Academic Leaves with Pay

Jump to Difference in Pay Leave information.

Sabbatical

Sabbatical leaves are paid academic leaves for a period of one semester or one academic year. Semester sabbaticals shall receive full pay for the duration of the leave. Academic year/two-semester sabbaticals shall receive half-pay (50%) for the duration of the leave.

A sabbatical leave, as stated in the Sabbatical Leave policy, shall be for purposes that provide a benefit to the University, such as research, scholarly and creative activity, instructional improvement or faculty retraining, including study and/or travel in connection with any of the above.

Eligibility and Availability

Per Article 27, "A full-time faculty unit employee shall be eligible for a sabbatical leave if s/he has served full-time for six (6) years at that campus in the preceding seven (7) year period prior to the leave and at least six (6) years after any previous sabbatical leave or difference in pay leave."

The campus is obligated to fund only a certain percentage of sabbatical leaves each academic year.

Considerations for Department Chairs

Article 27 provides for specific details related to department chairs who have been awarded a sabbatical.

40% chairs will be converted to full-time academic year faculty position to take a semester sabbatical.

60% and full-time chairs convert to full-time 12-month faculty position and take a four-month sabbatical (rate is academic year faculty rate * 15%)

There will be salary and benefits coverage implications for both the department chair going out on sabbatical and the interim chair. It is the responsibility of the dean or AD to work with the chair and interim chair to communicate these implications. For more information, contact your OFA Analyst.

CBA Article 27.13: Faculty employees serving as department chairs (class codes 2481, 2482) shall be assigned to the equivalent 12-month or academic year instructional faculty classification (e.g. 2361, 2360) for the duration of the sabbatical, and will not receive the department chair stipend while on sabbatical leave.

CBA Article 27.14 If a faculty unit employee occupies a split position with both academic year and 12-month components, the higher appointment time base will normally be used to establish whether the faculty unit employee is placed into an academic year position or a 12-month position for the duration of the sabbatical. Upon request of the faculty unit employee and approval of the appropriate administrator, a faculty unit employee whose majority appointment is on a 12- month basis may be assigned to an academic year position for the duration of the sabbatical.

Timeline

Sabbatical/DIP Workshop - April

Report due from faculty on a Fall sabbatical leave - late May (last day of Spring semester)

Departmental statements obtained by prospective applicants - Early September (recommended)

Applications due - Last Friday in September

Deans Review Applications - October

Sabbatical Leave Committee (SLC) Reviews Applications - November/December

Report due from faculty on a Spring or Academic Year sabbatical leave - January (last day of Fall semester)

Provost Reviews Applications - January/February

Notifications sent to applicants - February/March

Application Information

Both the Dean and the Sabbatical Leave Committee (SLC) will independently evaluate proposals according to their likelihood of meeting the intended purposes stated above, and will, according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement for Unit 3 Faculty, consider questions...[of] ... quality. This will entail looking for a clear and detailed description of a particular project to be undertaken. The project should be well-defined and should conform to the three criteria listed in the Sabbatical Leave policy.

The Dean and SLC will prepare recommendations applying the criteria in 5.0-5.3.2 of the policy as well as ranking the proposals into three categories, as follows:

Most Meritorious
Proposals judged to be among the best of the proposals submitted, based on features of unusual value or promise, will be recommended for approval regardless of equity. Unusual promise may be manifested in such features as the perceived value of the project to the discipline and to the University, its academic substance, the clarity with which it is defined and elaborated into practicable tasks, its timeliness, etc.

Non-meritorious
Proposals which do not offer convincing evidence of a well-defined and worthwhile project will be judged to be not acceptable.

Meritorious
All other proposals will be judged to be acceptable and ranked in order of accrued service.

Before applying, request a department statement as to the possible effect on the curriculum and the operation of the department should the faculty be granted a sabbatical leave.

Ensure that your proposal is complete and formatted according to the Sabbatical Proposal Format and as follows:

• A brief and explicit summary of the particular tasks that you plan to perform in the accomplishment of the objectives.
• A concise statement of objectives.
• An overview of relevant background information and a description of the project's significance to the academic field of interest.
• A brief description of the anticipated benefits of the project.
• The dates of your last sabbatical or difference-in-pay leave (if applicable).

To apply please submit:

1. An electronic copy of the sabbatical leave application (Deadline: Last Friday in September).
2. Your proposal.
3. Department statement.
4. A copy of your previous sabbatical report or difference-in-pay leave report (if applicable).
   1. If you are unable to locate a prior sabbatical report with approval by the SLC/PLC, you may submit a new report to the Office of Faculty Affairs, no later than 5:00pm, September 6, 2024. Your report will be sent forward to the SLC for review and results returned to you via e-mail prior to the sabbatical application deadline.
5. If you anticipate accepting additional and/or outside employment during the leave, as a part of the leave proposal or otherwise, you must include a completed Additional/Outside Employment form.
6. Promissory Note (if applicable)
7. Additional Documents (if applicable - limited to ONE [1] PDF file)

Sabbatical Report

Faculty who take a Sabbatical leave are required to submit a leave report within one semester of their return. Failure to provide an acceptable report could result in the denial of subsequent Sabbatical leaves. Please keep a copy of your report for your next leave application.

1. Please download and complete the Sabbatical Report. (In order for the PDF to work properly, download and complete the form from your computer, NOT from your internet browser).
2. Keep a signed copy for your records.
3. Submit original report to the Office of Faculty Affairs.
4. Office of Faculty Affairs will forward report to SLC for review.
5. A final copy will be forwarded to you for your records after the Provost's final review.

Sabbatical Workshop Resources

Sabbatical FAQs

Sabbatical Workshop PowerPoint presentation - April 24, 2024

Recording of Sabbatical Workshop - April 24, 2024

Benefits

Your Benefits While on Sabbatical or Difference in Pay

Summary of Benefits and Coverage Notice

Life Services Toolkit

DIP Leaves

Difference-in-Pay (DIP) leaves as stated in the Difference-in-Pay Leave policy, are paid leaves for purposes that provide a benefit to the CSU, such as research, scholarly and creative activity, instructional improvement or faculty retraining.

Eligibility

Per Article 28, faculty are eligible for a DIP leave if s/he has served as a full-time member on the campus for six (6) years in the preceding seven (7) year period prior to the leave and at least three (3) years after their last sabbatical or DIP leave.

Timeline

Deadlines for DIP applications are flexible; it is campus practice to grant DIP leaves whenever possible in the interests of faculty members, departments, and colleges. Faculty may apply at any time for a DIP leave.

1. Upon receipt of a DIP application from the Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA), the Departmental Committee (DC) shall have ten (10) business days to review and provide to OFA its recommendation.
2. A copy of the DC's recommendation shall then be provided to the applicant, who has five (5) business days to respond.
3. OFA shall then provide the Dean with the application, departmental statement and DC recommendation. The Dean shall have ten (10) business days to review and provide to OFA its recommendation.
4. A copy of the Dean's recommendation shall then be provided to the applicant, who has five (5) business days to respond.
5. The Provost will review the application with all recommendations and applicant responses and promptly issue a final decision, with notification to the applicant, DC and Dean.
6. The CBA specifies (Art 28.6) that a rapid and expedited review for a DIP leave will be provided if an unexpected opportunity such as external funding, a scholarship or fellowship are the basis for the leave request.

Application Information

An eligible faculty member shall submit his/her DIP leave application to OFA using the DIP application form.

The Departmental Committee (DC) and the Dean will evaluate proposals applying the criteria (appropriateness, benefit, practicability) and ranking outlined in 5.0-6.4 of the DIP Leave Policy.

The DC and the Dean will assign the proposed projects into three categories, as follows:

Most Meritorious

Proposals judged to be among the best of the proposals submitted, based on features of unusual value or promise, will be recommended for approval regardless of equity. Unusual promise may be manifested in such features as the perceived value of the project to the discipline and to the University, its academic substance, the clarity with which it is defined and elaborated into practicable tasks, its timeliness, etc.

Meritorious

Proposals that demonstrate many of the features of the most meritorious category, but are judged to be secondary to the most meritorious proposals in value, substance, significance or narrative quality.

Non-meritorious

Proposals which do not offer convincing evidence of a well-defined and worthwhile project or are not demonstrated to rise above normal workload will be judged to be not acceptable.

In the event that a department cannot accommodate the simultaneous absence of multiple faculty whose DIP applications received the same designation as noted above, the priority for leave shall be determined according to accrued service (6.4 of the DIP policy).

To apply please submit:

1. A completed DIP application form
2. A statement of the purpose of the DIP leave
3. A description of the proposed project/activity and the CSU resources, if any, necessary to carry it out, and a statement of the time requested.
4. Proposals that are contingent on external factors should include a contingency plan as part of the application. See application request form for specific information on contingency plans.
5. A departmental statement from your Department Chair as to the possible effect on the curriculum and the operation of the department should you be granted a DIP leave.
6. An approved copy of the leave report from your most recent DIP leave (if applicable)
7. If you anticipate accepting additional and/or outside employment during the leave, as a part of the leave proposal or otherwise, please include a completed Additional/Outside Employment form. Form can be found at the OFA Forms page.

“A faculty unit employee granted a difference in pay leave shall not accept additional and/or outside employment without prior approval of the President.” (Article 28.14 of the Unit 3 Collective Bargaining Agreement)

Salary

Salaries for those on a DIP leave is calculated by subtracting one's academic year base salary by the minimum Instructor [Lecturer A] salary (effective 07/01/2023 that amount is $5,007). The resulting "difference in pay" is the faculty's monthly salary for the duration of the leave.

Example:

$7000 (Faculty's current monthly base salary)

- $5007 (minimum rate for instructor rank)

= $1,993 (monthly salary for duration of the leave)

Difference-In-Pay Report

Faculty who take a Difference-in-Pay leave are required to submit a leave report within one semester of their return. Failure to provide an acceptable report could result in the denial of subsequent DIP leaves. Please keep a copy of your report for your next leave application.

1. Please download and complete the DIP Report
2. Keep a copy for your records.
3. Submit original report to the Office of Faculty Affairs.
4. Office of Faculty Advancement will forward report to DC for review and recommendation.
5. Provost will review. A final signed copy will be forwarded to you, the DC and your Dean with the Provost's decision.

Benefits

Your Benefits While on Sabbatical or Difference in Pay

Summary of Benefits and Coverage Notice

Life Services Toolkit