UWW Faculty Sabbatical FAQs Application and Acceptance: 1. What is a sabbatical? A faculty sabbatical is professional leave program that grants a faculty member a release from his or her typical duties (research, teaching, and service) for either one or two semesters in order to pursue projects that fully meet the sabbatical guidelines. Sabbaticals can be for one year (one academic year fall and spring semesters not cross academic years) or one semester (fall OR spring). Sabbaticals for an academic year receive institutional financial support up to 65% of the faculty member s full compensation for that period. Sabbaticals for one semester of the academic year receive financial support up to a maximum of the faculty member s full compensation. 2. When can I apply for / take a sabbatical? Assistant professors, associated professors, or professors are eligible for the Faculty Sabbatical Leave Program. A faculty member is eligible for sabbatical leave only after he or she has completed six years or more years of full-time instructional service (or the equivalent) at the University of Wisconsin (including years of services accepted from other UW institutions but excluding leaves of absence, regardless of funding source) and have not taken a sabbatical in the UW System during those six years. Although tenure is not an eligibility requirement for a Faculty Sabbatical Leave, preference is given to faculty who have received tenure. Preference is also given to those making significant contributions to teaching and those who have not had a leave of absence, regardless of funding source, during the prior four years. The earliest a faculty member can apply for a Sabbatical Leave is in the fall (due date is typically in September) of the sixth year of service for leave the following year academic year (after six completed years of service). 2010-2011 = 1 year of service (completed) 2011-2012 = 2 years of service (completed) 2012-2013 = 3 years of service (completed) 2013-2014 = 4 years of service (completed) 2014-2015 = 5 years of service (completed) 2015-2016 = 6 years of service (in progress) 2016-2017 = eligible to apply for a sabbatical 3. Do faculty need to have six years of full-time service to be eligible for a sabbatical at the time of the application or at the time of the requested sabbatical?
Faculty need to have completed six years of full-time equivalent service by the start of the requested sabbatical. 4. How do unpaid leave of absences effect eligibility for a sabbatical? Unpaid leave of absences, such as an external fellowship, unpaid personal leave, etc. do count against the accrued time of service. Paid leave of absences (for example, FMLA or grants work for which the applicant remains paid by UWW) continue to accrue time of service. No. No. 5. If I had a faculty position at another institution outside the UW System prior to coming to UW-Whitewater, will that time count towards my six years of full-time service? 6. Can a faculty member who has held the title of lecturer or visiting professor have that time count toward completing six or more year of full-time instructional service? 7. If I took a paid leave of absence in the past four years, will that affect my ranking or priority for a sabbatical? Preference will given to faculty who have not taken a paid leave in the past four years. 8. If I have not received tenure yet, may I still apply for a sabbatical? Yes, but preference is given to faculty with tenure by the time the sabbatical begins. 9. If I miss the deadline to request a sabbatical proposal, may I still submit an application? No. The sabbatical timeline is approved by a faculty committee, the Academic Development Committee, and is under no obligation to review late applications. 10. Must I have Department and College Support? Some departments have committees which recommend which sabbatical proposals the department choses to support in a given year. The faculty member s department chair and college dean must sign the Department/College Support Form. However, they can decline to give their support proposal. The Academic Development Committee and Provost will
then take this into consideration when making funding decisions. Without College support and an approved department plan for coverage during the time of the proposed sabbatical, it is unlikely that a proposal would be recommended to the UW System Regents. 11. Who decides which faculty members receive sabbaticals? Proposals are reviewed the Academic Development Committee. This highly recommends, recommends or does not recommend the Provost / Chancellor support an application. The Provost selects the campuses final nominations for Sabbatical Leave (for approval by the Board of Regents). The Chancellor selects the Chancellor s Fellows. Traditional Sabbatical Leaves are not formally approved until the Board of Regents approves the campus nominees. 12. When will I know if my Sabbatical Leave is approved? The campus sends its recommendations to UW System in early November and notifications are typically mailed in February after the Regents have made their final decisions. Length and Logistics: 13. May I split my sabbatical between academic years or semesters? No. The sabbatical must be taken during the fall or spring semester, or during the academic year. 14. Can I apply for a Faculty Development Grant and Faculty Sabbatical Leave for the same period? Yes, applicants are highly encouraged to seek Faculty Development Grant funding to support sabbatical activities. 15. If I need to change the dates of my sabbatical, whom do I need to contact? You must submit a request to the director of ORSP who will make a recommendation to the Provost. 16. After being approved for a sabbatical, can I request that it be delayed to the next fiscal year? No, you would need to reapply for a sabbatical for the next year. University Benefits and Outside Funding: 17. May I seek supplementary grants or awards during the time of my sabbatical?
Yes. A faculty member may receive supplemental grants or other awards while on sabbatical, but any Compensation (when combined with the amount of institutional compensation) may not exceed the full compensation normally received from the UW System for that period. Also, any compensation must be approved by the dean PRIOR TO the start of the sabbatical. 18. Will taking a sabbatical affect my retirement or health insurance coverage? Your health insurance will not be affected because you will be paid during your sabbatical. Your retirement benefit will not be affected if you are taking a one-semester 100% sabbatical. If you take a two-semester. 65% sabbatical, you will receive credit in the Wisconsin Retirement System for one full year, but will only be credited with earning 65% of your salary. This may affect your retirement benefit significantly if you are within three years of retirement. If you are within three years of retirement or if you have any questions about the effect of a sabbatical on your benefits, you should consult with a benefits counselor prior to submitting a formal sabbatical request. 19. What is a Chancellor s Fellowship? A Chancellor s Fellowship application is no different from that for a traditional sabbatical but it is approved at the discretion of the Chancellor. These fellowships also provides funds to the member s home department in order to help pay for staff replacement costs while the faculty member is gone (typically up to $10,000). This is meant to help support smaller departments or programs where the faculty member s course offerings would be hard to forgo or to replace while the faculty member is on sabbatical. However, this also makes Chancellor s Fellowship awards more competitive as these funds are limited. These applications do need compelling justification from the Department. In any case, you should consult with your Department and/or Dean to determine if support is contingent on receiving these additional funds. 20. If I do not receive additional support funds for my department through the Chancellor s Fellowship, can I still be considered for a sabbatical? No. If a faculty member applies for but does not receive a Chancellor s Fellowship, he or she cannot be separately considered for a traditional sabbatical. The choice of which option to pursue must be made carefully. 21. Am I allowed to work elsewhere while on sabbatical? Faculty may not accept other paid employment during the Sabbatical Leave unless it is included as part of the application AND compensation does not exceed the UW System base salary. 22. How does a sabbatical work with a Fulbright?
Faculty are encouraged to seek a Sabbatical if applying for a Fulbright to avoid any interruption of benefits. Meet with your payroll and benefits specialist prior to applying for a Fulbright Scholar award to learn more. Consult the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs before applying. Some things to keep in mind: a) most Fulbright proposals are due in August meaning the faculty member would need to complete all of the work in advanced of the UWW sabbatical deadline; b) If he or she does not receive a Fulbright (sabbatical decisions are announced first) then he or she will need to submit a revised proposal for review and approval in order to keep the sabbatical c) if he or she receives a Fulbright but not your sabbatical he or she would need to take an unpaid leave of absence and would be responsible for the cost of fringe benefits. 23. Why do I have to repay my sabbatical costs if I do not return for one year of instructional service after my sabbatical has been completed? Are there any exceptions to this requirement? This is statutory requirement (Wis Stats 36.11(17) (f)) and the university is obligated to collect the amount owed. The law does not provide any exceptions. Requirements and Deliverables: 24. What obligations does the sabbatical entail? In order to take a sabbatical of any length you must return to UW-Whitewater for a full academic year following the sabbatical period (regardless of length of sabbatical). Failure to do so would require the faculty member to re-pay the costs of his or her salary and benefits for the period on which he or she was on leave. In addition, for traditional sabbaticals the department and college needs to develop a plan to cover for the faculty member who is on leave either by increasing class sizes or canceling certain classes. Traditional sabbaticals come with no funds or support to hire adjuncts. This plan is part of the sabbatical application process. Yes. 25. Do I have to submit a sabbatical report? 26. When is the sabbatical report due? Faculty must submit the final report to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs by September 15 following the sabbatical year. Hints for writing a solid proposal:
1. Include all of the required sections of the proposal format (e.g., objectives, rationale, evaluation) and write to every one as convincingly as you can. Several unfunded proposals in the past ignored or gave far too little attention to certain components of the proposal. 2. Connect to your department, college, UWW, and UW System priorities. The more convincing it is that your project will further these goals and objectives, the better your chance of support 3. Connect to your own professional goals and prior work. Convince the reviewers that this project will forward your scholarly work or teaching. You don t want your project to come across as unrelated to your area of professional expertise, teaching, or prior work. Show that this project will add value to you as a faculty member. 4. Make it clear how the sabbatical will allow you to accomplish an important task that you wouldn t otherwise be able to complete. Show the reviewers that the sabbatical is necessary and sufficient to your project. 5. Assume the reviewers are not familiar with your discipline. Write for a lay reader.