Faculty Life Committee
Sabbatical Application Procedure
"The right to expect a sabbatical leave is a contingent, not an absolute right. The granting of sabbatical leaves is not, therefore, automatic. In exercising its discretion in deciding whether to grant sabbatical leaves, the College will normally consider, in addition to other factors deemed relevant by the College, the following minimum requirements consistent with the basic intent of the sabbatical leave program:
Please Note:
At the end of the 2011-12 academic year, the faculty and Board of Regents approved changes to the sabbatical application process, but this was accomplished after the date by which notifications should be initiated. Those changes will be implemented beginning in spring 2013, for sabbaticals taking place in 2014-15.
In the 2012-13 interim year, sabbatical and pre-tenure leave applications will be processed on a modified schedule. All faculty who intend to apply for a sabbatical or pre-tenure leave starting in the 2013-14 academic year should submit notice of their intent, including the dates of their leave, by Friday, August 17, 2012. Sabbatical and pre -tenure leave forms will be distributed during the week of August 20. By Friday, September 21, 2012, faculty members should submit a draft of their sabbatical plan to their chair and associate dean to allow time for discussion and revision. The final application, including a letter from the chair, should be submitted to the Assistant Provost's office by Friday, October 26 to complete the application process. Notification of approval of sabbatical and pre-tenure leaves will be sent to faculty members by the end of the Fall Semester.
More detailed information about the college's sabbatical and pre-tenure leave program is stated below and can be found in Section 4.XVII of the Faculty Manual (http:www.stolaf.edu/offices/doc/facultymanual, once updated.
The faculty member must apply for a sabbatical leave in order to be considered. Application forms may be obtained from the office of the Dean of the College by responding to the email notification of eligibility it sends by April 1. The application is a multi-stage process. On or before June 1 of the academic year preceding submission of an application for a sabbatical leave, the faculty member must notify his/her department chair(s), associate dean(s), and the Dean of the College of his/her intent to apply, including the proposed dates of the leave and a brief description of tentative plans for the sabbatical. A draft of the sabbatical application will be submitted to the chair(s) of the department and the Associate Dean(s) by September 1 in order to allow for a productive discussion of the application with the faculty member. The final application form will be submitted to the department chair(s) by October1, with a request for a recommendation; the chair(s) will then forward the application along with this recommendation to the Dean of the College on or before the Tuesday following Fall Break for aleave to begin during the following academic year. Notification of approval of the sabbatical leave will be sent to the faculty member by the end of the Fall Semester.
The applications for sabbatical leave shall be reviewed by the Sabbatical Leaves Subcommittee of the Faculty Life Committee and the Dean of the College. The Sabbatical Leaves Subcommittee shall consist of members of the Faculty Life Committee who shall be appointed by the chair of that committee; these appointments shall be ratified by said committee. The Sabbatical Leaves Subcommittee shall be broadly representative and composed of tenured members who have had sabbatical leaves. Their recommendations shall be made to the Faculty Life Committee which, in turn, makes recommendations to the Dean of the College. Final approval is the prerogative of the President."
In the Provost's Sabbatical Series, presenters are asked to comment on what they did to plan and prepare for their leaves, and on how they have managed the transition back to the classroom (including ways in which they have integrated their sabbatical work with their teaching). These informational lunches are co-sponsored by the Faculty Life Committee and CILA [the Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts].
