Sabbatical Leave

1. Sabbatical leave may be granted within the discretion of the administration to enable appointed personnel to make advances in their profession, to remain effective in current positions, or to render the greatest possible service to the University of Arizona. Only individuals with tenure or continuing status are eligible to receive a sabbatical leave.
2. The University prizes an inclusive view of scholarship with the recognition that knowledge is acquired and advanced through research, synthesis, practice, and teaching. Given this philosophy, sabbatical leaves are to be granted to further any of the following objectives: research and publication, teaching improvement (including the creation of teaching materials such as new textbooks, software, multimedia materials, or casebooks), intensive public service clearly related to the applicant's expertise, and integration and interpretation of existing knowledge into larger interdisciplinary frameworks.
3. Sabbatical leaves will be granted only to appointed personnel who have served on full-time continuous fiscal- or academic-year appointments at the University for a period of not less than six years. Only individuals with tenure or continuing status are eligible for sabbatical leave. Time served in excess of six years may not be accumulated toward future sabbaticals.
4. Appointed personnel on an academic-year appointment may apply for a sabbatical leave of either one or two semesters. Appointed personnel on a fiscal-year appointment may request leave of either 6 or 12 months. If the leave is for two semesters or one fiscal year, the University will pay compensation at three-fifths of the recipient's normal salary. If the leave is for one semester or six months, the University will pay the full salary. Fiscal-year employees with teaching assignments who take a leave of six months must arrange to be present during one of the two regular semesters.
5. Responsibility for review and approval of sabbaticals rests in the college/vice presidential area. Each college/vice presidential area must have a Sabbatical Leave Advisory Committee consisting of at least three people. Sabbatical recommendations require review by the department head, college advisory committee, and dean/vice president. The final approval of sabbatical leave applications occurs in the college/vice presidential area. A candidate whose sabbatical proposal is rejected by a dean/vice president has the right to appeal to the University's Sabbatical Leave Advisory Committee.
6. Sabbatical leave compensation paid by the University may be supplemented by fellowships, scholarships, employment, or grants-in-aid to cover such special expenses as travel, secretarial assistance, tuition, research, or publication. Any such additional compensation is to be explained on the application form. Compensated activity may not unduly interfere with the objective of the sabbatical.
7. Sabbatical leave is granted only on condition that the employee subsequently returns to the University for a period of further service equal to the length of the leave. If an employee does not return, the case will be reviewed by the Provost. The employee may be required to refund all compensation received from the University during the sabbatical.
8. Forms and instructions for applying for sabbatical leave may be obtained on the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs "Sabbatical Leave" web page. Applications are reviewed and acted upon by the appropriate department head and dean/vice president or director prior to being filed in the Provost's Office.
9. If a candidate withdraws their application after it has been approved, every effort will be made in department planning to approve the sabbatical for the following year. However, such approval cannot be guaranteed, and the period of the delay does not count toward the next sabbatical.
10. No later than the end of the second semester following a sabbatical leave, a final two-part report must be filed with the appropriate dean/vice president or director for transmittal to the Provost and the President.
11. Following a sabbatical leave, six years of further service are required before an employee becomes eligible for another such leave. Leaves of absence without pay totaling no more than one year may be counted toward a sabbatical leave.

(See Chapter 10, Benefits, for policies on participation in health and other programs during a sabbatical leave.)