Faculty are eligible to apply for sabbatical leave after completing at least six consecutive years of continuous service at the University (and after each six-year period following a prior sabbatical). Sabbaticals are not regarded as a reward for service nor as a vacation or rest period occurring automatically at stated intervals. The purpose of the leave must be for professional development that will increase the faculty member’s value to the University and thereby improve and enrich its program. They may be granted for planned travel, study, formal education, research, writing, or other experience consistent with these objectives.
The period of sabbatical leave may be either a single semester at full salary or a full academic year at half salary (if the leave is for an experience that provides its own salary, the Brockport salary may be adjusted to reflect the difference). All applications for sabbatical must include a:
- Statement that the applicant will continue as a member of the professional staff for a minimum of one year upon his/her return
- Detailed report of the professional activities and accomplishments while on leave must be submitted upon the applicant’s return
Purpose of Sabbatical Leaves
The sabbatical leave is the most valuable of all of the forms of professional development that higher education offers faculty. The awarding of such leaves is a procedure that is frequently and strictly audited by state agencies. The steps for letters of application must be followed, and the criteria for review of sabbatical proposals will be used in the evaluation of such applications. Please note that full disclosure, in advance, of all forms of remunerative employment is required with all sabbatical applications. This includes outside employment that has been approved in other years such as consulting, the acceptance of honoraria, etc. Information about previous sabbatical performance for faculty who have had such is also required.
Eligibility
“Academic employees having continuing appointments and university administrative officers not in a negotiating unit established pursuant to Article XIV of the Civil Service Law who have completed at least six consecutive years of service within the University or who, if they previously have had a sabbatical leave, have completed at least six consecutive years of service within the University from the date of return from their last sabbatical leave, shall be eligible for sabbatical leave. In computing consecutive years of service for the purpose of this section, periods of vacation leave and periods of sick leave with salary shall be included; periods of leaves of absences, other than vacation and sick leave with salary, and periods of part-time service shall not be included but shall not be deemed an interruption of otherwise consecutive service.” — SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees, Article XIII
We encourage faculty from all disciplines to apply for sabbatical leave, provided they meet the established institutional requirements. Sabbatical leave is an opportunity for all eligible faculty to pursue meaningful projects, advance scholarship, and foster personal and professional growth. We look forward to supporting innovative and impactful proposals from across the breadth of our academic community.
Letter of Application
Provide a detailed description of the project proposed, as follows:
- Summary of the proposed project (500 characters)
- If research, the relationship of the proposed project to work done by others should be included.
- Specific objectives (500 characters)
- Provide clear statements describing up to 3 goals of the project.
- Describe the proposed workplan (2000 characters)
- State the relationship with previous work
- Briefly outline what activities or research design will be implemented to achieve indicated outcomes. Be as specific as possible.
- Give a timeline for completion of each stage of the project.
- Briefly specify the anticipated outcomes of the project and how you will evaluate the leave, including your benchmarks and criteria. (500 characters)
- Significance of proposed project. How will this be a transformational experience for you? (1000 characters)
- How will the completion of the project increase your value to the University and thereby improve and enrich its program?
- If research, what will the proposed project contribute to your discipline; to the advancement of knowledge generally; and to the state of the arts, sciences, or literature, as appropriate?
- Describe the need for the sabbatical. (1000 characters)
- Why can’t this work be accomplished during non-teaching periods or as part of the normal scholarship load?
- Identify prospective income, if any, during the period of the sabbatical (500 characters)
- This includes outside employment that has been approved in other years such as consulting, honoraria, etc. Any changes in employment and any remunerative activity whatsoever after a leave has been awarded must be approved in advance by the appropriate dean and the Provost.
- Facilities (SUNY or non-SUNY) and/or resources needed and when and where available. (500 characters)
- References (2000 characters)
- As appropriate, provide references for your prior work connected with this proposal.
- As appropriate, provide references for other work in the field that justifies your proposed activities and work plan.
- CV and supporting documentation.
- If you have had previous sabbaticals you must include as part of your application the last sabbatical application and report as well as an update on the outcome of the sabbatical if the report does not demonstrate the completion of the project.
- Affidavit
- Your submission attests to SUNY requirements for the awarding of a sabbatical.
Criteria for Review of Sabbatical Proposals
The following rubric is based on the 1982-83 Faculty Senate Resolution #4 (Approved on October 26, 1982). Approval is based on relative overall rank and completeness, and may be limited based on University priorities.
| Criterion/Question | Weight | 4 - Exemplary | 3 - Proficient | 2 - Developing | 1 - Insufficient | Score | Total (Weight x Score) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary of the Proposed Project | 10 | Concise overview: purpose, significance, methodology, timeline, and deliverables are crystal clear and contextually grounded. | Clear overview with most elements present; minor omissions or minor jargon. | Overly broad or technical; key elements (e.g., significance or deliverables) are thin. | Unclear, missing core elements; purpose or deliverables not discernible. | 4 | 40 |
| Specific Objectives | 10 | SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) tightly aligned to project and institutional goals. | Objectives are clear and mostly SMART; alignment evident. | Objectives somewhat vague; partial measurability or weak alignment. | Objectives unclear, not measurable, or missing. | 4 | 40 |
| Proposed Work Plan | 20 | Detailed phases/milestones with methods, roles, dependencies, risk mitigation, and realistic timeline. | Clear phases and timeline; methods described; minor detail gaps. | Broad steps with loose timing; limited methodological specificity. | Lacks structure; no viable timeline or method. | 4 | 80 |
| Anticipated Outcomes & Benchmarks | 15 | Specific outcomes (for examples, see item 7 on our Guidelines for Award Excellence in Scholarship/Creative Activities page), benchmarks, and success metrics are clear and stated. | Outcomes and benchmarks are clear; metrics present but limited. | Outcomes loosely defined; few benchmarks; metrics unclear. | Outcomes absent or generic; no benchmarks or metrics. | 4 | 60 |
| Transformational Experience for Applicant and/or University | 15 | Articulates concrete, career-transforming gains (skills, networks, research agenda) linked to long-term impact on scholarship. | Clear professional growth outcomes; some long-term linkage. | General growth claims; weak link to transformation or future impact. | No clear personal/professional transformation articulated. | 4 | 60 |
| Why Goals Can’t Be Met in Scholarship Load | 10 | Provides specific constraints (time, access, scope, compliance, travel, facility time) showing sabbatical necessity. | Plausible constraints described; some specificity. | Vague constraints; necessity not fully justified. | Little to no rationale; goals seem feasible within normal load. | 4 | 40 |
| Prospective Income During Sabbatical | 5 | Transparent, itemized sources (e.g., grants, fellowships, royalties), amounts, durations, compliance/COI plan included. OR indicated not applicable. | Sources identified; amounts or timelines partially specified; compliance addressed. | Possible sources mentioned without detail; compliance unclear. | Not addressed or non-compliant/omitted when applicable. | 4 | 20 |
| Facilities/Resources (SUNY & non-SUNY) | 5 | Names/locations, access periods, letters/agreements referenced, unique capabilities clearly tied to objectives. | Facilities identified with timing and basic tie to goals; minor documentation gaps. | Facilities broadly named; limited timing/access clarity; weak tie to goals. | Facilities/resources not identified or not integral/available. | 4 | 20 |
| Is this their first sabbatical? | 10 | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 | 40 |
| OR If not their first sabbatical, were the proposed outcomes of the prior sabbatical achieved? | 10 | Details concrete outcomes/products (e.g., peer-reviewed articles, grants, software, exhibits) with citations/links and impact on scholarship. | Outcomes/products listed with basic details; limited impact evidence. | Vague outcomes/products; minimal documentation. | Not provided or not verifiable. | 4 | 40 |
Total Score = 400
Filing Reports on Sabbatical Leaves
The faculty member is responsible for the preparation and submission of a report of their sabbatical leave. One copy of the report should be forwarded with the cover signature page through the appropriate administrative channels (to Department Chair, Dean, Provost).
Faculty are encouraged to consider arranging a public presentation of their sabbatical outcomes for broader dissemination of their scholarship. The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching is available to assist in making these arrangements.