Sabbatical Leaves
U33A
Eligible faculty are encouraged to apply for sabbatical leaves if they are conducting extensive research or engaged in significant amounts of additional study that will result in the recipient’s professional development. Eligible faculty may apply for a leave of one-half a full year’s teaching load (12 shs) at full salary or for a leave of a full academic year (24 shs) at half-salary. The sum total of teaching hours plus reassigned time for departmental duties, such as chair responsibilities, plus 12 shs of sabbatical leave, will not exceed 24 shs for the recipient of a sabbatical leave in the academic year of that leave.
One or more sabbatical leaves may be granted for a full-year at full-pay. Applicants for this highly competitive sabbatical will apply by October 1st. Applications will be judged on the need for a full year to complete the scholarly project as well as the applicant’s previous scholarly productivity. Those applicants who do not receive the full-year, full-pay sabbaticals may choose to have their applications forwarded to apply for a single-semester semester sabbatical.
Any full-time faculty member who meets the following requirements is eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave:
- Holds the rank of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor
- Has completed at least five years of continuous service to the University in full-time-status
For the period of the sabbatical, the recipient is released from obligations to attend department, faculty, and committee meetings. The recipient’s advising load can be temporarily redistributed.
All fringe benefits will continue through the period of the sabbatical leave.
A minimum of five years of service to the University must elapse after a sabbatical leave has been taken before a teaching faculty member may apply for another sabbatical leave (in the Fall of the sixth year for a sabbatical in the seventh year).
A member of the faculty who is within two years of retirement will normally not be considered to be eligible for a sabbatical leave.
If a faculty member is applying for tenure in the same year as the sabbatical application, the awarding of the sabbatical will be contingent upon the granting of tenure.
A recipient of a sabbatical leave is expected to return to Elon University for at least one year. Recipients who fail to complete one year of full-time service at Elon University immediately following their sabbatical leave will be required to repay the monies advanced them by the University during their sabbatical unless the University terminates their employment.
Application for a sabbatical leave should be made via the online form provided by the Faculty Research and Development Committee. All applications for sabbaticals for the next academic year must be submitted on-line and both the chair and dean are notified of your application (full-year, full-pay applications are normally due by October 1st and other sabbatical applications are normally due later in October, see published deadline for exact dates).
The decision of the Faculty Research and Development Committee will be decided by blind review, based on the criteria stated in the beginning of this section and the merits of each individual case. The Faculty Research and Development Committee will report its decisions to the Assistant Provost for Scholarship and Creative Activity.
By September 15th of the year following the sabbatical, the faculty member is expected to submit a report to the Assistant Provost for Scholarship and Creative Activity. A standard report form will be provided by all sabbatical award recipients addressing the following:
- The research or development objectives accomplished during the period of the sabbatical award
- The refinements or changes, if any, to the original research or development plan
- A description of how the sabbatical project has influenced the teaching, mentoring, or future scholarship activities of the recipient
The publication of the results of research projects supported by a grant from the University should include a printed acknowledgment of financial assistance from the University.