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Engage in intensive study

The Sabbatical Leave Program for Instructional Faculty enables recipients to engage in intensive study to become more effective teacher-scholars and enhance their service to the University.

Sabbaticals offer opportunities for faculty to acquire, develop, and share new knowledge and skills in their fields and incorporate these into their pedagogy. This privilege is granted to faculty on the merits of their proposed sabbatical project and their past academic contributions to the university.

Sabbatical Leave Program for Instructional Faculty

Purpose

The Sabbatical Leave Program for Instructional Faculty enables recipients to engage in intensive study to become more effective teacher-scholars and enhance their services to the University. Sabbaticals offer opportunities for faculty to acquire, develop, and share new knowledge and skills in their fields and incorporate these into their pedagogy. 

Under Wisconsin Statutes 36.11(17)(c), “[s]abbatical leave shall be granted for the purposes of enhancing teaching, course and curriculum development or conducting research or any other scholarly activities related to instructional programs within the field of expertise of the faculty member taking such leave” 

Eligibility

The word "sabbatical" is used to refer to the professional leave program authorized by s. 36.11(17), Wisconsin Statutes. According to UWS Administration Policy 160, a faculty member is eligible for a sabbatical award under the following terms:

  • A faculty member must have completed six or more years of full-time instructional service, or its equivalent, in the UW System and not have taken a sabbatical within the UW System during the previous six years of full-time service, or its equivalent. In practice, UW-Eau Claire does not award sabbaticals until after the tenure decision.
  • Leaves of absence, regardless of source of funding (including personal resources), will be excluded in determining a faculty member's years of full-time service.
  • Preference shall be given to those making significant contributions to the university through teaching and service, and who have not had a leave of absence, regardless of source of funding, in the previous four years.
  • A sabbatical will not be awarded to a faculty member who will not return to a permanent position in the year following the sabbatical leave.
  • A sabbatical application will not be considered from anyone who has not completed prior final grant reports.
Types of Sabbatical Leave

Two types of sabbatical leaves are available to faculty members:

  1. A faculty member may take a sabbatical leave for an academic year and receive institutional financial support at any level up to sixty-five percent of his/her full compensation for that period, in accordance with institutional policies.
  2. A faculty member may take a sabbatical leave for one semester of the academic year and receive financial support from the institution at any level up to a maximum of his/her full compensation for that period.
Conditions

A number of conditions govern the faculty sabbatical program. In addition, please note the following.

  • Any questions about copyrights for the publication of books, laboratory manuals, etc. stemming from projects funded under this program must be addressed before the proposal is submitted for review. Faculty should contact Jill Markgraf, copyright officer, L3005, 715-836-4827, markgrjs@uwec.edu, for additional information.
  • Projects involving human subjects must be approved by the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects before they are implemented. The necessary application forms are available here.
  • Projects involving vertebrate animals must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before they are implemented. The necessary application forms are available here.
  • Publications or presentations resulting from work funded by this leave program should acknowledge that the funds to support the project came, in part, from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Faculty Sabbatical Leave Program.
Application Process

Please consult with your department chair when planning a sabbatical leave. The chair will need to present a detailed plan for how the department will manage the workload during your leave and may need some time for planning.

The application is submitted via a BPLogix Eform. Log in to BPLogix using your UW-Eau Claire ID and password. ORSP staff can assist with the application. Past examples of successful proposals are available on request. Proposals may be sent to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for preliminary review and comment three or more weeks before the application deadline.

This application is for Sabbatical Leave only. Funding for activities discussed in your proposal must be sought from other university or extramural sources. It is a good idea to begin discussions with ORSP staff during the development stage of your proposal regarding possible funding sources for the activities you plan to pursue.

Key components of the application form:
  • Basic Proposal information including:
    • Title
    • Sabbatical length requested (Year, or fall or spring semester)
    • Grant applications planned in support of the sabbatical
  • Applicant information including:
    • The date you started working at UW-Eau Claire
    • List of timing and length of all leaves of absence, whether partial or full
  • Short abstract (100 words) that will be shared with the Board of Regents, should your sabbatical leave be recommended. It should include a summary of the nature of the project, its significance, and key expected outcomes. This will be the “public face” of your sabbatical if it is recommended.
  • List of sabbatical goals/aims.
  • List of expected outcomes.
Attachments:

Attach the following as PDF or Word Documents:
1. Project Description (6 to 10 pages, double-spaced, please number pages; bibliography may extend beyond limit). In language clear to faculty in any discipline, please describe the following:

    • Aims of the project and its significance to the discipline
    • Project approach and plan
    • Planned outcomes for the project by which success of the project will be demonstrated
    • Timeline and discussion of why a time reassignment from teaching/service is needed
    • Expected benefits for the applicant, the academic discipline, the university and students as a result of the project

2. Qualifications and Past University Contributions (page limit 3 pages double spaced)

    • Describe your significant contributions in scholarly/creative work and indicate how the proposed project builds on past accomplishments and supports your longer-range professional goals.
    • Describe your significant contributions in teaching
    • Describe your significant contributions to service
    • Describe your significant contributions to EDI

3. Current Professional Vita. The vita should substantiate the qualifications for execution of the project as described above.
4. Letters of Endorsement (optional). Examples include:

    • Letter from a scholar familiar with your work to testify to the significance and expected impact of the proposed sabbatical project.
    • Letter(s) indicating that resources to be provided by any outside entities (e.g., office space at another institution, funding, collaborations) will be available.

Application Due: September 10

*If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the due date will be extended to the following Monday.

Apply Here

Fellowship and Sabbatical Support

There are many sources of support to help complement sabbatical leave and/or for fellowships. One internal program is the University Research and Creative Activity Grant Program (URCA), which is specifically designed to encourage faculty and academic staff to engage in research, scholarship, and creative activities. ORSP also has a list of common external grant programs for Fellowships and Sabbatical Support

Evaluation and Selection Procedures

In line with Wisconsin Statutes s.36.11(17), UWS Administration Policy 160UW-Eau Claire Faculty and Academic Staff Rules and Procedures, the UW-Eau Claire selection process is as follows:

The (tenured) members of the Sabbatical and URC review and evaluate the application materials based on these criteria [add link to S: ORSP INTERNAL Programs/Faculty Sabbaticals (SAB)/Sabbatical Review Criteria 2023.pdf]. The committee reviews and discusses their evaluations and ranks sabbatical applications in order of funding recommendations. The committee forwards their ranking, together with all supporting materials, to the Provost. 

In addition to the ranking provided by the Council, the Provost is provided with data on the cost or salary savings associated with each sabbatical proposed.  In consultation with the deans, the Provost selects the sabbaticals to be recommended, attending to the merit ranking but also using financial data to maximize the number of sabbaticals awarded.

The Provost will forward the final list of faculty recommended for sabbatical leave to UW-System Administration and will certify that the quality of program offerings will not be reduced below acceptable standards by the absence of those faculty members on sabbatical leave. The Provost will also certify that the screening process followed nondiscriminatory principles. 

Timeline and Deadline for Sabbatical Proposals

Mid May, during exam week, Presentation on Preparation of Sabbatical Proposals with Q&A. TBA  

Early August, four weeks prior to submission deadline, Deadline for submitting a narrative draft if you wish for input prior to proposal submission. It is better if you submit earlier.  Send proposal draft as an attachment to orsp@uwec.edu. August 9, 2024

Late August, the first week of the faculty contract period, Sabbatical Proposals Workshop with Q & A. TBA

Early September, usually during the second week of class, Deadline for submission of sabbatical application via BP Logix to your chair. September 9, 2024

Mid-September, a week after the submission deadline, Deadline for submission of the form to ORSP by dean. September 16, 2024

First week of November, List of recommended proposals due to UW System Office of Academic Affairs. Approved UW-Eau Claire proposals will be forwarded by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Early January, Formal notification of awards by the by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Final Report

The final report is created on a document that has the goals/aims and expected outcomes from the sabbatical application pasted at the top (request personalized form from ORSP). In 2-4 pages the report should describe the accomplishments of the sabbatical and describe reasons for any changes in direction or scope. The report should be submitted to the chair, the appropriate college dean, and the provost with a copy to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs by March 1 for Fall semester sabbaticals or October 15 for Spring semester or academic year sabbaticals.

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