Faculty Sabbatical Leave

Purpose:

To provide the criteria and the annual process to be used to request and obtain approval of a sabbatical leave.

Definitions:

Faculty rank staff: 9-month and 10-month teaching faculty, 12-month teaching faculty, professional faculty, and administrative faculty.

Sabbatical: a compensated leave of absence of one or two semesters for 9-month teaching faculty, ten months of leave for 10-month teaching faculty, and up to twelve months for 12-month teaching faculty, professional and administrative faculty, and college presidents, which may be granted for approved projects of full-time independent study, research, and/or creative work which will renew teaching abilities, and to foster and enrich intellectual and professional growth and development.

Policy:

1. J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) welcomes the opportunity to offer sabbatical leaves to faculty to participate in activities that will improve teaching effectiveness, enhance creative and/or artistic activities, improve professional competency, support the college’s strategic initiatives, and provide a renewed capacity for significant contribution of service to the college and the community at large.

2. Sabbaticals are not designed for planned courses of study or academic credit.

3. In accordance with the minimum criteria established by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and further criteria as established by the college, sabbaticals may be made available to faculty rank staff and the president who meet the following criteria:

   VCCS requirements

   1. hold a full-time 9-month teaching Faculty Employment Contract, a full-time 10month teaching Faculty Employment Contract or a 12-month teaching, professional, or administrative Faculty Employment Contract

   2. have completed six (6) years of creditable service at the time of application for a sabbatical

   3. have completed six (6) years of creditable service since a previously awarded sabbatical

   4. Information on the sabbatical activity must be included in the Professional Development Plan.

   Eligibility

   1. Submit a project in support of the sabbatical request of full-time independent study, research, and/or creative work, which will renew teaching abilities and foster and enrich intellectual and professional growth and development. Projects may be concerned with wide-ranging interests or with work in specialized fields and should address issues in the substance of the applicant’s field, research interests, professional field, or in some other area which will enhance the understanding of related fields. Projects must also correspond to the college’s strategic initiatives.

4. During sabbatical leave, the rate of pay shall be no less than fifty (50) percent of the current salary in effect on the last contractual workday prior to the effective date of sabbatical leave. The president and the President’s Executive Cabinet shall decide the actual percentage range.

5. As required by current VCCS policy, the following human resource benefits shall be provided by the college for sabbatical leave:

   1. group life insurance, the state portion of health insurance coverage, and VRS or optional retirement plan contributions paid in full

   2. credit for active employment for seniority purposes

   3. service credit for purposes of calculating leave anniversary date

   Note: Regular leave accruals will not occur during the sabbatical period.

6. The number of sabbatical awards in any year will depend upon the availability of college funds. The president and the President’s Executive Cabinet shall review all requests for sabbaticals. The president reserves the right to make the final decision regarding sabbatical awards.

7. Sabbatical requests must be made in writing and submitted in accordance to the college’s procedure.

8. Faculty members awarded sabbaticals shall serve twice the time of the approved leave with pay at the college after return from leave with pay. Moreover, upon return from sabbatical leave, the faculty member must submit a written report to the president summarizing project accomplishments.

Procedures:

1. A faculty member completes JSRCC Form 35-0020, Sabbatical Leave Application, and submits the completed form along with a description of the project to his/her respective dean or director for approval by February 1.

2. Upon approval by the dean or director, the form is signed and forwarded to the Office of Human Resources for review of the minimum personnel-related criteria no later than March

   1. If the sabbatical request is not approved by the dean or director, the faculty member may appeal the decision directly to his/her next level supervisor within five (5) workdays; and, the next level supervisor must respond in writing within five (5) workdays.

3. Upon verification by the Office of Human Resources, approved requests are forwarded to the respective vice president or associate vice president and the executive vice president, or to the vice president for finance and administration (for faculty rank positions in finance or administration), for review and signature by March 10. The review will include:

   1. budgetary consideration;

   2. the value of the proposed sabbatical to the college;

   3. the impact upon the proposed sabbatical of other professional development activities occurring within the same timeframe; and

   4. recommendation regarding the percentage of pay for the sabbatical leave (full salary, half salary, or some other percentage of full salary).

4. By March 10, the associate vice president of human resources will provide a list of the verified sabbatical requests to the director of financial operations. The director of financial operations will use this information to provide preliminary budget impact data to the President’s Executive Cabinet.

5. Upon review and approval by the vice president or associate vice president and executive vice president, or the vice president of finance and administration (for faculty rank positions in finance or administration), sabbatical requests will be presented to the president and the President’s Executive Cabinet at the April Planning Committee meeting. Requests not approved by the vice president or associate vice president and the executive vice president, or vice president of finance and administration, must be returned to the faculty member with full written documentation of the decision. The associate vice president of human resources and the respective dean or director will be copied on this correspondence. Faculty members wishing to appeal the decision at this level may appeal directly to the president. The decision of the president is final.

6. The President’s Executive Cabinet will review each faculty sabbatical request and will recommend a decision to the president for approval or non-approval at the April Planning Committee meeting. The president reserves the right to make the final decision regarding the actual percentage range of pay for the sabbatical leave. In the event that multiple applications are deemed to be of equal merit, but the availability of funds precludes approval of all sabbatical requests, sabbatical leaves will be granted on the basis of service to the college as determined by the president.

7. At the conclusion of the April Planning Committee meeting, approval/disapprovals of sabbatical requests determined by the president will be communicated to the associate vice president of human resources.

8. Approved sabbaticals

   1. The Office of Human Resources will notify the affected faculty member of approval by April 30.

   2. The president will inform the faculty member in writing; this letter will accompany the faculty member’s Faculty Employment Contract distributed in May/June. Copies of the letter will be provided to the immediate supervisor and respective line managers.

   3. The Office of Human Resources will execute the Promissory Note, which will also accompany the Faculty Employment Contract. The promissory note is to be returned to the Office of Human Resources with the signed Faculty Employment Contract; the original will be held in the college’s safe and a copy will be placed in the faculty member’s personnel file.

   4. Prior to the start of the sabbatical leave, the Office of Human Resources will inform the faculty member, in writing, of human resource policies that affect changes in salary, benefits, and leave accruals as a result of sabbatical leave.

   5. With the acceptance of the approved sabbatical, the faculty member agrees, upon return to the college, to submit a written report summarizing his/her accomplishments to the president with a copy to his/her immediate supervisor, associate vice president or vice president and executive vice president, or vice president of finance and administration, if applicable.

9. Sabbaticals not approved

   1. The president will inform affected faculty in writing by April 30. Copies of the letter will be provided to the immediate supervisor and respective line managers.

Other Information:

Virginia Community College System Policy No. 3.10.3, Sabbaticals

Promissory Note

JSRCC Form 35-0020, Sabbatical Leave Application