Sabbatical Leave Guidelines
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Sabbatical Leaves
The sabbatical leave process is described in the Faculty Handbook, and most of the information below is paraphrased from the official policy. University Policy 6.2.1 should be consulted for precise language (starting on page 23).
Tenured faculty members are eligible for sabbatical leaves after the conclusion of 12 continuous semesters (excluding summers). Eligibility can be checked at HR's Tableau link, and will be verified before approval. Requests should be sent from the department chair to the Senior Associate Dean two semesters before the projected start of the sabbatical. There are two types of sabbatical leave: i) one term if on an academic year appointment (or 6 months if on a calendar year appointment) at full pay, or ii) two terms if on an academic year appointment (or 12 months if on a calendar year appointment) at half pay.
The request is to be in writing with a sabbatical plan from the candidate that describes:
- how the leave will benefit the faculty member
- how the leave will benefit the university
- how the normal responsibilities will be accomplished during the leave
- Teaching: For faculty with teaching responsibilities, a clear list of normal teaching assignments for the year leading up to their requested sabbatic, along with the department’s plan for covering these assignments during the planned sabbatical, is required. Typically, one course teaching relief per semester may be allowed. The department plan must ensure that students are not adversely affected by the faculty member’s absence. The college will not provide funding to offset costs associated with instructional coverage (e.g., hiring additional personnel).
- Undergraduate Students: A plan for undergraduate student advising is required; while you may be able to provide guidance remotely an individual who is located on campus should be identified in case the students need to meet in person.
- Graduate Students: Faculty members on sabbatical leave may continue to advise graduate students remotely if that is their request. However, a local faculty member who is not on leave must be designated as a backup contact. Students should be informed of this individual's backup role and know that they may contact them if their primary advisor is unavailable or unresponsive and the issue is time sensitive. The designated backup contact must also be aware of and agree to this responsibility. In most cases, the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) can serve in this role.
- Grants: It is expected that faculty will continue to manage their grants while on sabbatical leave. See paragraph on lab management below for more requirements.
- Staff supervision: Staff cannot be supervised by a faculty member on leave. Please specify alternate supervisors for the leave period.
- where the sabbatic will be (if outside of NYS, the locations and dates are needed). The Sabbatical or Approved Leave Addendum Form must be completed and forwarded to SrAD/HR for each institutional location in the sabbatical plan.
Often, adjustments are required within a unit to enable a faculty member to go on sabbatical leave. These adjustments are the responsibility of the unit, and need to be described, and acceptable to the community (both within and outside the unit). The request from the department chair must be accompanied by the sabbatical plan from the candidate, and must show support for the candidate's plan.
Lab Management during Sabbatical (and Administrative) Leaves: If you have a lab (this includes all lab types), a detailed plan on how the lab will operate during PI leave is essential. Remote engagement does not work for the oversight of students and lab employees and in managing lab safety procedures. More rigorous local support must be planned, documented, and followed before a leave is approved. All staff and researchers must be supervised by an on-site manager or supervisor. A lab supervisor who is present to oversee the lab on all workdays must be assigned. Further oversight could be a weekly walk-through by the department safety representative or unit chair/director, with reporting and regular meetings required. Another option could be that the lab is closed with no activities occurring in the lab for the duration of the leave. The specific arrangement must be detailed in the sabbatical or other leave plan.
Salary supplementation for sabbatics at half pay: If the sabbatical will be at half pay, and salary supplementation is desired, the plan for salary supplementation must be included in the request, including account numbers, dates, and amounts, for SrAD approval (the unit admin manager must approve sufficient funding and appropriateness of use of funds for salary support through grant funding). Startup accounts or reserve funds cannot be used to supplement sabbatical salary. Once approved by SrAD, the admin manager sends a justification to HR for processing.
Sabbatical leaves abroad requirements and recommendations: Information can be found here: https://global.cornell.edu/sub/operations/international-engagement-faculty/sabbatical-leaves-abroad. Please start planning your sabbatical leave at least six months in advance.
Upon Senior Associate Dean’s approval of the sabbatical leave, the department chair should use the Chair's Leave Approval Letter Template provided below to convey approval to the faculty member. The department should cc calsacademic [at] cornell.edu (calsacademic[at]cornell[dot]edu) so the leave can be properly recorded in Workday.
Upon return from sabbatical leave, a faculty member is responsible for submitting a sabbatical leave report to their chair. The report should be 1-2 pages in length and include:
- The nature and location of the work, including important collaborators
- The outcomes of the sabbatical leave
- The key benefits to the faculty member and the college as a result of the sabbatical leave
The department chair should forward a copy of the final report to the appropriate Senior Associate Dean with a copy to calsacademic [at] cornell.edu (CALS Academic HR).