The policy of the University with regard to sabbatical leaves is governed by the regulations of the Board of Regents, which state that "in strictly meritorious cases, a full-time faculty member on regular appointment. . .who has served continuously for a period of six years or longer" may be granted a sabbatical leave. The Board of Regents' policy also states that such leaves "shall not exceed four percent of the number of equivalent full-time faculty...for the fiscal year for which the leave of absence is granted." In April 1977, the Board extended the sabbatical leave policy to include those individuals identified by the University as "academic staff." In accordance with the October 1971 ruling of the Board of Regents quoted in the section on leave without pay in this publication, periods of authorized leave are not counted toward continuing service credit for sabbatical leave.
Faculty or academic staff members on basic nine-month appointments may be granted sabbatical leaves for either the full nine-month academic year at half pay, or one semester of four and one-half months at full pay. Faculty or academic staff members on basic twelve-month appointments may be granted sabbatical leaves for either eleven months at half pay, or five months at full pay; in the former case, the member receives full pay for the twelfth month of the basic appointment. The Board of Regents, in providing the opportunity for a faculty member to be on leave at full pay, assumes that during the period of such absence no replacement will be required. If the number of applications for leave exceeds the quota of 4 percent, sabbatical leaves will be granted on the basis of merit of the applicant and the applicant's proposal, on the recommendation of the University Committee on Sabbatical Leaves and with the approval of the Executive Vice Chancellor, Chancellor, and Board of Regents.
Applications for sabbatical leave should be submitted on forms available at the Office of Academic Affairs, together with a complete vita, appropriate supporting materials and a statement setting forth the objectives of the leave. These may include the pursuit of advanced study, conducting research studies, or securing appropriate industrial or professional experience. The acceptance of a teaching appointment at another institution is ordinarily not regarded as an appropriate objective. An application should receive the endorsement of the departmental chairperson and of the dean of the school and should, so endorsed, reach the Office of Academic Affairs no later than November 1 of the year preceding the academic year for which leave is desired. Procedures for submitting applications for sabbatical leave are detailed in the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty Senate, Art. VIII. Because the number of sabbatical leaves granted each year is limited by Board of Regents policy, only the authorized number can be recommended for approval. The proposal and credentials of each candidate are reviewed by the University Committee on Sabbatical Leaves, which acts in an advisory capacity to the Executive Vice Chancellor and the Chancellor, who make final recommendations to the Board of Regents.
The regulations of the Regents require that a faculty or academic staff member who takes sabbatical leave shall sign an agreement to return to the service of the University immediately on completion of the leave and shall provide at least two years' service to the University. If a faculty or academic staff member fails to return or to remain in service for the time specified, remuneration will be made to the University, within two years, as follows: a proportion of the leave salary equal to the proportion of time not served, in accordance with the sabbatical leave agreement. The policy also states that sabbatical leave will not be granted to a faculty member who will have less than two years to serve after the leave before reaching mandatory retirement age. A faculty or academic staff member returning from sabbatical leave is expected to file a brief report with the Office of Academic Affairs within 90 days.
Sabbatical policies shall conform to the following guidelines established by the Board of Regents:
The interpretation of "strictly meritorious case" is derived from the nature and the purpose of sabbatical leave. Sabbatical leaves are granted because it is recognized that there are some tasks essential to the educational mission of a distinguished university that cannot be pursued within the context of normal teaching loads and committee responsibilities. Scholars sometimes need periods for sustained research or for advanced study or for other experiences outside the normal classroom atmosphere. Sabbatical leaves are such periods. A strictly meritorious application for sabbatical leave will show that the proposed sabbatical activity will be of great value to the applicant's needs and goals, to the programs of the applicant's department, and to the educational missions of the University. Sabbatical leaves are an important means of promoting faculty development. A strictly meritorious application for sabbatical leave will show that the sabbatical leave will indeed promote the intellectual growth of the applicant.
The award of a sabbatical leave is always a recognition that a scholar has fulfilled classroom duties, has pursued research activities, and has served the University and community and nation in ways that reflect the excellence of a distinguished institution of higher learning. Such commitments to the normal activities of the University render one deserving of a sabbatical. Such commitment is what renders an applicant definitely meritorious for the awarding of sabbaticals. Sabbatical leaves are never automatic for a faculty member. They must be earned.
Article VIII. Sabbatical Leaves
Section 1. Policy
Section 2. Procedures
During sabbatical leave, a faculty member is expected to carry out the purposes for which the sabbatical is granted.
The applicant should attempt to set forth sufficient information about his or her professional work and sabbatical proposal to enable the committee to make an evaluation.Whenever possible, a comprehensive statement containing peer-group evaluation of the merit of each applicant and his or her proposal shall be furnished to the University Committee on Sabbatical Leaves by his/her department and/or school. For this purpose, "merit" shall be defined as follows:
Where more than one case is reviewed at the departmental level, the comparative merit of the cases considered should be indicated.
Departmental chairpersons and deans shall review and evaluate the merit of the applicants and their proposals before transmittal to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Applications submitted directly to the Vice Chancellor are referred to the respective academic departments and deans for peer evaluation and review.
Evaluations shall be kept confidential. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs shall, upon request from the applicant, give each unsuccessful applicant an explanation of the reason(s) his or her application was not recommended for approval.UCSL shall be a committee of twelve, chaired by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who shall vote only in cases of ties. The Vice Chancellor for Research, Graduate Studies, and Public Service shall be an ex officio member, and the Faculty Executive Committee shall name one of its members to serve for one year. Nine members of the faculty shall be appointed to staggered three-year terms by the Faculty Executive Committee by virtue of delegation from the Chancellor. The Faculty Executive Committee shall take care that the membership of UCSL is broadly representative of the faculty.
Members of the University Committee on Sabbatical Leaves shall not simultaneously serve on a sabbatical leave committee of a school or college, except when the faculty of a school or college functions as a committee of the whole. All Assistant, Associate, or full Vice Chancellors, other than those specified in the Rules and Regulations and all Assistant, Associate, and full Deans shall be ineligible for membership. Any member of the Committee who is appointed to any position of Dean or Vice Chancellor shall, with the exceptions noted above, relinquish such membership.
UCSL shall act in an advisory capacity to the Chancellor, who shall formally recommend sabbatical leave awards to the Board of Regents. The Chancellor's recommendations shall not be made public until they have been approved by the Board of Regents. Official notification of sabbatical leave awards shall be made by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.It is the applicant's responsibility to set forth as clearly and precisely as possible sufficient information to allow a fair evaluation to be made. This information as a minimum should include a record of previous accomplishments and future plans.
Once the application is made and approved for a specific time period and project, changes in timing and/or the nature of the project must be approved by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. A change in the period of the leave from the academic year at half pay to one semester at full pay will not in general be possible.Faculty members on sabbatical leave at half pay may receive additional income from non-state sources either directly or through regular University administrative processes. When received directly, the maximum increment is the second half-pay plus the amount ordinarily allowed under the University's consulting policy. When administered through the University, the maximum increment is the half-pay only.
Faculty and academic staff members on University sabbatical leave at full pay may receive additional income from non-state sources directly to the maximum ordinarily allowed under the University's consulting policy. They may not receive additional income from non-state sources through regular University administrative processes.
Faculty and academic staff members on sabbatical leave, either full pay or half pay, may not receive additional income through the University from state sources.
In all cases, the acceptance of additional income by a person on sabbatical leave is justified only if the activity for which such income is accepted is congruent with the purposes of research, scholarly writing, clearly related professional experience, and study, for which sabbatical leaves are granted.
In those limited instances where expense assistance is provided to individuals on sabbatical leave, an appropriate letter from the academic vice chancellor or business manager should accompany the travel request form to avoid the processing delay which inevitably occurs when the voucher request is "bumped out" of the system because the individual is on sabbatical leave. That letter should state the purpose for which the leave was granted, that the provision of travel and subsistence expenses in support of the leave is deemed to be appropriate by the institutional official and the source of the monies supporting such expenses.
A faculty or staff member who applies for a leave of absence without pay may be granted such leave when it is considered in the best interests of the University. A written application with the endorsements of the appropriate departmental chairperson and/or dean or director should be submitted to the appropriate vice chancellor, preferably at least 30 days before action by the Board of Regents is expected. The policies of the Regents state that:
Unclassified personnel receiving less than a full-time leave without pay shall continue to be assisted in their participation in the Regents retirement system based on that portion of their reduced salary. During such partial leave of absence without pay, the Regents institution shall pay (approximately) 75 percent of the single member health insurance premium of such unclassified employee, subject to the policies, rules and regulations of the State Employees Health Insurance Commission.
Leaves without pay will not be regarded as a break in service; however, such leave will not count toward the earning of sabbatical leave nor will other than a scholarly leave count toward the tenure probationary period. Scholarly leave will count toward the tenure probationary period unless the employee and the institution agree in writing to the contrary at the time the leave is granted. Any extension of a leave without pay for a second and subsequent year(s) requires the approval of the Board of Regents at a regular meeting of the Board. Leaves without pay shall be limited to not more than two years, except upon the documentation to the Board of Regents by the chief executive officer of the employing institution of extraordinary circumstances justifying such leave beyond two years.If appropriate, a faculty member may request, at the time the application is submitted, that the leave not be considered a scholarly leave. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the University General Counsel, will determine whether the request is to be granted.
A faculty or other unclassified staff member who plans to go on leave without pay status should contact the Office of Staff Benefits to obtain information about continuing various benefits.
Persons holding nine-month appointments do not accrue vacation leave with pay. Faculty and unclassified staff holding twelve-month appointments are entitled to vacation leave with pay as follows (This policy is based on full- time service. Vacation leave for unclassified employees on less than full- time appointment shall be reduced proportionately.):
All unclassified faculty and staff forced to be absent from their duties because of illness or disability are eligible to receive sick-leave pay at a rate equal to their usual salary. Sick leave is accumulated at the rate of one day for each monthly payroll period of full-time service.
The official sick-leave policy approved by the Board of Regents for the State of Kansas Regents' institutions is as follows:
If upon retirement an unclassified employee has accrued 100 or more days of sick leave, the employee shall be compensated for accumulated sick leave in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-5517 as amended.
Each Regents institution shall adopt appropriate procedures for administering this policy.The following formula for payment of sick leave upon retirement was established by Statute:
Records of accumulated and used sick leave shall be maintained by the employee's department, school or division. Use of sick leave shall be reported monthly to the Payroll Office.
Sick leave balances are reported on the monthly paycheck stub. Any discrepancy in this record should be reported to the appropriate department, school or division.
A former employee who had unused sick leave at the time he or she left the University and who returns to University employment in a permanent position within one year shall have the unused sick leave reinstated. This provision does not apply to persons who retired from the University.
Any unclassified employee with an appointment of .5 time or greater who is a member of the state or national guard or the reserves of the United States armed forces shall be granted a leave of absence with pay for the duration of any official call to emergency duty or to the annual training period. Military leave shall be limited to fifteen calendar days in any calendar year.
Members of the faculty enjoy those holidays listed in the common University calendar of the Board of Regents. Faculty and other unclassified staff members enjoy official state holidays as established by the Office of the Governor except that any holiday which falls during a time when classes are in session, such as Veterans Day or Martin Luther King Day, will not be observed by faculty and other unclassified staff.
When authorized by the Governor, faculty and other unclassified staff members holding 12 month appointments and meeting eligibility requirements may also enjoy one additional holiday per year to be taken at their discretion, subject to the advance approval of the individual's administrative superior. Employees must work for the University for six months before a discretionary holiday may be taken.
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