Manual

Sabbatical Leave

Application Procedure & Form

Purposes of Sabbatical Leave

Research, writing, advanced study, travel for observation and study of conditions in our own or in other countries affecting the applicant’s field or related scholarly or professional activities.

Eligibility for Sabbatical Leave

• 0.50 FTE or greater; and
• Tenured; and 
• Rank of Associate Professor or Professor.
  • *Grandfathered Tenured Senior Instructors may be eligible.
• Length of Service Requirement:

1(a).      9-Month Employee:  Continuously appointed without interruption by a sabbatical leave for 18 academic quarters (excluding Summer Session); or

1(b).      12-Month Employee:  72 months; or

2.         Combined Term of Service:  An accumulated equivalent of 6.0 FTE years over an indefinite period of 9-month or 12-month appointments uninterrupted by a sabbatical leave.

• FTE Less Than 0.50 or Leave Without Pay - A series of appointments shall be considered continuous whether or not interrupted by one or more authorized leaves of absence other than a sabbatical leave. A one-year period of appointment at less than 0.50 FTE will count as a period of accumulated service for purposes of the time requirement for sabbatical eligibility.

Sabbatical Leave Delay

Sabbatical leave may be delayed up to two years at the discretion of the Provost.  Refer to OSU standards for details.

Military Leave from OSU

Military leave from OSU is considered as institutional service.

Salary

• The academic faculty member’s annual rate is multiplied by the average FTE at which the faculty member was appointed during the 6.0 FTE years immediately prior to the sabbatical leave for an employee qualifying under 1(a) or 1(b) above; or
• Salary shall be determined using the annual rate in effect at the time the leave begins for an employee qualifying under item 2 above.
• The academic faculty member remains eligible for university-wide salary increases while on sabbatical leave.

Approval and Revisions of Sabbatical Leave Agreement

• A sabbatical leave shall be granted only if approved by the Provost or the Provost’s designee, acting on behalf of the President.
• When signed by all parties, the Application for Contract and Sabbatical Leave becomes a binding contract.  Revision of the sabbatical leave program or other terms and conditions of the agreement must be approved by all parties to the original agreement (refer to Procedures below).

Sabbatical Leave Report

At the end of the sabbatical leave, the faculty member shall submit a report of the accomplishments and benefits resulting from the leave according to Department and/or College policy. Please check with your leadership to learn if a report is required upon return from sabbatical leave.

Obligation to Return

Each academic faculty member shall sign an agreement to return to the institution for a period of at least one year's service on completion of the sabbatical leave. If an academic faculty member fails to fulfill this obligation, the academic faculty member shall repay the full salary paid during the sabbatical leave plus the health care and retirement contribution paid by the institution on behalf of the academic faculty member during the leave. This amount is due and payable within three months following the date designated in the sabbatical agreement for the faculty member to return to the institution.

Length of Leave for Eligible Academic Year (9-Month) Faculty Member

• One academic year (three terms) on 60 percent of salary; or
• Two-thirds of an academic year (two terms) on 75 percent of salary; or
• One-third of an academic year (one term) on 85 percent of salary.

Length of Leave for Fiscal Year (12-Month) Faculty Member

• One year (12 months) on 60 percent of salary; or
• Two-thirds of a year (eight months) on 75 percent of salary; or
• One-third of a year (four months) on 85 percent of salary.

Cost of Sabbatical Leave

The cost for a sabbatical leave shall be funded by the unit paying the faculty member’s salary.

Supplementing of Sabbatical Income

Faculty members may supplement their sabbatical salaries to a reasonable degree, provided that such supplementation strictly conforms to the stated and approved purposes of the sabbatical leave (see Other Information below for limitations).

Application Procedure

If you hold two or more active jobs, please send an email to AcademicOfficer@oregonstate.edu prior to completing the application process below.

NEW! The Application and Contract for Sabbatical Leave will now be prepared and submitted through DocuSign.

1. To begin the application process, please go to beav.es/sabbatical-application.
2. Instructions and required documents needed to submit the application:
   • In the DocuSign envelope, please identify the signers and their email addresses. This will facilitate routing approval of the sabbatical leave application.
   • Attach a summary of sabbatical activities stating the purpose of the leave in detail.
   • Attach curriculum vitae.
   • Submit.

Upon approval of the sabbatical application, all signers will receive a copy.

A copy will be filed in the employee’s personnel file in University Human Resources (UHR).

Sabbatical Amendments

When signed by all parties, the Application for Contract and Sabbatical Leave becomes a binding contract.  Amendments must be initialed by all signatories.  Procedures to amend the contract are as follows:

• Send an email message requesting the application change(s) to your department head with a copy to your dean and the Academic Officer in UHR at AcademicOfficer@oregonstate.edu
• Include what change(s) are needed to the sabbatical application.
  • REVISED – DATE CHANGE ONLY; or
  • REVISED – DATE CHANGE and PERCENTAGE OF PAY CHANGE ONLY.

Sabbatical Cancellations

Cancellation of leave should be made by letter or email with copies to all original signatories for their notification and approval. Approval of cancellation needs to be sent to the Academic Officer in University Human Resources at AcademicOfficer@oregonstate.edu.  Following receipt of approved cancellation, the Academic Officer will void the application.

If you have application process questions, please email AcademicOfficer@oregonstate.edu.

Other Information

• Supplementation of sabbatical leave paid from grants and contracts must be set up as a secondary job and approved by the sponsoring agency. 
• In January, a letter will be sent to those employees who were on sabbatical the previous calendar year. This letter certifies the dates the employee was on leave and can be used for tax deductions (check with your accountant).