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Sabbatical Application

Date: July 25, 2008
From: Susan Welch
To: Liberal Arts Faculty
RE:

Sabbatical Leave Applications for the Academic Year 2009-2010
DUE DATE TO YOUR DEPARTMENT HEAD: September 8, 2008

The sabbatical applications are due in your department head's office on September 8, 2008. Heads will then review, evaluate, sign, and forward them to the College office. This is the only competition for sabbaticals for the academic year 2008-2009 (Fall 2009, Spring 2010).

Sabbaticals are only for faculty with tenure and with at least six contract years of service since the last sabbatical. Your sixth-year tenure review must have been completed and tenure approved before we can consider a leave request. (Example: If your tenure was considered and approved in 2007-08, you may apply in Fall 2008 for a sabbatical in 09-10). When computing your eligibility, we cannot count time spent on the previous sabbatical (or any other kind of leave) toward the six contract years of full-time service. A leave with pay (sabbatical) is a privilege which may be granted to an individual who has demonstrated substantial ability in research or other creative activity, scholarship, and teaching.  Your research and publication record since your previous sabbatical is extremely important in evaluating your application. An essential condition of going on a sabbatical leave is that you must return to Penn State for a full academic year following the academic year of your sabbatical or refund all salary received from the University during the period of leave. (Note:  there will be no proration of the amount to be returned if individual remains employed for any time less than one year.)  We do not waive this requirement!

Please also note that you need my permission to accept additional funds beyond your University sabbatical salary during the period of your sabbatical. (Permission will be granted for grant and contract work related to your sabbatical proposal. Permission will not be granted for part-time teaching or other work not routinely related to the purposes of the sabbatical.)

Our electronic application procedure permits direct submission of an application by a faculty member.  Applications may be submitted beginning August 1.   The electronic application form is short and has facilities for attaching files containing the proposal and vita.  Please note that the proposal and vita files must be in Adobe Acrobat "PDF" (Portable Document Format) format. If you require assistance with this or with other parts of the application process, please contact the relevant staff member in your department.  If you are going to need assistance from your department staff member, please give her enough time so that the forms can be completed before the September 8 deadline.

The College Committee and I (separately) will read and evaluate all applications. The proposal is the key component in the application and will be carefully reviewed. Please prepare the supporting materials as follows:

  1. Information for the application form.  Please complete all items on the electronic application form.  The entry point for electronic application is the College's sabbatical homepage.  From the sabbatical homepage, choose "Sabbatical Leave Application" to launch the application process, then follow the information on the resulting screens.
  2. A word processing file containing a brief current vita (no more than 8 pages!), including especially a list of publications and recent professional activities and accomplishments. Use a standard font; times new roman with a pitch of 12 is suggested but not required. Avoid graphics, and provide adequate margins (1-1/2" on left and right of "printed" page) to facilitate on-screen display.  Note - for electronic submission, this word processing file must be converted to Adobe Acrobat PDF format for attachment to the application form.  For assistance, see the designated departmental staff person.
  3. A word-processing file of your completed four to eight page proposal. See 2 above. Again, for electronic submission, the proposal file must be in PDF format.  Your proposal should contain:
      a. Title b. Brief statement of the purpose of the leave (same as typed on the application for the leave form). Two sentences is about right. c. General statement of the project, its purpose, and scope. Remember that this will be judged by a panel of faculty outside your field. d. Methodology.  How do you propose to carry out the work? e. Place.  Where you propose to work? You must mention resources (libraries, laboratories, etc.) which the location provides, and you must  attach copies of letters indicating approval of tentative arrangements  unless the facility is open to the public. f. Relevance of the project.  How does your project relate to previous research?   Give titles and references not only of your own research publications but also those of relevant scholars. g. Publication plans for completed research. h. Relevance of sabbatical project to you as department member and teacher. i. Note that the college does not support writing textbooks as a sabbatical project.
  4. You must note accomplishments resulting from previous sabbatical leave, if applicable.
  5. If you are proposing to reside at another institution or use collections in other archives or libraries please include a letter of invitation for that institution, or a statement that access is granted to all scholars.

For further information, contact your department head.

Thank you.