employees / Procedures / Sabbatical Leaves

Sabbatical Leaves

Summary

To prepare an application for sabbatical leave, an applicant must write a sabbatical leave proposal using the Sabbatical Leave Form.

Procedures

Intention of Sabatical Leave

A Sabbatical Leave is a privilege provided to eligible employees for study, research or other creative activity with reciprocal advantage to the College and the individual. 

Some examples may include:

1. Research and other scholarly activity

 This category may include pure and applied research, creative activity, or other scholarly work that is a meaningful contribution to the applicant's field.

2. Program development 

The Sabbatical Leave may be used to collect materials for new programs, to develop new teaching techniques, new ways of presenting material, or to design new curricula for implementation at Delta. The individual may use the leave to establish partnerships to integrate potential Delta programs with other organizations, agencies, or institutions, or to survey what is being done at other institutions, as models for programs at Delta.

3. Professional development

The leave time may be used to work with recognized leaders in a field, participate in specialized programs, or pursue additional education through graduate or post-doctoral study to increase the individual’s effectiveness as a professional or usefulness to Delta.

4. Community services 

In line with the College's commitment to community service, the individual may use the Sabbatical Leave to help develop or work with programs at the local, state, national, or international level by evaluating and working for the improvement of existing programs, training personnel in such programs, serving in professional organizations, editing professional journals, or organizing professional meetings.

The committee recognizes all of these activities as equally worthwhile. Moreover, a Sabbatical Leave Proposal does not necessarily have to fall within one or more of the above areas. The committee encourages and recognizes new, innovative methods of personal and institutional development. 

The Application for Sabbatical Leave must be submitted via the online application.

Timelines

The applicant, the Sabbatical Leave and Grants Committee, administrative offices, and the College President will adhere to the dates presented below. In the event that any of these dates fall on a weekend, the following Monday is acceptable. 

By January 15 – Candidate submits a formal Sabbatical Leave Application to the academic Associate Dean or immediate supervisor via the online form with all supporting documents.  Prior to submitting the application, the faculty candidate must meet in person to discuss the sabbatical leave with their academic Associate Dean, the Dean of Teaching and Learning, and the Vice President of Instruction/Learning Services. The AP/Support Staff candidate will meet in person with their supervisor, manager and appropriate executive staff member.

    • By January 23
      Academic Associate Dean or immediate supervisor       submits an electronic signature and any additional comments indicating the next level reviewer.
    • By January 30
      The DTL or appropriate supervisor       submits an electronic signature of support and comments indicating the appropriate vice president as next level reviewer.
    • By February 7
      The Vice President or appropriate Executive Staff       submits an electronic signature of support and additional comments.
      • During the Second Week of February – The Sabbatical Leave and Grants Committee meets to evaluate and make recommendations on the proposals.  The candidate may be asked to attend the committee meeting to further explain the application and/or address any committee questions.
    • Within One Week
      The committee chairperson       submits the recommendation to the College President.
    • Within One Week
      The College President       will notify the committee chair of the decision, at which point the committee chair provides written notice to each applicant revealing the outcome.
    • At the March Board Meeting
      The College President       will convey the decision to the Board.

Note: In order to facilitate construction of an acceptable proposal, copies of past successful applications are on file in the Senate Office.

Communications

    • Upon acceptance of the Sabbatical Leave, the Chair of the Sabbatical Leave Committee will communicate the names of the successful candidates and a summary of the purpose of the Sabbatical Leave to the Delta community.
    • A concise written report is to be submitted to the Senate Office and to the chair of the Sabbatical Leaves and Grants Committee within 90 days of the completion of the grant. The chair will share the written report with the Sabbatical Leaves and Grants Committee upon receipt of the written report.  At a minimum, the recipient will schedule a presentation with their division/department. The academic Associate Dean/Manager and the recipient will determine the best approach for sharing the results of the completed alternative assignment. Other suggested forums include a presentation at the appropriate group’s forum, Fall Learning Days, Board of Trustees meeting, etc.

Potential changes

    • Once approved, if changes to the Sabbatical Leave need to be made due to work related or personal reasons, the change needs to first be discussed with the candidate’s academic Associate Dean or Manager and then a written request must be made to the appropriate Vice President or Executive Staff by the Candidate as soon as reasonably possible providing a detailed explanation for the requested change. The Vice President or Executive Staff will review, evaluate, and consult with the Chair of the Sabbatical Leave Committee prior to forwarding a written request to the President for the requested change within 15 days of receipt of the request.
    • The President will provide a response to the Candidate with a copy to the appropriate Vice President or Executive Staff and Chair of the Sabbatical Leave Committee within 15 days of receipt from the Vice President or Executive Staff, but no later than the start of the approved leave. 
    • If the Candidate has withdrawn from the approved Sabbatical Leave, the Sabbatical Leaves Committee will then make every attempt possible to select another quality applicant to utilize the award during the same approved time period.

Participation
All full-time Faculty

Revision/review dates
1/12, 12/17, 3/23