Faculty Sabbatical Leave
Committee, Policy and Process
Approved by AGC
September 9, 2014
AGC Sabbatical Review Committee Purpose & Structure
The Academic Governing Council (AGC) Sabbatical Review Committee’s purpose is to evaluate sabbatical applications on a yearly basis. The committee evaluates applications against AGC approved criteria.
The committee shall be comprised of five to seven full-time faculty members representing different academic areas of the college and shall include the academic deans and at least one department head/program director from each school. Committee members serve two year terms with no term limit impositions. The Executive Committee of the AGC, or the committee members themselves, may nominate a Chair to serve a two year renewable term.
The Chair of the AGC Sabbatical Committee works with AGC and the Provost to ensure that all of the evaluative procedures are met, that the committee has adequate members, and periodically reviews the sabbatical policy and process.
Policy
The President recognizes the value of stimulating professional growth through self-improvement among its GRCC Employee. The President realizes that part of a self-improvement program may involve extending an individual’s education in preparing for the future needs of the College and community. The President also recognizes that a considerable investment must be made on behalf of those individuals requesting an extended professional leave from the College. Upon recommendation from AGC Sabbatical Committee (faculty only), the AGC, Provost, and the President, sabbatical leaves will be presented annually for the Board’s consideration and approval.
Read the full policy (Article 9 - Leaves of Absence with Pay) in the Faculty Contract.
Retirement pay based on the faculty member's W-2 earnings:
Requirements and Rules:
- The Sabbatical Review Committee will be appointed by the AGC in accordance with their Charter and By-Laws.
- Per the faculty contract: "The Board recognizes the traditional rights of a faculty member to maintain full ownership of and benefits from any works produced on his/her own unless the College compensates the faculty member for such development or College resources are used. Such works include, but are not limited to, literary, musical, or artistic compositions; inventions; processes created or materials.”
- Per faculty contract: “If a faculty member uses College resources, the faculty member and Provost, or designees, shall mutually agree to the management of intellectual property and allocation of residual rights."
- If GRCC students are used in your research, it is necessary to maintain the highest possible ethical standards and to secure permission from Institutional Research and the Provost, before your sabbatical request can be approved.
- It is expected that you will spend your semester fully engaged in the activity described in your proposal.
- It is recommended that you do not select any overload assignments while you are on a sabbatical leave.
Process
Criteria:
- The applicant has complied with all provisions as stipulated by the AGC sabbatical leave process
- The purpose of the leave fits the current and future needs of the College.
- The leave supports the Mission, Vision and Ends of the College
- The leave demonstrates clearly the potential to expand the applicant’s professional knowledge and contributes to the educational process of the college and community.
- The leave clearly articulates how the applicant has demonstrated his/her ability and potential to actively contribute to the educational process. Sabbatical recipients must articulate a plan to share their learning with colleagues at an AGC approved venue. Questions regarding appropriate venues should be submitted to the Provost’s office and the Executive Committee of the AGC.
Procedures:
- Before submitting the sabbatical proposal to the Provost's Office, faculty must make sure the application is complete and includes the Department Head/Program Director and Associate Dean support documents.
- Proposals for sabbatical leaves for the forthcoming year must be submitted to the Provost’s Office by the second Thursday in March.
- The Provost’s office will forward all proposals to the Sabbatical Review Committee for review.
- The Review Committee will consider the proposals and make their recommendation to the Provost by the second Thursday in April.
- The Sabbatical Leave(s) will be announced to the faculty member(s) at the Employee Recognition Event. The faculty member(s) will receive an official award letter from the Provost, and the college newspaper and local media will be alerted of this award.
- Faculty teaching schedules including the requests for temporary staffing for fall/winter will be adjusted accordingly to cover the classes normally taught by the faculty on sabbatical.
- The recipients will submit a report of their sabbatical activities and results to the Provost and to the Academic Governing Council and to their supervisor within three months of the completion of the sabbatical.