Sabbatical Guidelines
Sabbatical Leaves
Sabbatical leaves are granted to provide an opportunity for research, creative activity, or advanced learning. The sabbatical leave program promotes excellence in the faculty and enhances the reputation of the department, college, and university. Members of the faculty who, by the time of the requested sabbatical, will be tenured and will have completed six years of service since appointment to the faculty or since their last sabbatical leave may apply.
Consideration for all applications will be given regardless of previous sabbaticals. The application/proposal must be received in the College of Arts and Letters no later than Monday, October 2, 2023, for sabbatical leave during the 2024-2025 academic year. Faculty members should email their applications electronically to Carrie Page in the college office at carriepage@isu.edu.
Faculty members should closely follow the format of the College of Arts and Letters Application for Sabbatical Leave guidelines. The College Executive Committee will evaluate each sabbatical proposal on the basis of its merit in three areas:
- How the applicant plans to use the sabbatical leave, including anticipated benefits for the applicant and for the university (e.g., publication, recognition for the university, contribution to a university program, etc.).
- The applicant's record of accomplishment at the university since the previous sabbatical leave or, if no previous sabbatical leave, since beginning appointment to the faculty. This includes professional productivity, grants and fellowships, teaching and course development, student supervision and advising, participation in professional organizations, and service to the university.
- Endorsements and letters of validation or support for the sabbatical application. This must include a letter of endorsement from the applicant's departmental chairperson. The chairperson's letter also should indicate how the applicant's regular teaching and other duties will be met if the applicant is successful in receiving sabbatical leave. This, or another letter written by an individual sufficiently knowledgeable in the subject area to judge the technical merits of the proposal, should include a brief evaluation of the proposed sabbatical project based upon its technical merit, feasibility, and relevance. Where a sabbatical proposal involves a collaborator, sponsor, outside institution, publisher, or similar, the application should include a letter of agreement or contract.
At the discretion of the College Executive Committee, incomplete, inappropriate, or otherwise unacceptable proposals may be removed from consideration. The recommendations of the College Executive Committee and the dean will be forwarded to the provost.
Compensation while on sabbatical leave shall be full salary for one semester or one-half salary for two semesters. Additional income may be derived from fellowships, part-time assistantships, or other sources of limited income, but full-time employment while on sabbatical leave is not permitted unless specifically authorized by the university president.
A sabbatical leave that has been awarded may be deferred at the request of the recipient or by the university president and the State Board of Education for a period of up to one year. A recipient of a sabbatical leave is expected to return to the university for at least one academic year or repay the salary received while on sabbatical leave. At the conclusion of the sabbatical, the recipient is to file a report of sabbatical activities with the department chair, dean, and the provost, who will forward a report summary to the president. Sabbatical recipients may also be asked to provide a presentation to the college faculty about their sabbatical activities.
College of Arts and Letters Sabbatical Leave Application (Word Document)
College of Arts and Letters Sabbatical Leave Application (PDF)