Sabbatical Leaves

Deadlines:

• Prior Email Notification of Intent: 1 September to department or program chairs.
  Please identify the length and semester of the leave & whether or not it is contingent upon external funding.
• Application Deadline: 1 November of the academic year preceding that in which the leave is to be taken

The sabbatical program is intended to strengthen the faculty of the College by providing time for scholarship, professional development or other work.. Each leave has a direct impact on the future of Bates. A faculty member becomes eligible for a first sabbatical after an award of tenure and a period of twelve semesters of full-time teaching at Bates. The faculty member would typically notify the Dean of the Faculty’s Office in the thirteenth semester of service (that is during the fall following the granting of tenure) of the intention to apply for a sabbatical to be taken during the next academic year.

The faculty member would thereby receive the initial sabbatical following fourteen semesters of service or in the eighth academic year. Following the initial sabbatical, a faculty member is eligible for sabbatical leave after each twelve semesters of full-time teaching at Bates. For personal or departmental reasons, a sabbatical leave may be deferred up to four semesters without the loss of any credit toward the next sabbatical. To be eligible for paid or unpaid leaves, faculty members shall be teaching full time in the College for no fewer than three consecutive years between leaves of any kind. Exceptions are granted for medical disability and parental leaves and by petition to the Committee of Five.

A sabbatical leave shall consist of one semester at full salary and full benefits or, at the option of the individual, a full year at one-half salary and full benefits. During the period of the sabbatical leave, the College’s contribution to the TIAA/CREF and FICA retirement programs is based on the salary actually paid by the College. Tenured faculty and senior lecturers may apply for a year-long leave through the Phillips Faculty Fellowship and the Enhanced Sabbatical Program.

The semester during which leave is taken must be the semester in which the teaching load is two courses. In some cases, departments and programs apportion teaching credit in such a way that a faculty member may teach 2.5 courses in a given semester. Where this is possible, and agreed upon by the department or program, a faculty member on a one-semester sabbatical satisfies normal teaching responsibilities by teaching 2.5 courses, or half of the normal instructional workload.

When a faculty member takes a one-semester sabbatical leave, the three courses taught during the remainder of the academic year may occur all in the other semester, or over one semester and Short Term, depending on the needs of the department or program. In many cases, however, it should be possible for a faculty member on a one-semester sabbatical leave to schedule all courses during one semester, leaving a full semester and Short Term for the non-teaching responsibilities of the sabbatical leave. In the circumstance of a one-semester sabbatical in which a faculty member does not teach during Short Term, that faculty member is excused from the normal governance and service responsibilities during that Short Term.

Sabbatical leaves are based on FTE positions. For example, a faculty member with a 50 percent FTE tenure-track position is eligible for a sabbatical leave based on 50 percent FTE. In addition to payments from the College, incidental earnings during or resulting from sabbatical leave may be retained by the faculty member.

A lecturer who has taught twenty continuous semesters at Bates is eligible to apply for an initial sabbatical. To receive a sabbatical after twenty semesters, the lecturer should apply during the nineteenth semester (that is during fall of the tenth year). After the initial sabbatical, lecturers are eligible to apply for sabbaticals after each twelve semester period of teaching at Bates. A sabbatical for a lecturer shall consist of half the contracted courses for the year at the lecturer’s regular salary, or, at the option of the lecturer, all the contracted courses and units for the year at one-half that salary.

Each faculty member who is granted a sabbatical leave is expected to return to the college. A report of achievement must be submitted to the Dean of the Faculty upon completion of the sabbatical leave. This report must be submitted no later than the end of the first semester of teaching following completion of the leave.

To apply, please complete the Leaves and Course Reduction Form at http://www.bates.edu/dof/faculty-scholarship/leaves-and-course-reduction-form/. The faculty member should identify the length of the leave and whether or not it is contingent upon external funding. The application must specify the time requested for leave, and indicate in as a detailed a manner as possible the academic purpose of the leave.

With the sabbatical leave request, the program or department must submit a plan of leaves, a statement regarding the impact of the leave on the department’s or program’s course offerings, and a request for a replacement, if needed, so that division chairs and deans can evaluate the request with a full understanding of the needs of the program or department. Replacements are determined on the basis of curricular needs.