Sabbaticals

Starting in 2009-10, new sabbatical remuneration options are available, as follows:

• After 3 years of service, 6 months at 85% salary
• After 6 years of service, 12 months at 85% salary (unchanged) OR 6 months at 100% salary
• After 7 years of service, 12 months at 90% salary OR 6 months at 100% salary
• After 8 years of service, 12 months at 95% salary OR 6 months at 100% salary Additionally, the longer the service, the greater the travel/conference allowance.

Timeline

• September 15: Deadline for written applications to be received by the Dean
• November 15: Deadline for Dean to make a recommendation to Provost
• December 31: Provost notifies faculty member as to whether or not the application has been granted

Deferral of approved leave

Sabbatical leaves may be deferred for up to one (1) year in the event the faculty member’s services are required for the period of time planned for the leave. The university can also limit the number of 12-month sabbatical leaves granted ETAs in any given year by deferring the number of leaves over five (5) for up to three (3) years. A faculty member may request to defer a granted sabbatical leave for up to three (3) years.

Return after sabbatical

As per Article 26.11 of the CUFA Collective Agreement, there is now a formal obligation to return to the university following a sabbatical, except for faculty members who are immediately retiring after a leave.

Sabbatical report

The purpose of a sabbatical leave is to provide faculty members with an opportunity to “maintain and enhance their academic and professional competence.” Such leaves promote “intensive scholarly and professional activity through sustained periods of concentrated research and study” (CUFA Article 26.01). In applying for a sabbatical leave a faculty member must provide a “description of the work planned” and must indicate the “activities to be undertaken” (Article 26.07 b). Within three months of returning from a sabbatical leave a faculty member is required to submit a “full written account of the member’s research, scholarly and professional activities” (Article 26.12). It is important to note that “a member who fails to submit this report within three months of returning from sabbatical leave shall forfeit one year of service for the purpose of Article 26.02 and shall be ineligible to apply for sabbatical leave until such time as the report has been submitted”.

The following guidelines can be used to prepare a suitable report:

The sabbatical report follows up on the proposal made in applying for the sabbatical leave. The faculty member should:

• provide a statement of the work that was completed and the activities carried out in relation to the proposal
• indicate how this work enhanced his or her academic and professional competence
• specify work that was completed and collaborations that took place that would not have been possible under the normal day-to-day routine of teaching and research.

The periods of time you spent working at another university, at a company, or a government organization should be stated, including the names of collaborators and their positions. Your achievements during such visits should be outlined, such as grant proposals prepared, joint publications written, submitted for review and accepted, research work done leading to continued collaboration after your return to Concordia, and so forth.

A description of paid consulting projects should be included, with the name of the company or organization, the name of your collaborator, the nature of the project and the amount of remuneration.

Please include a summary of other research activities during your sabbatical leave, including:

• the names of your graduate students and the progress they made during your leave
• book chapters, journal papers, and conference papers that you published
• papers that you authored or co-authored and submitted to journals for review
• the titles of papers that you are preparing for submission over the next 6-12 months.

Any other activities that were part of your scholarly work during your sabbatical leave should be described.

Please include a copy of your original proposal for a sabbatical leave submitted under Article 26.07 b).

Cancellation

A sabbatical application may be cancelled by notifying the Provost in writing at least four (4) months prior to the commencement of the leave. After that date, the leave normally may not be cancelled or deferred, without forfeiting the right to reapply for sabbatical leave for two (2) years, unless the member has a valid reason.