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Sabbatical Leave

Purpose

Sabbatical leave is an opportunity offered to qualified faculty to engage in scholarly and creative activities that will enhance their capacity to contribute to the College. Sabbatical leave is not a faculty entitlement, but rather a program for professional development and creativity that benefits the entire educational enterprise and is granted by the College in consideration thereof.

Elegibility

Snow College’s sabbatical program is available to 1) all tenured faculty members with current full-time appointments to Snow College and 2) all professional track faculty members with current full-time appointments to Snow College. However, due to a possible perceived conflict of interest, current members of the Faculty Development Committee who apply for a sabbatical must recuse themselves and be replaced by another faculty member who will review sabbatical applications according to the criteria given in this document.

Application Procedure

After six years of satisfactory service, an eligible faculty member (as defined in section 3.0 of Policy #406) may send a written application for a sabbatical leave to the chair of the Teaching & Learning Center Committee.

This application should include a detailed description of the proposed sabbatical activity, including:

  1. the time period when the sabbatical will take place;
  2. the manner in which the activity supports Snow College’s mission, vision, and goals;
  3. the manner in which the project will benefit the College, the faculty member’s academic department, other departments, and students;
  4. a plan to recount the sabbatical experience with faculty members, students, and the college community as appropriate;
  5. written acknowledgement by the candidate’s department chair and division dean that they are aware of the sabbatical application.

Section headings in the document are strongly encouraged.

Applicants need to request that their department chair and division dean send a letter to the Faculty Development Committee no later than one week after the application deadline discussing the benefits and challenges of the proposed sabbatical application.

The application may also include optional endorsement letters from faculty colleagues and interested stakeholders as well as suggestions for logistically implementing the proposed sabbatical.

Sabbatical request sent to: Fall Semester Spring Semester
Faculty Development Committee August 15 January 5
Chief Academic Officer September 14 February 4
President October 5 February 25
Advancement & Tenure Division Dean and Dept. Chair Within 1 month of approval Within 1 month of approval

CRITERIA FOR REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS

The Faculty Development Committee shall consider the following criteria in reviewing sabbatical proposals:

  1. the overall quality and clarity of the proposal, including supporting documentation;
  2. the degree to which the proposed sabbatical supports the mission and values of Snow College; the degree to which the proposed sabbatical supports department goals, the individual’s goals, and professional development;
  3. the degree to which the proposed sabbatical promises to improve teaching and learning at the College;
  4. the prospect that the sabbatical will successfully achieve its goals;
  5. the potential effectiveness of the plan to share the sabbatical experience with faculty, colleagues, students, and the college community.

When reviewing applications, the CAO and President will consider the criteria listed in 9.3.1.  In addition, they will consider financial and instructional replacement aspects of the proposed sabbatical when making their recommendation or decision.