Faculty Development Leaves

Eligible tenured and tenure-track faculty members are provided development leaves to include single semester and sabbatical leaves. These development leaves may also be granted to contract faculty. Single semester leaves are granted to the individual at full salary and benefits. Sabbatical leaves provide for leave up to one year at one-half salary and full benefits. Faculty request development leaves to pursue more intensely significant work already in progress or begin new studies, investigations, research, scholarly writing, and artistic projects. Leaves may also be used for curriculum development and other improvements to teaching.

Eligibility for these development leaves varies according to the faculty appointment, the type of leave, and years of service. This leave benefit is not available to temporary, visiting, and adjunct or clinical faculty from outside the University or to represented faculty covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Single Semester Leaves

Allocation of Leaves
The number of single semester leaves and the allocation among colleges/campuses is determined by the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. Up to four percent of the regular faculty at the probationary rank of instructor or probationary and tenured ranks of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor can be authorized for single semester leaves. Competition for these leaves takes place at departmental and collegiate levels. Single semester leaves may be granted to contract faculty holding the rank of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor at the discretion of the department head/chair and dean.

Basis of Award and Eligibility

Single semester leaves for regular faculty are awarded on the basis of years of service and results of the review of the proposal within the department and college, subject to final approval by the dean. Single semester leaves for contract faculty are awarded on the basis of availability of funds and approval by both the department head/chair and the dean, in addition to years of service and results of the review of the proposal within the department and college.

Probationary and contract faculty are eligible for a single semester leave after two academic or fiscal years of service in a University faculty appointment of 67 percent time or greater. Tenured faculty are eligible for a single semester leave after four academic or fiscal years of service in an appointment of 67 percent time or greater. Subsequent single semester leaves may be taken following four additional eligible years of service, in a University faculty appointment of 67 percent time or greater. Refer to Procedures, Determination of Years of Service For A Single Semester Leave.

Salary and Benefits During Leave

A single semester leave is at full salary and benefits. The salary and benefits paid during a single semester leave are not to be regarded as additional compensation for services already rendered, but as contemporaneous compensation for services rendered by the faculty member in developing professional knowledge and skill for subsequent service to students and the University.

Obligations

1. Faculty members granted single semester leaves must return to University service immediately following the leave for a period of time at least equal to the period of the leave and at the percentage of appointment held during the leave. A delay to return to service may be granted by the dean, with concurrence of the department head/chair, for a period without pay, not longer than the period of the leave.
2. Faculty members who do not return or return for only a portion of the time due and have not been granted a written waiver by the appropriate senior vice president must reimburse the University for all or a prorated amount of the salary, retirement contributions, and value of benefits received during the leave.
3. Contract faculty members receiving a notice of non-renewal during the period of the single semester leave will be provided a written waiver at the time of notice. The contract faculty member is not required to return to the unit for a period at least equal to the period of leave and is not required to reimburse the University for the amount of salary, retirement contributions, and all other fringe benefits received during the leave.

Reporting

Faculty members are to file with their department and college a summary report addressing the results of the work done while on leave. The report is to be submitted within three months of their return from leave.

Sabbatical Leaves

Length of Leave

A sabbatical leave may be granted for one or two semesters for faculty on an academic year appointment, five and one-half months, or eleven months for faculty on a fiscal year appointment. A leave of more than one semester normally is taken in consecutive (fall, spring) terms. For choosing to take a sabbatical leave of one semester only, the privilege to the second semester (or second half of the year) is waived.

Basis of Award and Eligibility

Sabbatical leaves for tenured faculty are awarded on the basis of years of service and review within the department and college, subject to approval by the dean. Sabbatical leaves for contract faculty are awarded on the basis of availability of funds and approval by both the department head/chair and the dean, in addition to years of service and review within the department and college.

Although worthy sabbatical leaves may not be denied for administrative convenience, deans may delay and restructure them for up to one year in order to relieve constraints upon department or unit budgets or to ensure that key courses remain available to students. Such delay reduces by the same time the period of eligibility for a subsequent sabbatical leave.

A tenured faculty member is entitled to the privilege of a sabbatical leave of up to one year after six academic years of service. A contract faculty member may be awarded a sabbatical leave of up to one year after six academic years of service. Refer to Procedures, Determination of Years of Service For A Sabbatical Leave.

Accrual of Credit

No more than six years of credit may accrue toward a sabbatical leave. Credit toward a sabbatical leave is accrued during continuous years of service. Such credit is for the purpose of a sabbatical leave and cannot be cashed out or traded for other benefits.

Income and Benefits During Leave

1. Salary and Benefits
   Sabbatical leaves are compensated at one-half salary and full benefits. The salary during the leave is based upon the faculty member's regular University salary at the time the leave is initiated. The salary and benefits paid during a sabbatical leave are not to be regarded as additional compensation for services already rendered but as contemporaneous compensation for services rendered by the faculty member in developing professional knowledge and skill for subsequent service to students and the University.
2. Income Augmentation
   Faculty members on sabbatical leave may augment their sabbatical income up to the level of their regular University salary, provided that the activities yielding the additional compensation are consistent with the purpose of the sabbatical leave. Permission must be obtained from the department head/chair and dean. In establishing the level of permissible sabbatical income, University-approved consulting activities in which the faculty member has been engaged, that do not conflict with the purposes of the leave, will not be considered. Expenses related to the purposes of the leave may also be taken into account in determining the level of permissible income. Faculty members are encouraged to seek funding from non-University sources to cover the portion of salary not provided under this leave.
3. Faculty Sabbatical Supplement Program
   The Faculty Sabbatical Supplement Program provides supplemental funds to colleges to support sabbaticals for recommended tenured faculty. The program provides additional income for tenured faculty who seek to enhance their ability in scholarship, creative work, teaching, or service to the community. Tenured faculty taking a sabbatical leave for nine months or longer may compete for supplementary funding, with review by the department head/chair and dean. Upon the advice of the dean, the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost grants supplementary funding. The senior vice president for academic affairs and provost funds two-thirds of the supplemental pool and the colleges fund one-third. Availability of funds and the distribution of those funds are generally announced around December/January.

For sabbatical leaves of one or two semesters (or five & a half or eleven months) for those on fiscal-year appointments, tenured faculty may request supplemental funds to cover an additional 30 percent of their recurring base salary (not including fringe), not to exceed $30,000. Procedures with regard to these requests are to be established by each college or campus. The dean is to provide the office of the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost an annual report of the faculty granted supplementary funds to support sabbatical leaves.

Obligations

1. Faculty members granted sabbatical leaves must return to University service immediately following the leave for a period of time at least equal to the period of the leave, and at the percentage of appointment held during the leave. A delay to return to service may be granted by the dean, with concurrence of the department head/chair, for a period without pay, not longer than the period of the leave.
2. Faculty members who do not return or return for only a portion of the time due and have not been granted a written waiver by the appropriate senior vice president must reimburse the University for all or a prorated amount of the salary, retirement contributions, and value of benefits received during the leave.
3. Contract faculty members receiving a notice of nonrenewal during the period of the sabbatical leave will be provided a written waiver at the time of notice. The contract faculty member is not required to return to the unit for a period at least equal to the period of leave and is not required to reimburse the University for the amount of salary, retirement contributions, and all other fringe benefits received during the leave.

Reporting

Faculty members are to file with their department and college a summary report addressing the results of the work done while on leave. The report is to be submitted within three months of their return from leave.

Conflict Resolution

A faculty member who is dissatisfied with decisions made under single semester or sabbatical leave policy may contact the Office for Conflict Resolution and submit the disagreement for processing under the options provided in Board of Regents Policy: Conflict Resolution Process for Employees. In addition to the remedies provided by policy, other possible remedies may include granting the leave in question and subtracting the period of time during which the leave was inappropriately denied from the eligibility period for a future sabbatical leave.

This policy implements Board of Regents Policy: Employee Development, Education, and Training. Faculty development leaves are provided by the University as an opportunity for faculty to acquire new skills and knowledge, to enhance communication of knowledge to students and society, and to create new uses for the knowledge made available. They bring benefit to the individual, the students, and the University; to the citizens of the state; and all who are affected by the research, teaching, creative activity, and service to society that are the University’s mission. During recent years, rapid changes in the nature and number of tasks to be carried out by faculty members in their teaching, research, creative, and outreach activities have made it all the more necessary for them to acquire these new skills and knowledge in order to discharge their duties in the best manner possible. Development leaves aid in attracting and retaining faculty dedicated to teaching, research, and service/outreach; and ensure the future vitality and quality of the University.

• Obtaining a Faculty Development Leave

• UM 6: Faculty Sabbatical (PDF)
• UM 21: Faculty Single Semester Leave (PDF)

Subject	Contact	Phone	Fax/Email
General Information or Procedural Assistance	Primary: Responsible administrator/supervisor Secondary: Local campus, college, or administrative unit HR administrator Other (as needed): Office of Human Resources specialist or consultant	Office of Human Resources Specialist and Consultant List	Office of Human Resources Specialist and Consultant List
Document Processing	HRMS Key Contact Office of Human Resources Call Center	HRMS Key Contact List 612-625-2016	HRMS Key Contact List
Conflict Resolution	Office of Conflict Resolution	612-624-1030	conflict.resolution@umn.edu

Academic Year of Service

The equivalent of two semesters of employment at 67 percent time or greater as a member of the faculty at the University.

Benefits

Medical, dental, life, and disability coverage and contributions to the employee’s retirement plan.

Department

A department or division within a college.

Fiscal Year of Service

The equivalent of more than two semesters of employment at 67 percent time or greater.

Salary

The faculty member's regular University salary at the time the leave is initiated.

Year of Service

An academic year or fiscal year of service as a University faculty member and as documented in the faculty member's annual notice of appointment.

College/Campus

• Makes opportunities for single semester and sabbatical leaves available to eligible faculty.
• Establishes unit/departmental guidelines and procedures for review and awarding of faculty development leaves.
• Reviews and approves development leave requests and sabbatical supplement requests in accordance with unit/departmental guidelines and procedures.
• Establishes criteria and procedures applicable to sabbatical supplemental funds.
• Submits reports on leave activity and funding as required.

Faculty Member Requesting Leave

• Applies for a development leave if eligible and interested in accordance with established procedures.
• Applies for supplemental funding if eligible and interested in accordance with established procedures.
• Files a report of single semester or sabbatical leave results with the department and college within three months of returning to work.

Department Head/Chair

• Forwards recommended single semester leave requests to the college screening committee.
• Makes recommendations to the dean regarding individual sabbatical leave requests.
• Participates in decision-making and approvals of single semester and sabbatical leaves.
• Reviews and approves with the dean any income augmentation requests in conjunction with a sabbatical leave and as outlined in Procedures.
• Approves with concurrence of the dean requests of faculty members to delay return to University service following a development leave.
• Determines how responsibilities of the individual on leave will be covered.

Dean

• Approves single semester and sabbatical leave requests, with recommendations of the department head/chair.
• Agrees to timing of an approved sabbatical leave request.
• Reviews and approves with the department head/chair any income augmentation requests as outlined in Procedures.
• Reviews and approves with the department head/chair requests of faculty members to delay a return to University service following a development leave.
• Submits summary reports as required in accordance with Procedures.

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

• Determines the number of single semester leaves offered each year and the allocation among colleges.
• Grants requests for supplemental funding upon advice from individual deans.

Senior Vice Presidents

• Grants waiver, if appropriate, for faculty member non-repayment of the amount of salary, retirement contributions, and all other fringe benefits received during the leave should the faculty members not return to the University.

There are no appendices for this policy.

• Faculty Development Leaves FAQ

• Board of Regents Policy: Conflict Resolution Process for Employees
• Board of Regents Policy: Employee Development, Education, and Training
• Administrative Policy: Implementing the Conflict Resolution Process
• Academic Job Codes and Titles (pdf)
• Collective bargaining agreements (UEA)
• Faculty Leaves and Sabbaticals
• Faculty Sabbatical Supplement Requisition Form, 2007-2008
• Memo: 2007-2008 Faculty Sabbatical Supplement Allocation
• Salary Supplement Allocations, 2007-2008

Amended:

May 2009 – General editing and formatting changes made to the policy. Additional questions and answers added to FAQ to clarify vacation eligibility, service credit earned. Additional information added regarding expense reimbursement while on a single semester leave.

Amended:

November 2007 – Policy converted to the new University-wide format for administrative policies.

Adopted:

March 2006 – Language contained in the Administrative Policy: Granting Faculty Development Leaves incorporates policy information previously contained in the Board of Regents Policy: Faculty Development Leaves and Administrative Procedures for the Regents Policy on Faculty Development Leaves. Provisions and information regarding development leaves for contract faculty were added to the policy language. This policy supports a new single Board of Regents Policy: Employee Development, Education, and Training that supersedes several Board policies, concerning development leaves.

Effective:

March 2005