Office of the

Dean of the Faculty

Faculty Handbook - Fall 2008

IV. A. SABBATICALS AND LEAVES OF ABSENCE

(Source: Approved by the faculty on May 20, 2008)

Section C-1. Effective classroom teaching at Reed demands a serious, active engagement with the scholarly materials of one’s field. The purpose of a sabbatical leave is to encourage scholarship, research and/or creative endeavor so as to maintain and enhance the intellectual quality of the faculty and to help ensure thereby the highest quality teaching. A sabbatical leave is defined as one semester or one year of Reed College employment at full pay, without teaching or administrative responsibilities and devoted to independent inquiry and/or creative endeavor. (For the purposes of Section C the term “sabbatical leave of one semester at full pay” shall be interpreted to include sabbatical leave of one year at half pay.)

Section C-2. Requests for sabbatical leave must be approved by the President upon recommendation of the Committee on Academic Planning and Policy. All such requests should include a description of the research or other professional activity to be pursued during the sabbatical period. Requests should also be accompanied by a statement from the faculty member's department – and from the relevant Humanities staff and/or interdisciplinary program, where appropriate – regarding the curricular impact of the proposed sabbatical leave.

Section C-3. For faculty members on academic tenure, eligibility for sabbatical leave is earned after every twelve semesters – consecutive or otherwise – of full-time teaching at the College (except in unusual cases as described in Section C-4 and Section C-7). Semesters of part-time teaching will accumulate on a pro-rated basis. Faculty members on academic tenure whose probationary period was three or four years of full-time teaching at Reed because of full-time teaching experience prior to joining the Reed faculty and who did not enjoy sabbatical leaves at their previous institutions may request that some or all of the prior full-time teaching experience accrue toward eligibility for the first post-tenure sabbatical leave. Such requests may be made at or after the time of appointment, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the President in consultation with CAPP. For untenured tenure-track faculty who take a one-semester sabbatical leave at full pay under the provisions of Section C-5, that semester will count as one of the twelve semesters required for subsequent sabbatical eligibility. Semesters of unpaid leave taken by untenured tenure-track faculty will not count as one of the twelve semesters required for subsequent sabbatical eligibility.

Section C-4. In unusual circumstances, a sabbatical period may occur earlier or later than the normally scheduled semester or year of eligibility (as described in Section C-3). Requests for early or late sabbatical leave must be based on clear and compelling reasons having to do with departmental or programmatic staffing or extraordinary scholarly opportunities, and must be endorsed by the relevant department and/or program. Where an early sabbatical period occurs, the number of semesters of full-time teaching at the College required for subsequent sabbatical eligibility will increase equivalently. Where a late sabbatical period occurs, the number of semesters of full-time teaching at the College required for subsequent sabbatical eligibility will decrease equivalently. However, in all cases (except in unusual cases as described in Section C-7) at least eight semesters of full-time teaching at the College must intervene between consecutive sabbatical periods.

Section C-5. A one semester sabbatical leave at full pay will be awarded to all untenured tenure-track faculty whose probationary period is either five or six years of full-time teaching at Reed, whose initial appointment was not deferred because of extramural professional development opportunities, who have earned the terminal degree in an appropriate field, and who submit proposals that are judged to be excellent by the Paid Leave Award Committee, as described in Section C-8. (For individuals who fall into this category except that their original proposals are not judged to be excellent, the Paid Leave Award Committee shall communicate its concerns through the Dean of the Faculty, and shall invite revised proposals for reconsideration in the same academic year.) Normally, untenured faculty will take their sabbatical leaves in the third or fourth year of the probationary period.

Section C-6. For tenured faculty members, sabbatical periods may be for one semester at full pay or one year at full pay. Eligibility to apply for a full year sabbatical at full pay will be determined by the President in consultation with CAPP, as described in Section C-2. Full year sabbatical leaves at full pay will be granted only on the basis of a research proposal submitted to the Paid Leave Award Committee and judged excellent by that committee, as described in Section C-8. (For individuals who fall into this category except that their original proposals are not judged to be excellent, the Paid Leave Award Committee shall communicate its concerns through the Dean of the Faculty, and shall invite revised proposals for reconsideration in the same academic year.) Further, the Paid Leave Award Committee will consider and evaluate such research proposals from only those tenured faculty members who also successfully certify that they have either received significant support – which may or may not be faculty salary support – for their projects from extramural funding entities recognized for supporting research or creative endeavor in the relevant field or are seeking such support for their projects from at least two such extramural funding entities. Typically, certification will be achieved by submitting to CAPP complete copies of the extramural grant applications (excluding confidential letters of recommendation that the extramural funding entities may require). In cases where extramural grant proposals will be submitted only after the Paid Leave Award Committee makes its decisions, those decisions will be provisional, pending subsequent submission of extramural proposals to CAPP and certification by CAPP. The Dean of the Faculty will annually provide a list of recognized funding entities, and will work closely with CAPP and individual departments to ensure that the list is appropriately inclusive and up to date. In cases where it is unreasonable to expect the faculty member to apply for extramural grant support – for example, in disciplines where such support is entirely unavailable – the Dean of the Faculty will work closely with CAPP and the individual faculty member to find an approach that may successfully address the spirit of this requirement. CAPP will have the final decision as to whether a faculty member’s extramural applications for support are sufficient – in terms of the type of support requested, the purposes for which the support are sought, and the relative standing of the extramural entity – to make the faculty member eligible to apply for a full year sabbatical at full pay. In the event that extramural grant applications submitted to CAPP under this program are successful, the College’s financial support for the faculty member’s sabbatical will in all cases be reduced by an amount equal to the total amount of support that the faculty member will receive from extramural entities for salary and benefits (excluding extramural funds explicitly designated for summer salary). However, all sabbatical-eligible faculty are entitled (subject to the provisions of Section C-2) to one semester of college-paid sabbatical regardless of extramural support. In the absence of a research proposal that the Paid Leave Award Committee judges excellent, or if CAPP determines that the individual has failed to certify that he or she is seeking appropriate extramural support, the sabbatical period will in all cases be for one semester at full pay.

Section C-7. In unusual circumstances, the Paid Leave Award Committee may consider a single proposal from a tenured faculty member for two non-consecutive semesters of sabbatical at full pay, the first of which would occur after six semesters of full-time teaching at the College and the second of which would occur during one of the subsequent semesters of the same sabbatical cycle for that faculty member. (This modifies Section C-3 and Section C-4.) Eligibility to apply for two non-consecutive semesters of sabbatical at full pay will be determined by the President in consultation with CAPP, as described in Section C-2. Such applications will be approved only on the basis of a research proposal submitted to the Paid Leave Award Committee and judged excellent by that committee, as described in Section C-8, and only after a determination by the CAPP (1) that the proposal is based on considerations involving extraordinary and important research opportunities that require two non-consecutive semesters of sabbatical at full pay instead of one full year of sabbatical at full pay and (2) that such opportunities are sufficiently important to outweigh considerations of curricular and pedagogical continuity that reflect the centrality of the College’s teaching mission. Further, the Paid Leave Award Committee will consider and evaluate such research proposals from only those tenured faculty members who successfully certify that they are also seeking to obtain financial support from extramural funding entities, following the same procedures, and subject to the same rules and limitations, described in Section C-6.

Section C-8. Untenured faculty who request a one semester sabbatical leave at full pay and who are eligible for this under Section C-5, and tenured faculty who request a full year sabbatical (or two non-consecutive semesters of sabbatical) at full pay and who are eligible for this under either Section C-6 or C-7, must submit a full research proposal to the Paid Leave Award Committee. A full research proposal must include:

A completed cover page.
A brief (300 word) description of the project, intended for a non-specialists audience.
A detailed description of the relationship of the project (not to exceed 1500 words), comprising both a specific statement of the hypotheses to be tested, the questions to be answered, or the goals to be achieved and an account of the project’s significance to the field, the curriculum, and the faculty member’s intellectual and/or professional development.
A description of the relationship of this award to other possible sources of funding, and the total funding required to complete the project.
A curriculum vitae and a summary of outcomes of recent leaves or summer research projects.
Two letters of support. To the extent possible, letters should come from persons with expertise in the relevant field or area of specialization. At least one of these letters should come from outside of the institution.

The Paid Leave Award Committee will be appointed by the President with the approval of CAPP and CAT. The committee will be composed of one representative from each division of the College. One member of the committee shall be designated Chair by the President with the approval of CAPP and CAT. Committee service will be for two year terms, staggered for purposes of continuity. Faculty members planning to apply in any given year for one semester sabbaticals under C-5 or for one year sabbaticals (or two non-consecutive semesters of sabbatical) under either C-6 or C-7 are not eligible to serve on the committee in that year.

Section C-9. Requests for unpaid leaves of absence may be granted by the President upon the recommendation of CAPP. All such requests should be accompanied by a statement from the faculty member's department -- and from the relevant Humanities staff and/or interdisciplinary program, where appropriate -- regarding the curricular impact of the proposed unpaid leave of absence. Requests for unpaid leave should be made in a timely fashion so that the College has a reasonable opportunity to secure a satisfactory replacement, if necessary.

Section C-10. A single continuous period of leave – composed of sabbatical and unpaid leave in any combination – shall not exceed four semesters except in extraordinary circumstances and in no event shall exceed six semesters. (This restriction does not apply to leaves covered by Section C-13 and/or C-14.)

Section C-11. Any single period of leave of either one semester or one year in duration, and in any combination of sabbatical and unpaid leave, must be both preceded and followed by at least four consecutive semesters of full-time teaching. Any single period of leave of either three or four semesters in duration, and in any combination of sabbatical and unpaid leave, must be both preceded and followed by at least six consecutive semesters of full-time teaching. Upon the recommendation of the Committee on Academic Planning and Policy, the President may grant exceptions to this rule. However, such exceptions will presuppose professional development opportunities of extraordinary benefit to the College and will be granted only when exigencies of scheduling are such that similar opportunities are unlikely to be available at another time. (The restrictions described in this Section do not apply to leaves covered by Section C-13 and/or C-14.)

Section C-12. After completing a sabbatical, the faculty member will summarize the activities undertaken as a written report to the Dean of the Faculty on achievements during a sabbatical, including copies of materials produced, publications, etc. The Dean of the Faculty will place a copy of this report in the faculty member’s permanent evaluation file. The faculty member is expected to report on his or her research in a form suitable for dissemination to the Reed community (for example, as a colloquium or a published document).

Section C-13. In accordance with the requirements of ORS 659.630, parental leave will be granted upon the request of a faculty member. The faculty member shall provide written notice of the dates of intended parental leave. This notice must be received by the College at least 30 days before the anticipated date of birth or the date of physical custody of an adopted child under six years of age. In the event of premature birth, maternal incapacity due to birth rendering her unable to care of the child, or the unanticipated taking of custody of an adopted child, the faculty member shall give the College notice of revised dates of parental leave within seven days after birth or taking custody. In order to reduce the impact on operations of the College, including staffing requirements and class offerings, informal notification should be provided as soon as is practical. Parental leave will be for 12 weeks in duration. Faculty will receive one-half of their contractual salary amount during the parental leave. In no event shall the parental leave extend beyond one year from the date of birth.

Section C-14. The College may require that a Faculty member accept a leave of absence for reasons of health, whether or not the individual requests such a leave, on the following conditions:

If the individual disagrees on the need for the leave, he or she may appeal to the Appeals and Review Committee.
A person required to take leave under this paragraph shall receive every benefit that would be available to a Faculty member who qualified for total disability benefits under any applicable disability plan maintained by the College.
A special leave of absence under this paragraph shall be reviewed at least once every two years.

C. CAPP Guidelines (as approved by the faculty on February 3, 1997 and amended February 8, 1999)

The following norms govern CAPP's consideration of requests for sabbaticals and leaves:

Eligibility for Sabbaticals and Leaves
1. Faculty members are encouraged to seek support for and to engage in research and scholarship in order to enhance their effectiveness as scholars and teachers. In particular, faculty members are urged to seek funding to complement regularly scheduled sabbatical leaves so as to allow projects of a full year’s duration and scope. Normally CAPP will approve requests for unpaid leave for scholarly purposes except when serious impairment of the operation of the College will result.

2. Because sabbaticals or leaves of a single semester remove faculty members from service on most major committees and make effective thesis advising difficult, it will generally be no easier to justify a one semester than a two semester leave. For the same reasons, a two semester sabbatical or leave that spans two academic years (e.g., a spring semester and the following fall) will be harder to justify than a sabbatical or leave for both semesters of a single academic year.

3. Individuals normally become eligible for a first sabbatical with their seventh year of teaching at Reed.

4. The second of two consecutive sabbaticals normally comes in the seventh year of teaching after the year of eligibility for the prior sabbatical, even if that has been postponed.

5. At least four years of teaching must intervene between consecutive sabbaticals; unpaid leave does not count toward this four-year requirement.

6. Two years of teaching should intervene between a leave of absence of two consecutive semesters or more and a sabbatical.

7. As stated, eligibility for one year of sabbatical at half pay is normally earned through six years of full time teaching at Reed. However, Faculty members may request continued accrual of sabbatical eligibility during full or part time leaves undertaken for such purposes as: (a) reciprocal faculty exchanges with other institutions; (b) funded opportunities for curricular development or pedagogical improvement; or (c) research or writing funded by competitive fellowships or grants. When approving full or part-time leave or part-time appointments, the CAPP will explicitly decide whether and to what extent sabbatical eligibility is affected, basing its decision on the extent to which the proposed activities have been successfully argued to benefit the intellectual life of the College. Leaves supported by the College’s internal competitive Paid Leave Award program will not contribute to sabbatical eligibility. Those portions of any appointment that constitute personal leaves, including those mandated by law, will not accrue sabbatical eligibility.

8. After completing a sabbatical, the faculty member will summarize the activities undertaken as a written report to the Dean of the Faculty on achievements during a sabbatical, including copies of materials produced, publications, etc. The faculty member is further encouraged to report on his or her research in a form suitable for dissemination to the Reed community (for example, as a colloquium or a published document).

The timing and impact of sabbaticals and leaves
9. Faculty members anticipating leaves or sabbaticals are encouraged to discuss their plans with the Dean of the Faculty as soon as these plans begin to take shape. Individuals are to apply to the Dean of the Faculty for sabbatical approval at least one and preferably two semesters before the scheduled date, so that the college can begin searches for adequate replacements in a timely manner. The request should state whether the proposed leave is contingent on external funding. All requests for sabbaticals and leaves should include a description of the activities to be undertaken and an account of how the sabbatical or leave will contribute to the faculty member's professional development.

10. Sabbaticals are normally to be completed at least two years before the individual retires.

11. Members of departments should arrange leaves and sabbaticals in concert with one another to minimize disruption to the academic program. CAPP will not recommend approval of any leaves or sabbaticals without prior consultation with the department through its chair. Faculty members on sabbatical or leave, especially sabbaticals or leaves of one semester, will be replaced only if compelling curricular needs or enrollment pressures so dictate. A department in which a faculty member is contemplating leave or sabbatical will be expected to justify requests for replacement positions and to provide two hypothetical scenarios for its program during the period in question: one in which the faculty member is replaced, and another in which no replacement is available.

12. Faculty requesting leave or sabbatical should expect to give up their offices to a visiting faculty member. While it may be possible for a faculty member to retain use of his/her office if there is a particular need, this should not be considered a matter of right.

Return to Table of Contents