At its meeting of December 15, 2008, the Academic Senate approved the following Policy Recommendation presented by Senator Maldonado-Colon for the Professional Standards Committee.
Rescinds S96-7
Action by University President: Approved by President Jon Whitmore on December 23, 2008.
Policy Recommendation
Sabbatical Leaves Policy
Resolved that, to clarify the process of sabbatical leaves—application, evaluation, and recommendation—policy S96-7 be rescinded,
and
Resolved that the attached policy be adopted.
Rationale: Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) the manner that awardees for sabbatical leaves are selected has changed. This in turn requires that practices at SJSU be clarified and aligned in order to provide clarity to the process of granting sabbatical leaves. Responding to this need, members of the Professional Standards Committee in collaboration with representatives of the Organization and Government Committee have revised S96-7 to clarify procedures, roles, and responsibilities as presented in the following policy.
Approved: November 24, 2008
Vote: 9-0-0
Present: Daryl Canham, Winncy Du, Kell Fujimoto, Lynda Heiden,
Katie
Lichty, Elba Maldonado-Colon
(Chair), Elizabeth McGee, Joan
Merdinger, Gwendolyn Mok
Absent: Asjborn Osland
Financial impact: None
Workload impact: Some increase in faculty workload at the University Committee
level.
.
Sabbatical Leaves Policy
I. Purpose
II. Eligibility
III. Criteria
IV. Procedures
A. Application
B. Calendar
C. Levels of Review
V. College/General Unit Professional Leaves & University Sabbatical Leaves Committees
A.
Selection and Composition of the Professional & Sabbatical
Leaves Committees
A.1. College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee
A.2. University Sabbatical Leaves Committee
VI. Reviews by
the Department/Unit Chair, College Professional Leaves
Committee, Dean, University Sabbatical Leaves Committee
A.1. Department/Unit Chair
A.2. College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee
A.3. Dean of the College/Unit Administrator
A.4. University Sabbatical Leaves Committee
VII. Final Decision by the President
VIII. Sabbatical Report
Sabbatical Leaves Policy
Legislative History:
Rescinds S96-7
POLICY RECOMMENDATION
SABBATICAL POLICY
I. Purpose
The purpose of sabbatical leaves is to
benefit the University, its students and its programs through the professional
development of its faculty as teachers and scholars. Projects that, because of
their scope, cannot be undertaken in the course of a faculty member's full-time
responsibilities and that propose to benefit the University in at least one of
the following ways (not listed in rank order) are eligible for consideration:
scholarly, creative, and/or professional activities; activities that enhance a
faculty member's pedagogical and/or professional competencies; projects that
contribute significantly to the development of a discipline or curricular area.
II. Eligibility
According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement: “A full-time faculty unit employee shall be eligible for a sabbatical leave if s/he has 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.”
III. Criteria
The major criterion for evaluating
applications for sabbaticals is the benefit to the University in one or more of
the following ways, not listed in rank order: through the project’s
contributions to scholarship, to creative activities and/or professional
advances; through the project’s contribution to curricular development; through
the project’s contributions to the improvement of instruction or academically-related
areas and/or the instructional or professional skills of the applicant.
Additional criteria are the applicant’s ability to carry out the proposal, the
planning evidenced in the detailed description of the proposal, and the
time-lines for the completion of the project. Evaluators shall consider the
quality of the proposed sabbatical project.
IV. Procedures
A. Application
The sabbatical application shall include:
(1) a statement of purpose; (2) a detailed description of the plan to carry out
the project, including, if appropriate, a description of any preparatory work
scheduled before the leave or of pertinent completed work; (3) a statement of
the project's benefit to the University in one or more of the ways listed
above; (4) the applicant's ability to complete the project; (5) CSU resources
needed, if any, to carry out the project; (6) a statement of the time
requested, not to exceed one year; and (7) a statement that the final report of
a previous San José State University sabbatical leave or difference in pay
leave has been filed with the Office of Faculty Affairs, if applicable. The
applicant's C.V. or professional resumé shall be attached to the application.
B. Calendar
The President, in consultation with Faculty Affairs, shall establish the annual sabbatical application and response deadlines for the following: (a) submission by the applicant, (b) review by the Chair of the Department/Unit, (c) review by the College/Unit Professional Leaves Committee, (d) review by the Dean, (e) review by the University Sabbatical Leaves Committee (USLC), a 7-day response opportunity from the candidate at each stage of the process, and (f) a final decision by the President.
C. Levels of Review
Sabbatical proposals shall be reviewed at the following levels: Department Chair/School Director, College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee, Dean, and University Sabbatical Leaves Committee (USLC). Following the submission of the sabbatical request to the Chair, the Chair shall write a statement according to the criteria listed in VI.A.1 below. The Chair’s statement shall be provided to the College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee and Dean, with a copy to the applicant, who has seven calendar days to respond in writing to the College Dean with a copy to the Chair. The College/Unit Professional Leaves Committee shall evaluate and rank order individual applications submitted by faculty members in their College/Unit according to the criteria listed in Section III above, and consistent with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. A copy of the evaluation and recommendation shall be provided to the applicant, who has seven calendar days to respond to the Dean, with a copy to the Department Chair. Following his/her review and recommendation, consistent with VI.A.4, the Dean shall submit each application, the recommendations of the Department/unit’s Chair, the College/General Unit Professional Leave Committee, and any responses from the candidate, to the University Sabbatical Leaves Committee for review(USLC). The USLC shall review all materials provided and shall evaluate and rank order individual applications from all the Colleges and the General Unit according to the criteria listed in III above, and consistent with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. A copy of the evaluation from the USLC shall be provided to the applicant who has seven calendar days to respond to the Office of Faculty Affairs, with a copy to the Department Chair and the Dean/appropriate administrator. The USLC shall forward all sabbatical materials to the Office of Faculty Affairs for review and final decision by the President.
V. College Professional Leaves and University Sabbatical Leaves Committees
A. Selection and composition of the Professional and Sabbatical Leaves Committees
A. 1 College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee
Each
College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee shall be composed of
tenured full professors elected by probationary and tenured faculty within the
college/general unit. The Dean/appropriate administrator shall determine the
procedure and timelines for the elections for the College/General Unit
Professional Leaves Committee. Faculty applying for sabbatical leave are not
eligible to serve on the College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee.
A.2 University Sabbatical Leaves Committee (USLC)
The USLC shall be
made up of one tenured full professor elected from each
College, and one tenured Librarian or SSP-AR III elected from the General Unit.
Members of the USLC shall be elected by tenured and probationary faculty unit
employees. Faculty applying for sabbatical leave are not eligible to serve on
the USLC.
Length of service:
Beginning in AY 2009-2010, four representatives will be selected at random to serve for one (1) year; the remaining representatives will serve for two (2) years. Thereafter, all members of USLC shall serve for two (2) year terms.
Convening the USLC:
The AVP/Faculty Affairs will convene the USLC.
VI. Reviews by the Department/Unit Chair, College Professional Leaves Committee, Dean, University Sabbatical Leaves Committee (USLC)
A.1 Department/Unit Chair
The Department/Unit Chair shall receive and review all sabbatical requests, and will write a statement regarding the possible effects of the applicant’s leave on the curriculum and the operation of the Department/unit should the applicant be granted a sabbatical. The Chair shall explain any benefits to the Department if the sabbatical application is to be accepted. The Chair’s statement shall be provided to the College Professional Leaves Committee and the Dean, with a copy to the candidate, who has seven calendar days to respond in writing to the College Dean, with a copy to the Chair.
A.2 College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee
The College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee shall review the proposals submitted by all eligible applicants, rank the proposals, and prepare their recommendation to the Dean/appropriate administrator. The College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee shall consider the quality of the proposed sabbatical project in rank ordering the proposals. Criteria for selection are listed in Section III above. Applications that do not meet the criteria shall receive a recommendation against funding. For each application, the College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee shall provide a written evaluation explaining the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal. A copy of the evaluation and recommendation shall be provided to the applicant, who has seven calendar days to respond in writing to the Dean and the Chair.
A.3 Dean of the College/Unit Administrator
The Dean/appropriate administrator shall review the applications, Chair statements, the recommendations of the College/Unit Professional Leaves Committee, and any responses from applicants. The Dean/appropriate administrator shall consider the following in his/her review: the quality of the proposal, possible effects on the curriculum and operation of the Department, other program needs and campus budget implications. The Dean shall recommend in writing, approve or disapprove, and shall state the reason for the recommendation. A copy of the evaluation and recommendation shall be provided to the applicant, who has seven calendar days to respond in writing to the Office of Faculty Affairs, with a copy to the Dean and the Chair. The Dean/appropriate unit administrator shall forward to the USLC the sabbatical requests from the College/General Unit, the Department/Unit Chair’s comments, the Dean’s comments, as well as candidate’s response(s), if any.
A.4 University Sabbatical Leaves Committee (USLC)
The USLC shall convene to review all sabbatical proposals, the recommendations from the Chair, the College/General Unit Professional Leaves Committee, and the Dean/appropriate administrator. The review by the USLC shall consider the quality of the proposed sabbatical project in rank ordering the proposals. Criteria for selection are listed in Section III above. Applications that do not meet the criteria shall receive a recommendation against funding. For each application, the USLC shall provide a written evaluation explaining the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal. A copy of the evaluation and recommendation shall be provided to the applicant, who has seven days to respond in writing to the AVP/Faculty Affairs, the Dean and the Chair.
VII. Final Decision by the
President
The President, after considering all prior
recommendations and any responses from the applicant, shall notify each
applicant of the final status of the application. Such notification
shall include in writing the reasons for approval or denial, and any conditions of the leave. A copy of this notice shall be provided to the applicant's
Department Chair, Dean, College/Unit Professional Leaves
Committee, and University Sabbatical Leaves Committee (USLC).
VIII. Sabbatical Report
Within six weeks
after returning to service at San José State University, the faculty member
shall submit a written report via the Dean to Office of Faculty Affairs. In
addition, faculty members returning from leave are encouraged to
present the results of the sabbatical leave at Departmental, College or
University forums.