Sabbatical Leave Criteria and Guidelines
The University will be accepting and reviewing Sabbatical Leave applications for the 2009-2010 academic year. Sabbatical applications (eight copies) should be forwarded by the Department Chairperson to the Dean's Office by September 15, 2008. The Dean's recommendation and eight (8) copies of the application need to be forwarded to the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to November 1, 2008.
A careful review of Sections 7.61.10-19 of the University Manual and Section 21.1 of the Collective-Bargaining Agreement will outline the principal policies and procedures. For your convenience, I have listed below the criteria and guidelines for sabbatical leave applications and have attached a Request for Sabbatical Leave form. Department Chairs should instruct faculty members to obtain forms from their respective Deans' offices. Sabbatical Leave Criteria and Guidelines as well as the form are also available on the Internet by accessing www.uri.edu/provost/sabbatical.
In order that the Sabbatical Review Committee may review proposals without knowledge of whether replacements are needed, we request that this information not appear within the proposal, but be transmitted separately from the Chairs and Deans to the Provost.
SABBATICAL LEAVE CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES
The following list of criteria and guidelines should be used by faculty members preparing sabbatical leave applications for the 2009-2010 academic year. The order below is not intended to indicate their relative importance.
A. CRITERIA
- Value and Professional Growth: the sabbatical leave activity will be judged by the faculty member's Department Chairperson and Dean and the Sabbatical Review Committee to be of value to the University and to have an important contribution to the applicant's professional growth and/or to the applicant's field.
- Uninterrupted Time and Location: the sabbatical leave activity should be of a nature that could not normally be pursued or pursued as expeditiously while the faculty member is engaged with his or her regular academic responsibilities. The sabbatical leave is intended to provide an uninterrupted period of time for scholarly enrichment. The location of the sabbatical leave must be related to the purpose of the leave and scholarly activities. The faculty member should describe the importance of the sabbatical leave location.
- Scholarship and/or Retraining: the sabbatical leave activity should involve original scholarship and research or retraining and updating to meet the goals and needs of the University. In either case, the applicant should indicate the importance of the leave activities and the preparation that has gone into the proposed project.
- Past Performance or Potential for Effectively Using Sabbatical: the past performance of the applicant and/or the applicant's potential for effectively using the sabbatical leave will be evaluated to determine the likelihood of successfully completing the proposed project. The Department Chairperson and Dean should focus special attention to the applicant's past performance on sabbatical leaves and/or during periods when the applicant was supported by summer faculty fellowships or research grants. In cases where past performance may be inadequate, the applicant's need and potential for effectively using a sabbatical leave, as well as the needs of the University, should be considered.
- Specific Plan: the sabbatical leave applicant's proposal must be sufficiently specific and detailed to demonstrate that the applicant has a well designed project and reasonable assurance that this activity can be completed within the time period of the sabbatical leave.
B. APPLICATION GUIDELINES - Faculty members should follow the guidelines listed below in preparation of sabbatical leave applications:
- The written text of the sabbatical leave proposal should not exceed five (5) typewritten pages (the five pages should not include a curriculum vitae, appendices, letters, bibliography, etc.).
- The applicant should be specific about the intended outcome of the leave activity in the sabbatical proposal. (If the applicant intends to finish a book, for example, an outline of its contents should be provided in an appendix.
- The applicant should describe the specific methods by which the research, scholarly activities or training will be accomplished (sampling techniques, statistics, artistic media, etc.) in sufficient detail to allow the Sabbatical Review Committee to make an evaluation of the proposed activities.
- Specific logistical arrangements for the use of laboratory space, studio space, or library facilities should be documented by the applicant.
- A timeframe should be noted for accomplishing sabbatical leave goals. The applicant should indicate what portion of the research, writing, or other scholarly activity he or she hopes to complete during the stated period of the sabbatical leave. This is especially important if it is time rather than special facilities that an applicant requires to complete a project.
- A short bibliography relevant to the activity being proposed should follow the written proposal.
- Appendix A of each proposal must include a one page summary by the applicant of past performance of the applicant and/or the applicant’s potential for effectively using a sabbatical leave.
- Where deemed appropriate by the applicant, evaluations of the project should be appended. The reason for this request is to provide reviewers with a basis for evaluating the proposal. Other appendices could include a letter of invitation from another institution or a letter from a publisher.
- The applicant should supply a current abbreviated curriculum vitae (maximum of three pages) that is relevant to the sabbatical leave activity being proposed. Please list publications and scholarly activities since the date of your initial appointment or your last sabbatical leave.
C. Faculty who seek extramural support for their sabbatical activities are urged to contact the Research Office early in the sabbatical application process. Please call Susan Gomes for further assistance at 874-5857.
Instructional Development
