Paid Professional Leaves Overview

Sabbatical Leaves

Benefits

• Salary: (Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) 27.11) [Salary for librarians and counselors on leave is computed differently.]
  1 quarter at full salary
  2 quarters at 3/4 salary (full pay for quarter taught)
  3 quarters at 1/2 salary
  
• 2- or 3-quarter sabbatical may span academic years, subject to approval (CBA 27.12).
  
• Employee receives health, dental and appropriate fringe benefits (CBA 27.13).
  
• Employee accrues sick leave, vacation, service credit toward merit salary, eligibility for promotion, seniority credit (CBA 27.14).

Requirements

• Must provide benefit to CSU, such as research, scholarly and creative activity, instructional improvement or faculty retraining (CBA 27.1).
  
• Eligible if a) served full-time for 6 years at this campus in preceding 7 year period and b) at least 6 years since any previous sabbatical or DIP leave. Service credit counts toward eligibility for sabbatical. Professional leave without pay, service in academic administrative position shall not constitute break in service for eligibility (CBA 27.2).
  
• Application includes statement of purpose, description of proposed project, CSU resources (if any) needed to carry it out, statement of time requested (1 year or less), resume or curriculum vitae. Eleven copies of application due in Dean’s Office by first business day in November (CBA 27.3, University Manual (UM) 26A). Application should not exceed 10 pages.
  
• May not accept additional and/or outside employment without prior approval (CBA 27.15).
  
• Before last day of instruction of quarter of return must submit to Vice President for Academic Affairs, via department chair and dean, report that a) demonstrates activities were consistent with goals of proposal and b) shares knowledge of activities with University community (CBA 27.16, UM 26B).
  
• Must render service equivalent to time on sabbatical upon return (CBA 27.17).
  
• May not continue any committee activities or assignments (or other Cal Poly Pomona service) unless approved by Professional Leave Committee and Vice President for Academic Affairs (UM 26B).

Procedures

• Professional Leave Committee composed of tenured faculty (who have taken leave within 3 years and who serve for 2 years) reviews applications for quality of project. One representative from each school, college, library; Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs serves as non-voting member. Elected by probationary and tenured faculty in spring. Faculty member applying for sabbatical not eligible to serve. Committee recommends to appropriate administrator (CBA 27.5, UM 26).
• Application goes to department; department comments on possible effect on curriculum and operation of department should employee be granted sabbatical (CBA 27.6).
  
• Appropriate administrator recommends to president after considering recommendation of committee and effect on department (CBA27.7).
  
• Committee judges proposals (in written form and through an interview) on the following criteria:
  -- professional benefits to applicant and university
  -- merits of proposal
  -- qualifications of applicant
  -- quality of expected outcomes
  
• Committee forwards ranked list of faculty and librarians whom it recommends be granted paid leaves. Committee also reads final reports, approves/disapproves (UM 26).
  
• President responds in writing to applicant, including reasons for granting or denying sabbatical. If sabbatical is granted, response includes conditions of leave. Copy of response goes to Professional Leave Committee and department (CBA 27.8).
  
• Final approval requires bond or statement of assets and/or promissory note (really always statement of assets). Guarantee posted is canceled on completion of required service (CBA 27.9).
  
• Campus must grant as many sabbaticals as in 1991-92. Department accommodates leave; no faculty member required to work an overload (CBA 27.10).

Difference-in-Pay Leaves

• Most provisions are identical to those for sabbatical leaves. Only differences are noted here.
• Salary for DIP is the difference between the faculty employee’s salary and the minimum salary of the instructor rank. Similar for librarian, counselor (CBA 28.3).
• Eligible for subsequent DIP after full time service for 3 years since last sabbatical or DIP and completed return time (CBA 28.4).
• Rapid and expedited review for DIP will be provided in cases of unexpected opportunity ("off-cycle DIP") (CBA 28.6).
• A Department Committee reviews "off-cycle DIP" applications for quality. Composed of tenured faculty, elected by probationary and tenured; can’t serve if applying (CBA 28.7).

Schedule (UM 26)

• Submit requests to dean by first business day in November. Requests must be accompanied by letter of evaluation from chair (so submit to chair in October). Chair should work to coordinate requests so that department is not adversely affected.
• Dean forwards to AVPFA one week later with letters of evaluation.
• Professional Leave Committee interviews in second half of fall quarter and recommends to VPAA by December 15.
• VPAA notifies candidates by February 1.
• Candidates whose requests are denied may submit written request for reconsideration to VPAA via AVPFA by March 1. VPAA will respond to requests by April 1. Faculty member may grieve final result.

Note: Application forms are available at the Faculty Center for Professional Development. The Faculty Center also provides examples of successful proposals and other resources to assist in proposal writing.