Sabbatical Leaves and Grants

1. Sabbatical Leaves and Grants Committee
   Sabbatical Leaves and Grants Committee will be formed for the purpose of evaluating sabbatical leave proposals, education and travel grants, and alternative assignment grants.
   1. Composition:
      1. This committee will be composed of:
         1. Five Faculty members, each from a different division, elected by the Faculty.
         2. Two Administrative/Professional Staff members elected by the Administrative/Professional staff.
         3. One Administrative/Professional Staff member appointed by the President.
         4. Two Support Staff elected by the Support staff.
         5. One Board member appointed by the chair of the Board of Trustees.
      2. Elected members’ terms are for three years beginning February 1 and ending on January 31. The FEC, SSEC, and ECAPS will initiate the elections for their respective work groups in December prior to the year in which the terms begin.
      3. If an elected member is unable to complete a term, the Senate President will appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term.
      4. Any vacancy that occurs in an appointed office will be filled as soon as possible by the appropriate official.
   2. Responsibility: The Sabbatical Leaves and Grants Committee carries the responsibility of reviewing, analyzing, and making recommendations for all sabbatical leaves. In addition, the Committee reviews, analyzes, and makes recommendations regarding the following: education and travel grants and alternative assignment grants.
2. Education and Travel Grants: Full-time Senate Assembly members are eligible for grants of up to $500 to cover the cost of tuition/fees and materials, associated with successfully completed College credit courses. A per diem (not to exceed the $500 maximum) is available for workshops or conferences.
3. Alternative Assignment Grants: The academic Associate Dean, along with the academic Dean, or appropriate administrator will determine equated hours. Full-time Senate Assembly members may propose projects.
   1. Alternative assignments are directed toward:
      1. Improving the quality of services to students
      2. Improving the quality of instruction
      3. Developing or making major curricula revisions or developing or making major individual course changes
      4. Improving the efficiency of services
      5. Supporting a new, major initiative of the work unit
      6. Decreasing credit hour costs of the Institution
      7. Other areas within the strategic initiatives of the College
   2. The link to the application form for alternative assignments can be found in the procedures manual.
   3. See the Alternative Assignment Grant procedure for next steps upon completion of the alternative assignment.
4. Sabbatical Leaves: A Sabbatical Leave is a privilege provided for all full-time Senate Assembly members for study, research, or other creative activity with reciprocal advantage to the College and the individual.
   The Sabbatical Leaves and Grants Committee will act on the applications and submit its recommendations to the President for approval. The President will communicate the decision to the Board of Trustees at the regular March Board meeting.
   See the procedures manual for an explanation of the program and the application procedure.
   1. Eligibility and Leave Period:
      1. A Sabbatical Leave may be granted to the same person only once within every six-year period.
         1. Sabbatical leaves are granted to faculty and staff employees who have at least six years of service and/or tenure with the College, on rare occasions sabbatical leaves will be granted to individuals who have less than six years of service and/or tenure or less than six years since the expiration of a prior Sabbatical Leave. Excluded from consideration to receive a Sabbatical Leave will be any faculty member participating in Senate Policy 3.021 (Progressive Discipline for Faculty for Reasons Other Than Teaching Effectiveness) or Senate Policy 3.061 (Academic Office Initiated Evaluations), or any A/P or Support staff currently on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).
      2. The typical leave is one semester for faculty or up to six months for others. The leave will not be longer than one year and must be taken from July 1 through June 30.
   2. Criteria for Evaluating Sabbatical Leave Applications:
      1. The proposed plan or design
      2. Evidence of prior commitment to the proposal
      3. Evidence that leave will be reciprocally advantageous to the applicant and the College
      4. An evaluation of the recommendation statements which accompany the application
      5. Confirmation from the applicant’s academic Associate Dean or supervisor, as appropriate, and the Dean of Teaching and Learning or appropriate Dean/Manager, that the applicant has a proven track record of being committed to and following through on work activities related to scholarship, professional development, program development, College service, community service, and/or similar activity.
      6. Confirmation of any prior Sabbatical Leaves, including the name, date, and written report/communication of the results.
      7. Alignment with College’s mission, vision, and values.
   3. Responsibility of Sabbatical Leave Recipient:
      1. Prior to going on Sabbatical Leave, the individual will either resign from or make other interim arrangements in elected offices, or Senate responsibilities. These arrangements will be made with the approval of the Senate Executive Board (SEB), the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), Executive Committee for Administrative/Professional Staff (ECAPS), or Support Staff Executive Committee (SSEC). The appropriate supervisor should address the alternative assignments.
      2. The applicant will inform the College of any other salaries, grants, or fellowships received during the period of the Sabbatical Leave. The income from such sources and the sabbatical grant may not exceed the applicant's salary, necessary research expenses, and travel and relocation expenses, which are essential to the project.
      3. The applicant will commit to the Sabbatical project once approved as outlined in the procedure. The procedure outlines the steps to take if any changes to the leave need to be requested.
      4. A person granted a Sabbatical Leave is expected to return to normal responsibilities at Delta College for at least two years following the leave. Should the individual not return for the required period, he or she will repay the College the amount of gross salary earned which is attributable to the Sabbatical Leave. Should the individual return for a portion of the required period, the repayment amount will be reduced proportionally. The College may adopt appropriate procedures, including promissory notes, to enforce this obligation.
      5. Within 90 days after returning from Sabbatical Leave, a concise written report is to be submitted to the College President and the Senate office. This report will become a part of the recipient's permanent Human Resources file and the Senate Office and will be made available to the college community, upon request. Additionally, recipients will schedule a presentation at the appropriate group’s forum and/or Fall Learning Days.
      6. Failure to submit a report and/or present will result in notification to the appropriate supervisor and appropriate Vice President or Executive Staff. Progress on the sabbatical project must be demonstrated in the final report. Failure to do so will be noted in the individual’s Human Resources file and in the Senate Office and may impact the approval of any future requests and could also result in an obligation for partial repayment of the award, as outlined in Section IV.C.4.
   4. Financial Reimbursement to Sabbatical Leave Recipient:
      Senate Assembly members with a typical one-semester or up to six-month sabbatical will receive full contracted compensation for that period.  Assembly members requesting leave for two semesters or up to 12 months will receive 50% of the annual contract salary.
      Since the Assembly member is under contract benefits will be continued, with the exception of retirement. It is the responsibility of the Sabbatical Leave recipient to check with the Human Resources Office to determine how a sabbatical might affect years of service reported for his or her retirement.
      The sabbatical period will be counted as time required toward advancement in faculty rank.