Sabbatical Leave Requests

As stated in the University’s policy on Sabbatical Leaves of Absence (Faculty Handbook), eligibility typically includes the following:

1. Only faculty members with tenure shall be eligible for sabbatical leaves.
2. A sabbatical leave shall not be granted until the faculty member has completed six years of service to the University.  Service shall be interpreted to include those activities of interest to and supported by the University, regardless of the source of financial support.
3. Years of service shall count from the date of full-time appointment, or from the ending date of the previous sabbatical leave (see University policy for sabbatical leave eligibility for deans, directors, departmental chairpersons, and other administrative officers). However, all leaves of absence shall be excluded in determining years of service for a sabbatical leave.
4. Sabbatical length cannot be extended based on time accrued beyond the minimum six years of service since the previously compensated leave.
5. Appropriate applications for a full year of leave (with reduced pay) normally have precedence over shorter term leaves (with full pay).

• Sabbatical Leave Information form
• NatSci Addendum

In their recommendations for sabbatical requests, chairs and directors should provide an analysis of the proposal based on the following criteria:

1. Sabbatical leaves must clearly benefit both the individual’s academic career and the University’s missions.
2. They should facilitate the individual’s professional growth in a manner not possible during ordinary on-campus faculty assignment. On-campus sabbatical leaves must be strongly and specifically justified for academic, work-life balance or other appropriate reasons.
3. Applications for sabbatical leaves that meet criteria 1 and 2 will normally be approved only if all the following conditions are also met:
   • There is a clearly defined project that will strongly advance the university’s research or teaching missions.
   • There is clear evidence that the results of prior sabbaticals by the applicant have substantially benefited the University.
   • The department or program (the unit) has made adequate arrangements to fulfill:
     • its instructional obligations, including instruction during the applicant’s sabbatical with no additional funds beyond those released by the applicant’s leave.
     • its service obligations (e.g., college committees) while the faculty member is on sabbatical leave.
   • The faculty applicant has made adequate arrangements to fulfill all other research, teaching, and service obligations to the unit, College, and University.
4. Sabbatical leaves shall not be granted to several members of a department concurrently if the efficiency of instruction, research and service programs will be impaired.
5. For 1-semester or 6-month sabbaticals, applicants with different teaching loads in different semesters are expected to take the sabbatical during the semester with the smaller teaching load.
6. In cases when a unit has many applications in the same year, the unit must prioritize the applications. In such cases, the timing of the sabbaticals may need to be arranged over time to allow the unit to meet its instructional and other responsibilities.
7. As stated in the University’s policy, “a sabbatical is not granted automatically, i.e. it is not an entitlement.” Thus, the College reserves the right to deny requests that do not meet the necessary eligibility requirements and/or cause undue burden to the unit and/or College’s operations.

Submission:

• Sabbatical Leave Information form
• NatSci Addendum
• Applicant’s updated CV

Timeline:

To allow for effective instructional planning for the following academic year, applications for sabbaticals should be submitted at least six months prior to the start of the leave, as shown below. Applications will be reviewed, and either approved or denied at the unit level based on standard unit policies and procedures, and university/college policy compliance.

Fall start:

• February 15 (department)
• March 1 (college) – Submit to townsley@msu.edu
• April 15 (decision)
• If the request is approved, the unit submits the form through EBS

Spring start:

• May 1 (department)
• May 15 (college) – Submit to townsley@msu.edu
• June 30 (decision)
• If the request is approved, the unit submits the form through EBS

Late applications:  Applications submitted after February 15 or May 1 deadlines will be considered under only the most unusual circumstances that demonstrate extraordinary institutional interests.

Applications based on proposals for funding from outside Michigan State University that have not yet been approved should be submitted on the standard schedule and should include a full description of the proposed funding, the timing of its review and approval, and the effects on the application if it is not awarded. In such cases, a plan for modifying or withdrawing the application and for meeting the faculty member’s responsibilities should be included in the application.

Faculty members on a 50%, full-year sabbatical continue to receive full health benefits at the same rate as they did as a 100% employee prior to the sabbatical. If an unpaid sabbatical, then the employee would be billed for any premiums that they would normally pay.  See the link below for additional information:

Continuation of Benefits for Faculty on Leave of Absence No Pay Status to Receive Prestigious Awards, Fellowships and/or Special Assignment Opportunities

University policy requires each faculty member to submit a report assessing the accomplishments of a sabbatical leave in relation to the proposed plan within 30 days of the completion of the sabbatical. NatSci faculty members should submit this report to the relevant chair(s) or director(s) describing activities undertaken, location(s), work accomplished, papers published or in progress based on work during the sabbatical, grants submitted or funded based on work during the sabbatical, and how the sabbatical advanced the faculty member’s research, teaching or outreach/leadership and the University’s capabilities. The department chair(s) and program director(s) should include an evaluation of the success of the completed sabbatical in the next annual review of the faculty member.