The purpose of sabbatical leave with pay is to increase the scholarship and professional development of members of the faculty and thereby enhance their capacity for service to the University of Washington.
Each year, the College of Engineering is allocated a limited number of quarters of sabbatical leave. Faculty members who meet certain eligibility criteria (described below) may apply for this leave annually each autumn quarter.
Leaves are awarded to coincide with the normal academic quarter dates:
- Autumn quarter: 9/16 - 12/15
- Winter quarter: 12/16 - 3/15
- Spring quarter: 3/16 - 6/15
A faculty member who wishes to apply for sabbatical leave with pay will prepare and submit their application as a ‘case’ in Inferfolio (described in faculty application instructions below). The department chair will review the materials in Interfolio and fill out their required forms, which will indicate their support. Receiving the materials in Interfolio should not be the first time sabbatical leave is discussed with the Chair. Please let your Chair know ahead of time if you intend to apply for sabbatical. When the Chair has completed their forms in Interfolio, the case moves to the Dean’s Office.
The sabbatical case will then be reviewed by the Vice Dean and the Dean. The Dean will then complete their required forms in Interfolio and the case will be moved within Interfolio to the Office of Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF). The Regents of the University of Washington have final authority to grant leave upon recommendation from the Provost.
Faculty members are generally notified of their leave award status in early spring quarter.
Eligibility criteria
A faculty member (tenure, teaching and research-track) is eligible for a sabbatical leave not earlier than the seventh year of service to the University or not earlier than the seventh year after return from a previous sabbatical leave. Leave without pay taken by a faculty member may extend the period of time before they are eligible for sabbatical leave. Faculty members are encouraged to contact the Dean's Office or Academic Human Resources for assistance in determining their eligibility for sabbatical leave. Assistant Professors are not eligible for sabbatical leave until they have been reviewed and approved for tenure/promotion.
Applications for sabbatical leave are accepted by the College of Engineering annually, during autumn quarter. Applications should be submitted at least 9 months in advance of the date of the proposed leave.
To summarize the above, the Vice Dean and Dean will consider the following regarding eligibility:
- Is the faculty member in their seventh year of service to UW?
- Is the faculty member in their seventh year after returning from a previous sabbatical?
- Assistant Professors in clock-managed ranks are not eligible for sabbatical until after they have been reviewed and approved for tenure and/or promotion.
- Sabbatical eligibility may be delayed if the faculty member took other types of leave during their service accrual period.
Additionally, they will consider if the faculty member is in good standing (i.e. Are there any open investigations or 25-71 actions with this faculty member?)
Faculty application instructions
- Fill out the faculty application for sabbatical leave via Interfolio. To do this, you will need to notify your Assistant to the Chair. They will create a sabbatical case in Interfolio and send you the link.
- In Interfolio, follow the instructions. You will need to:
- Upload your sabbatical plan to include:
- How the sabbatical time will be utilized
- The timeline for completion of their sabbatical project/plan
- The names of any foundations or institutions with which the faculty member expects to be affiliated during sabbatical
- Special resources available for the proposed project/plan
- Anticipated source of supplementary grants or salary
- Upload your most current CV
- Upload any additional materials you may have, such as 1460 forms, letters of support from outside institutions/organizations, or invitations from outside institutions/organizations
- Fill out the application for sabbatical leave within Interfolio.
- Upload your sabbatical plan to include:
- After you complete your steps in Interfolio, the case moves to your Chair for their review. They then complete their tasks and the case moves to the Dean’s Office.
Application submittal process: unit to Dean’s Office
When all steps have been completed in the unit, the case will move to the Dean’s Office in Interfolio.
The Assistant to the Chair should email Rachel Sok (rms727@uw.edu) in the Dean’s Office to indicate that all cases have been submitted. In this email, they should also provide the Chair’s ranking if there is more than one sabbatical case for their unit.
Please note
If the Chair/Director does not support the sabbatical request, the faculty member can still request sabbatical. The decision is the Dean’s – the Dean will review the application and approve or deny. The Chair should still provide a memo and explain their reason(s) to not support.
Review and approval process
The College of Engineering Human Resources team (CoE HR) will review all cases in Interfolio with the Vice Dean and Dean. The Vice Dean and Dean will consider:
- Sabbatical Plans
- What is the scholarly activity and/or professional development?
- Impacts to the faculty member directly.
- Impacts to the unit, college and university.
- Impacts to the field.
- What is the scholarly activity and/or professional development?
- Chair’s letter of support
- Timeline and funding
- Request for multiple years – Is this part of a multi-year request already started?
- Previous sabbatical/leaves (non-medical)
- Source and amount of any supplementary grants or salary
- Policy Issues:
- Form 1460s/Outside Work
Once approved, CoE HR will let units know that they have sent the sabbatical cases packets along to APF in Interfolio for their final review and approval. We usually receive approval from APF in spring quarter. If applications are not approved, CoE HR will contact the unit Chair/Director with reasoning.
Return to service and payback obligations
Upon return from sabbatical, the faculty member must submit a brief report to the Provost via email to acadpers@uw.edu. The report should include where the leave was spent, principal accomplishments, and how those accomplishments apply to teaching or research effectiveness. APF does not provide a template for this. There is no need to copy anyone in the Dean’s Office on this email.
Following a sabbatical leave, the faculty member must return and work for the University for the period of one academic year at the appointment percentage held prior to the sabbatical leave. Even if only one quarter of sabbatical leave was used, no portion of that academic year shall count toward fulfilling the return to service obligation. Failure to return for the required period will constitute an obligation on the faculty member’s part to repay any remuneration received from the University during the sabbatical leave.
Other considerations
If a faculty member will be engaging in outside work during their sabbatical leave, an approved Outside Work for Compensation form (Form 1460) must be included in the packet. Please route the 1460 as normal and included the fully approved (approved by the Office of Research) form in the packet.
Sabbatical should be a release from regular duties to focus on research, scholarship, and professional development. If a faculty member needs to continue in their administrative role for exceptional circumstances in support of their department, this should be discussed with their Chair before applying. If the Chair agrees, they should bring it to the attention of CoE HR so that CoE HR can gain pre-approval from APF.
Faculty should also be made aware that continuing that administrative appointment will in no way impact how subsequent eligibility for a sabbatical is calculated. This needs to be noted in an email to their Chair that is forwarded to CoE HR, or in their description of sabbatical leave.
An example statement: While on sabbatical leave, I intend to willingly participate in my administrative activities of [describe duties] and I understand that doing so will in no way impact how subsequent eligibility for a sabbatical is calculated.
If a faculty member needs to cancel or amend their sabbatical leave request, please email CoE HR and be sure to include the following details:
- Faculty member’s name
- Original dates requested for sabbatical leave
- Clearly state if the sabbatical is being cancelled or amended
- If the request is for an amendment, include the new dates requested
- CoE HR will work with APF to make the necessary updates.
- If the faculty is requesting a cancellation, or to have their sabbatical amended to include a future academic year, we cannot guarantee that they will be approved for leave in subsequent academic years. They will need to reapply in the following academic year.