Article 27 Sabbatical Leaves

Article 27

SABBATICAL LEAVES

27.1 A sabbatical leave is for the purpose of enhancing the University educational environment and facilitating the professional development of eligible faculty unit employees by affording opportunities for sustained focus on research, scholarly and creative activity, instructional improvement or professional currency.

27.2 A full-time faculty unit employee shall be eligible for a sabbatical leave if they have served full-time for six (6) years at that campus in the preceding seven (7) year period prior to the leave and at least six (6) years after any previous sabbatical leave or difference in pay leave. Credit granted towards the completion of the probationary period for service elsewhere shall also apply towards fulfilling the eligibility requirements for a sabbatical. A leave of absence without pay or service in an academic administrative appointment excluded from the bargaining unit shall not constitute a break in service for eligibility requirements.

Sabbatical leave eligibility is calculated starting with the next academic year after a sabbatical is taken unless a campus policy calculates eligibility differently.

27.3 The faculty unit employee shall submit an application for a sabbatical leave. The application shall include a statement of the purpose of the sabbatical, a description of the proposed project and the CSU resources, if any, necessary to carry it out, and a statement of the time requested, which shall not exceed one (1) year.

27.4 Application and response deadlines shall be established by the President after considering recommendations from the Professional Leave Committee.

27.5 A Professional Leave Committee composed of tenured faculty unit employees shall review sabbatical applications. The Professional Leave Committee shall be elected by probationary and tenured faculty unit employees. A faculty unit employee applying for a sabbatical leave shall not be eligible for election to the Professional Leave Committee. The recommendation ensuing from such a review shall be submitted to the appropriate administrator. This review shall consider questions related to the quality of the proposed sabbatical project.

27.6 A copy of the application shall be sent to the faculty unit employee’s department. The department shall provide a statement to the appropriate administrator regarding the possible effect on the curriculum and the operation of the department should the employee be granted a sabbatical.

27.7 Prior to making a recommendation to the President regarding the sabbatical leave application, the appropriate administrator shall consider the recommendations pursuant to provisions 27.5 and 27.6, other campus program needs and campus budget implications.

27.8 Prior to making a final determination regarding the sabbatical leave and the conditions of such an approved leave, the President shall consider the recommendations made pursuant to provisions 27.5, 27.6, and 27.7. The President shall respond in writing to the applicant and such a response shall include the reasons for approval or denial. If a sabbatical leave is granted, the response shall include any conditions of such a leave. A copy of this response shall be provided to the affected department and the Professional Leave Committee. If a sabbatical leave is denied based on factors other than the merit of the proposal as identified in 27.6 or 27.7, and such denial results in fewer sabbaticals being awarded than 12% of eligible faculty as defined in 27.10, upon request of the faculty unit employee, the sabbatical leave shall be deferred until the following academic year, at which point the leave, if the underlying conditions supporting the proposal remain in effect, shall be granted. If a sabbatical leave was denied in the immediate year prior due to the factors identified in provision 27.6, an application for a sabbatical submitted for the following academic year shall not be denied based on these factors.

27.9 Final approval of a sabbatical leave shall not be granted until the applicant has filed with the President a suitable bond or an accepted statement of assets (not including PERS holdings) and/or a promissory note that is individually or collectively at least equal to the amount of salary paid during the leave. The guarantee posted shall indemnify the State of California against loss in the event the employee fails to render the required service in the CSU following return of the employee from the sabbatical leave. The guarantee posted shall immediately be canceled in full upon completion of required service or upon waiver of that service by mutual agreement of the faculty member and the CSU.

27.10

a. It is the intent of this Article that faculty unit employees eligible for sabbatical leave who meet the conditions of this Article receive their sabbatical leave, subject to provision 27.7.

b. Effective beginning with sabbatical leaves granted for the 2007-2008 academic year, all applications for sabbatical leave at one-half (1/2) of full salary shall be approved if they meet the criteria set forth in provisions 27.5 – 27.8. If there are a sufficient number of faculty unit employees eligible for sabbatical leave who meet the conditions of this Article, then a campus shall grant no fewer sabbatical leaves than twelve percent (12%) of the total number of campus faculty unit employees eligible to apply for such leaves in that year in addition to those faculty approved for a sabbatical at one-half (1/2) of full salary. Sabbaticals deferred according to 27.8 shall be counted in the year they are taken.

c. Arrangements may be developed by the department and approved by the President to accommodate granting sabbatical leaves for faculty unit employees whose leaves have been approved. Such arrangements may include rearranging workload within the department, and other University funding. No faculty unit employee will be involuntarily required to work in an overload situation by such arrangements.

d. Faculty unit employee requests for deferral of an approved sabbatical will be considered by the appropriate administrator. Approved sabbatical deferrals requested by faculty unit employees will be considered as part of the 12% target in the year the sabbatical is granted.

27.11 The salary of an academic year faculty employee or an academic year counselor faculty unit employee on a sabbatical leave shall be in accordance with the following:

a. one (1) semester at full salary;

b. two (2) semesters at one-half (1/2) of full salary;

c. one (1) quarter at full salary;

d. two (2) quarters at three-fourths (3/4) of full salary;

e. three (3) quarters at one-half (1/2) of full salary. The salary of a librarian, 12 month faculty employee, or 12-month counselor faculty unit employee on a sabbatical leave shall be in accordance with the following: At semester campuses:

f. four (4) months at full salary;

g. eight (8) months at one-half (1/2) of full salary. At quarter campuses:

h. three (3) months at full salary;

i. six (6) months at three-fourths (3/4) of full salary;

j. nine (9) months at one-half (1/2) of full salary.

27.12 The start date of a sabbatical for a 12-month faculty employee with instructional responsibilities shall coincide with the start date of the appropriate academic term.

27.13 Faculty employees serving as department chairs (class codes 2481, 2482) shall be assigned to the equivalent 12-month or academic year instructional faculty classification (e.g. 2361, 2360) for the duration of the sabbatical, and will not receive the department chair stipend while on sabbatical leave.

27.14 If a faculty unit employee occupies a split position with both academic year and 12-month components, the higher appointment time base will normally be used to establish whether the faculty unit employee is placed into an academic year position or a 12-month position for the duration of the sabbatical. Upon request of the faculty unit employee and approval of the appropriate administrator, a faculty unit employee whose majority appointment is on a 12-month basis may be assigned to an academic year position for the duration of the sabbatical.

27.15 A sabbatical of two (2) semesters or two (2) or three (3) quarters may be implemented within a two (2) consecutive year period, subject to the recommendations of the Professional Leave Committee and the appropriate administrator and the approval of the President.

27.16 A faculty unit employee on sabbatical leave shall be considered in work status and shall receive health, dental and appropriate fringe benefits provided by the CSU in the same manner as if they were not on sabbatical leave.

27.17 A faculty unit employee on sabbatical leave shall be entitled to accrue sick leave, vacation, and service credit toward service salary increase eligibility, eligibility toward promotion, if applicable, and seniority.

27.18 A faculty unit employee on sabbatical leave shall not be directed to engage in teaching or service to the department, college, or University while on leave.

A faculty unit employee on sabbatical leave shall not accept additional and/or outside employment without prior approval of the President.

27.19 A faculty unit employee granted a sabbatical leave shall be required to provide verification that the conditions of the leave were met. The statement of verification shall be provided to the President and the Professional Leave Committee. If the campus has a policy that provides for verification in a different manner and/or specifies different recipients of the verification, then that campus policy shall be followed in lieu of the above.

27.20 A faculty unit employee shall render service to the CSU upon return from a sabbatical leave at the rate of one (1) term of service for each term of leave.