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diff --git a/handbook.md b/handbook.md index 34a6856..d752ab6 100644 --- a/handbook.md +++ b/handbook.md @@ -2845,6 +2845,9 @@ of the appointment (if it is collaborative). ### a. Policy on Sabbatical Leaves {#chapter-2-section-8a} +(Amended by the Faculty, *April 15, 2026*) +(Approved by the Board of Trustees, *May 15, 2026*) + #### i. Basic Objectives Leaves of absence, and particularly sabbatical leaves, are among the @@ -2853,10 +2856,14 @@ enhanced, a scholar's usefulness enlarged, and an institution's academic program strengthened and developed. A sound program of leaves is therefore of vital importance to WPI, and faculty members are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this mechanism to help -promote their professional competence. The major purpose of leaves is -to provide opportunity for continued professional growth and new, or -renewed, intellectual achievement through study, research, and -writing. +promote their professional competence. Sabbatical leaves are an +investment by the university in a faculty member's capacity to devote +focused time, attention, and energy to pursue a professional growth +opportunity or an intellectual achievement that would not be possible +to do while fulfilling their normal job responsibilities. Thus, the +major purpose of leaves is to provide opportunity for continued +professional growth and new, or renewed, intellectual achievement +through study, research, creative activity, and/or writing. The term "sabbatical" normally applies to a leave of absence in which a faculty member receives partial or full salary from WPI. Faculty @@ -2875,15 +2882,53 @@ well-designed and serious program with clearly stated objectives that will maximize the professional development of the faculty member involved. -Sabbatical leaves may be taken for a full academic year or a half -academic year. All full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members -are eligible to apply for a full-year or half-year sabbatical leave -after six years of full-time service since their most recent hiring at -WPI or since their previous sabbatical. Time spent on unpaid leave or -less than half-time activity, although considered continuous service, -does not count as full-time service toward sabbatical leave. +#### ii. Sabbatical Eligibility and Timing -#### ii. Financial Arrangements +Sabbatical leaves may be taken for a full academic year or a half +academic year. Half academic year sabbaticals should be taken in +consecutive terms (i.e. A/B, B/C, or C/D terms), with the beginning +and ending dates of a sabbatical coinciding with term start and end +dates. + +All full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members are eligible +for a full-year or half-year sabbatical leave after six years of +full-time service since their most recent transfer or hiring at WPI +into a sabbatical-eligible position or since their previous +sabbatical. Sabbatical leaves are subject to application and +approval. Up to 16 weeks of accrued medical and/or parental leave may +be counted as full-time service. Any other time spent on unpaid leave +or at less than half-time activity does not count as full-time service +toward sabbatical leave. + +For half academic year sabbaticals, faculty will be released from half +of their standard teaching load of the full academic year, rounded up. +For example, a faculty member who typically teaches five courses in a +year would be released from three courses. Faculty are expected to +work with their department head and/or program director and their +colleagues to equitably contribute to project advising during the half +of the year they are present on campus, at a level that constitutes +roughly half of their typical project advising for a year. If it is +not possible to contribute to project advising during the academic +year (e.g., due to no half-year advising options being available), +faculty should coordinate with their department head/program director +so that their total teaching responsibilities are the equivalent of a +half-year of teaching. There is no expectation of project advising +during the sabbatical leave period. + +Faculty are required to return to WPI full time for at least a full +academic year following the completion of their sabbatical. Upon +returning to WPI after a sabbatical, faculty must produce a short +report and/or presentation describing how the sabbatical contributed +to professional growth and new, or renewed, intellectual achievement. +This report or presentation should be delivered to the faculty +member's department or program. A copy of this will be made available +to their Dean and to the Provost. + +Eligibility records are maintained in the Provost's office, and +faculty can inquire about their sabbatical eligibility status at any +time. + +#### iii. Financial Arrangements a. A full year sabbatical leave is taken at one-half of the faculty member's academic year salary. Half-year leaves are taken at full @@ -2902,42 +2947,115 @@ academic year, depending on the particular circumstances. d. Funds will be provided to departments with faculty members on sabbatical leaves to cover necessary teaching obligations. -#### iii. Procedures for Review and Award - -a. Faculty members should submit requests for sabbatical leaves to the -their Dean on or before December 15 for proposed leaves in the -following academic year. An application for a sabbatical leave must -contain all the supporting information including the objectives of the -sabbatical leave and the benefits to the faculty member, the -department, and to WPI. The application should also include -information on previous leave(s) of absence taken by the faculty -member, past contributions to WPI, a letter of invitation from any -institution at which the faculty member plans to work, and the sources -and amounts of external funding. - -b. The application should be accompanied by supporting documentation -from the faculty member's department head. This documentation should -include a review of the faculty member's proposed sabbatical program -with regard to its appropriateness; the impact of the sabbatical on -department operations; and the department recommendation on the -proposed sabbatical. In the case of an application for a sabbatical -leave by a department head, this additional documentation will be -supplied by the appropriate Dean. - -c. The appropriate Dean reviews all application materials and -supporting documentation, and forwards their recommendation to the -Provost with copies of the sabbatical checklist and the recommendation -to the Committee on Appointments and Promotion. The Committee on -Appointments and Promotion will maintain a record-keeping and monitoring -role. +e. The use of university-managed funds during sabbatical remains +subject to WPI's travel and expense policies. + +f. If a faculty member does not return to WPI following their +sabbatical, they may be liable to repay salary they received during +their sabbatical to WPI at the discretion of the university. + +#### iv. Procedures for Application, Review, and Award -d. The Provost reviews all leave applications, together with -recommendations from the Deans, makes final determination of the -requests, and sends copies of the decision letters to the Committee on -Appointments and Promotions. The Committee on Appointment and -Promotions will a maintain record-keeping and monitoring role. +Review of sabbatical applications takes place during the academic year +prior to the proposed leave. At all stages of the process described +below, the review of each application will be based primarily on the +merits of the proposed sabbatical. The faculty member will receive +copies of recommendation letters from all stages of the review +process. -e. Notification of the award will be made no later than April 15. +a. Faculty members are encouraged to share a draft of their +application with their Department Head or Program Director regarding +the merit and appropriateness of the sabbatical as they formulate +their plans prior to submitting their request. + +b. Faculty members should submit requests for sabbatical leaves to +their Department Head/Program Director an by the first day of B-term +for proposed leaves in the following academic year. An application +for a sabbatical leave must contain all the supporting information +including the objectives of the sabbatical leave and the benefits to +the faculty member, the department, and to WPI (see [Appendix +C](chapter-2.html#chapter-2-appendix-c)). The application should +also include information on previous leave(s) of absence taken by the +faculty member, past contributions to WPI, a plan for how any graduate +students will be supported and advised during the leave, a letter of +invitation from any institution at which the faculty member plans to +work, and the sources and amounts of external funding. + +c. The Department Head/Program Director should provide a +recommendation letter by two weeks after the first day of B term that +reviews the faculty member's proposed sabbatical program with regard +to merit and appropriateness of the activities as a sabbatical; +including, but not limited to, impact on course offerings including +number of courses being released; and plans for coverage of those +responsibilities. While this letter should include sufficient detail +as to adequately communicate the ability (or lack thereof) to find +coverage for typical faculty responsibilities (e.g., plans for adjunct +hiring), the recommendation by the Department Head/Program Director +will be based primarily on the merits of the proposed sabbatical. The +Department Head/Program Director provides this letter along with their +recommendation decision regarding the proposed sabbatical. In the +case of an application for a sabbatical leave by a Department Head, +this step will be taken by the appropriate Dean. + +d. The appropriate Dean reviews all application materials and +supporting documentation, and forwards their recommendation to the +Provost by four weeks after the first day of B-term. The Dean's +recommendation will be based primarily on the merits of the proposed +sabbatical. + +e. The Provost reviews all leave applications, together with +recommendations, makes final determination of the request, and +notifies the applicant of their decision and the reasoning for this +decision. Copies of this notification go to the Department +Head/Program Director and the appropriate Dean. The Provost's +decision should be based primarily upon the merits of the application +for the faculty member, as explicated by the faculty applicant, +Department Head/Program Director, and/or Dean. However, overall costs +to the institution are also considered. If a meritorious proposal is +denied, the applicant will be given priority upon reapplication. + +f. Notification of the award will be made by the beginning of C-term +if possible and no later than the end of January. Any applicants who +are under review for tenure at the time of application will instead be +notified when they receive their tenure decision. + +#### v. Monitoring and Record-Keeping + +The Committee on Appointment and Promotions (COAP) maintains a +record-keeping and monitoring role for sabbaticals. COAP will +maintain the same level of confidentiality for these documents as for +promotion dossiers and decisions. COAP will, in its annual report to +the faculty, provide a summary of sabbaticals granted for the coming +year. Further, COAP will pay attention to decisions made in recent +years and monitor for any equity concerns in sabbatical approval and +denials. + +a. The Provost's office is responsible for organizing and providing an +annual report that will be given to COAP, after all decisions are +made. This report shall indicate the general reason for each negative +decision, including whether the application was considered +meritorious. + +b. The Provost shall provide copies of the decision letters to COAP +along with copies of the recommendations from the Department +Head/Program Director and Dean. + +c. In their review of trends in sabbatical applications, COAP can pay +attention to all matters related to decision-making, including but not +limited to the extent to which financial decisions are driving +sabbatical decision-making; bias in decisions on the basis of timing, +academic rank and title, discipline, department/program, and/or +school; trends within a single year of decision data; and trends across +multiple years of decision data. + +d. If COAP finds matters of concern or irregularity in sabbatical +decisions, either for a given year or after their review of decisions +in recent years, they will notify the Provost and COG. A meeting will +be called with COAP, the Provost, the Chair of COG, and the Secretary +of the Faculty to discuss next steps for how to address this issue. + +e. COAP will provide a summary analysis of sabbaticals granted in +their annual report. ### b. Unpaid Leaves @@ -3372,6 +3490,25 @@ Name: ___________________________ Date: ______________________ + +## Appendix C - Sabbatical Application Guidelines {#chapter-2-appendix-c} + +Information to be supplied by the applicant: + +a. WHERE? Be specific as to where you want to go. +b. WHEN? Tell when you want to be away. +c. WHY? Discuss your specific objectives for the sabbatical. +d. INCOME? Who will be paying your salary? Include details of all + financial arrangements with non-WPI organizations. +e. COMMITMENTS? Include firm commitments, in writing (i.e., an + official letter). +f. BENEFITS? Explain how this sabbatical leave will benefit WPI, your + department and your professional career. +g. ELIGIBILITY? Clarify your eligibility and list all prior leaves. +h. CONTRIBUTIONS? Summarize your most significant relevant + contributions to WPI. +i. CV? Submit an updated Curriculum Vitae. + \newpage # Chapter Three - Tenure {#chapter-3}