion of the sabbatical.
    3. A faculty member will receive fringe benefits while on sabbatical leave, provided any appropriate premium deductions are taken from his/her salary.
    4. A faculty member on sabbatical leave is eligible for any general or special adjustment in salary received by other faculty members of the College.
    5. A faculty member on sabbatical leave may accept a fellowship, assistantship, or research grant, provided his/her compensation and plan of work are approved by his/her respective Chair, Dean, the VPAA, the President, and the Board of Regents, as necessary.
    6. Faculty may not accrue unused sabbatical leaves nor will the College pay compensatory time for unused sabbatical leaves
    7. Except in an emergency and as approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, a faculty member on sabbatical leave may not teach or perform regular duties for CSN with or without compensation.

Procedure

  1. Application Procedure and Supporting Documentation

    A faculty member desiring a sabbatical leave must submit the following documents online:

    1. Sabbatical Request Form that includes the individual’s name, the title of the sabbatical project, the period of leave covered by the application, date of initial appointment to a full-time position, date of last sabbatical, and job title.
    2. Letter of support written and signed by applicant's department chair. If the applicant is a department chair, then the letter of support will be written and signed by the applicant’s dean. The signed letter of support will be provided to the applicant by the chair (or dean as appropriate) and will be submitted by the applicant online via the Human Resources website.
    3. Sabbatical Proposal Summary (max one page).
    4. Sabbatical Proposal (max four pages). This will include a description of activities to be engaged in, goals and objectives to be achieved, a time-line and calendar of activities and a statement of anticipated outcomes. The applicant must provide evidence of the project’s connection to the CSN strategic plan and/or mission. The Sabbatical Proposal must not exceed four pages. If the project is dependent on research grants or funds not in hand at the time of application, the candidate must provide a statement explaining how s/he will complete the project without receipt of funds. If the project is for the purpose of completing a terminal degree, the candidate will provide a statement explaining how the leave will advance the candidate toward degree completion.
    5. Current Curriculum Vitae
    6. Signed and notarized Form for Post Sabbatical Employment Requirements
    7. “Other Documents” as needed
  2. Deadlines: To receive adequate consideration, the candidate must submit the complete application online via the CSN’s Learning Management System (LMS) Sabbatical Application Shell by October 15. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The Sabbatical Leave Committee chair forwards the recommendations and findings of the committee in a memo by December 1 to the VPAA for submission to the President. The President then submits recommendations to the Board of Regents. If a deadline falls on a non-workday for the College, the due date shall be the next College workday.
  3. Application Evaluation. The applicant will request her/his department chair to write and sign a memo (Letter of Support) that will be uploaded as part of the application packet. The department chair will address the value of the project to the individual, the department, and the institution; additionally the department chair will address any concerns about the proposed leave period. The CSN Faculty Senate’s Sabbatical Leave Committee will evaluate all requests for sabbatical leaves and forward the applications to the VPAA and the Senate Chair in a priority order.
  4. Notification: Upon receipt of the Sabbatical Committee’s recommendations, the President shall notify the Senate Chair and all applicants whether or not they have been awarded a Sabbatical leave.
  5. Other Conditions.
    1. All leaves with pay will be subject to both the availability of funds and the availability of suitable replacements.
    2. Assignments of a professor returning from a sabbatical leave will be determined by the department chair and dean. A faculty member on leave will retain the position he/she left insofar as adjustments in staff will permit.
    3. A sabbatical leave is a contract between the College and a faculty member. The faculty member commits to satisfactory performance pursuant to the application for leave and the College allows time and resources for the sabbatical project. The department chair and dean will judge performance based upon the sabbatical proposal. Should a faculty member not perform satisfactorily or should a faculty member desire not to return to the College after a sabbatical leave, he/she will be obligated to repay CSN the amount of compensation (salary and benefits) which he/she received while on leave.
    4. CSN may grant a year’s leave without pay immediately following a sabbatical leave, or a sabbatical leave immediately following a leave without pay. Such extensions of leaves are subject to the same conditions as those pertaining to the original leave.
    5. At the conclusion of his/her sabbatical, the faculty member will write a report summarizing the project as described herein. The department chair and dean will evaluate this report and place it in the professor’s departmental file for future consultation when he/she applies for subsequent sabbaticals.

Authority and Cross Reference Links

  1. NRS 284.345
  2. NSHE Handbook, Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 14

Most Recent Changes

  1. Clarification of on-line submission through LMS added
  2. Process of notification of final decision to the applicants added
  3. Senate Chair was added in the process
  4. Clarification of application process

Disclaimer

The president has the discretion to suspend or rescind all or any part of this policy or related procedure(s). The president shall notify the appropriate CSN personnel, including the Executive Sponsor and shared governance leaders, of the suspension or rescission.

Questions about this policy should be referred to the Executive Sponsor.

Attachments

History

  • Version 3:
    • 05/23/2017: Added requirement to submit application on-line through LMS
  • Version 2:
    • 09/22/2011: Approved by CSN President Mike Richards
    • 09/22/2011: Reviewed by General Counsel
    • 09/22/2011: Recommended Faculty Senate Chair (T. Sherman)
    • 04/01/2011: Recommended by Senate Executive Committee (B. Kerney)
    • 12/09/2010: Revision Submitted by Sabbatical Leave Committee (D. Gause)
      • Clarified and Updated Process
      • Reformatted Policy According to current format
  • Version 1:
    • 06/20/2007: Approved by CSN President Richard Carpenter
    • 05/21/2007: Recommended by Faculty Senate (A. Pandey)

eBrochure: Care, Feeding, and Submission of Your Sabbatical Proposal

Sabbaticals are an important element of our faculty’s lifeblood and the process of applying for one should not be shrouded in secrecy. The purpose of this eBrochure is to provide an overview of the process and timeline, and to offer some hints for presenting the best proposal possible. Please start by reading the CSN Sabbatical Leave Policy.

Timeline and Process

The summer before you want to apply, if not sooner, start thinking about your proposal. Consider such elements as topic, impact (on CSN students, CSN as an institution, the community, and you!), timeline, and feasibility.

Fall convocation activities will often have a sabbatical proposal preparation workshop offered by C.A.P.E. The presenters are faculty who are very familiar with the application process and the review process that is done by the Faculty Senate Sabbatical Committee. It may be helpful to bring a draft of your proposal and/or proposal summary to get suggestions.

Early in fall semester, the Faculty Senate Chair will send out an email informing faculty that the CSN LMS’s Sabbatical Application Shell is ready. The webpage explains the application process. This is also a good time to request a letter of support from your department chair or dean as appropriate (a required document). It will help your chair if you have at least the summary (also required) and even the proposal (required too!) prepared.

Late September is a good time to start filling in the forms and to begin uploading the additional documents.

October 1st is a good target date to try to complete the process.

October 15th is the cutoff deadline to submit your application.

October 16th - November 30th - Sabbatical Committee reviews and ranks applications.

December 1st - Results are forwarded to the VPAA who will submit the prioritized results with her/his recommendation to the President for consideration.

Following final approval, the President will notify the Senate Chair and candidates of approval or denial in the Spring Semester.

Following your sabbatical be certain to complete the Required Sabbatical Report and turn it in to HR. It is due by October 1st.

(Note: If any of these due dates fall on a Saturday or a Sunday, the due date will be the following Monday, unless that is a recognized CSN holiday, in which case the due date will be the following Tuesday.)

Hints

  • Write your proposal and proposal summary so they are clear and easy to understand for those committee members outside of your discipline. “Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcaniconiosis” may be a word commonly used in your field, but the rest of us do not know it!
  • Follow the format for the proposal as it appears on the directions sheet. You don’t need to use subheadings and bullets, just write in a narrative style - just make certain that you cover all of the elements requested.
  • Provide a clear and do-able timeline.
  • Re-tool your existing resume so it is tailored for the application and provides the requested information.

FAQ

Q - I have everything on my computer. Can’t I just print it out and turn it in?
A - No. The sabbatical application process is an online process. If you are not familiar with the technology required to upload the required documents, please ask for assistance.

Q - Exactly what documents are required?
A - 

  1. Letter of support written and signed by your department chair. You will upload this onto the HR website
  2. Sabbatical Proposal Summary (max one page). There is a template for this and you will upload it, when completed, onto the HR website.
  3. Sabbatical Proposal (max four pages). There is a template for this and you will upload it, when completed, onto the CSN’s LMS Sabbatical Application Shell. Please also review the directions that accompany the template.
  4. Sabbatical Request Form. This is on the LMS and on the Faculty Senate Sabbatical Committee Webpage and you need to fill it in.
  5. Curriculum Vitae
  6. Signed and notarized Form for Post Sabbatical Employment Requirements
  7. “Other Document” is where you may upload other supporting documentation if needed. It is not required.

Q - I was hired in the Fall Semester, 2010. When can I take a sabbatical and when do I apply?
A - You apply in your 6th year of employment for a sabbatical in the 7th year, so you could apply in the Fall Semester 2016 for a sabbatical occurring in the 2017-2018 Academic Year.

Q - My last sabbatical was in Spring 2007. When can I take another sabbatical and when do I apply?
A - Sabbaticals are assigned in terms of academic year and it is up to the faculty to decide which semester(s) they request leave. Your last sabbatical was in the 2006-2007 Academic Year, so you may apply in the Fall Semester 2012 for a sabbatical during the 2013-2014 Academic Year.