Sabbatical Leaves
Full Sabbatical Leave
Faculty applying for a full sabbatical leave to begin in FY26 (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026) must have completed a total of 6 years of service on continuing appointment (as below):
Application Process
- Please note: Applications, including CV and any supplemental materials, must be submitted electronically via email.
- Cover memos from schools or colleges are not required and should only be included if information cannot be included on the Application for Sabbatical Leave form.
- Sabbatical applications require the approval of the Board of Trustees. The Provost will issue a formal recommendation to the faculty member, school, and college after review; a fully executed copy of the application or a notice of non-approval will be issued once the Board has made their determination.
- Answers to frequently asked questions are available here. Please contact us at pvcsabbatical@siu.edu if you have additional questions.
Information for Applicants
- Complete the Application for Sabbatical Leave form and email it, along with your current curriculum vitae, to your director for their review and recommendation.
- Include your current curriculum vitae with your application. The CV is required as part of the application process. CVs may be either a Word document or a PDF file.
- Your CV file name must include your last name (recommended nomenclature - LastName-FY25 Sabbatical-CV).
- Attach any optional supplemental materials to your email. Supplemental materials may be uploaded (in any electronic format) in support of an application, but are not required.
- Your supplemental materials file(s) name must include your last name (recommended nomenclature - LastName-FY25 Sabbatical-Supplement).
Information for Directors
- Review the submitted Application for Sabbatical Leave form and additional application materials. When complete,:
- Check the Recommended or Not Recommended radio button;
- Check the Unit Verification of Fiscal Understanding box (as appropriate);
- Include any comments/remarks in the Director Comments field (as appropriate); and
- Sign and date the application.
- Email the signed application, including CV and any supplemental material(s), to your dean's office for review and recommendation.
Information for Deans
- Review the submitted Application for Sabbatical Leave form and additional application materials. When complete,:
- Check the Recommended or Not Recommended radio button;
- Check the College Verification of Fiscal Understanding box (as appropriate);
- Include any comments/remarks in the Dean Comments field (as appropriate); and
- Sign and date the application.
- Email the signed application, including CV and any supplemental material(s), to pvcsabbatical@siu.edu for review and recommendation.
- You may submit all college applications in a single email, grouped by school, or individually.
Deadlines
Sunday, September 1, 2024 – official communication to deans and directors soliciting applications.
Friday, November 1, 2024 – deadline for sabbatical application submission to Provost’s office via email to pvcsabbatical@siu.edu. Please note: school and college deadlines will be earlier.
Spring 2024 - Board Ratification of Sabbatical Applications
- Recommended applications for faculty who hold tenure at the time of application will go before the Board in March/April
- Recommended applications for faculty who do not hold tenure at the time of application will go before the Board in May
- All faculty whose applications are ratified by the Board will be notified following the relevant Board meeting
Sabbatical Reports
Represented Faculty are contractually obligated to write an appropriate report on sabbatical activity prior to the eighth week of the semester following the leave (see Section 15.03.g). Represented Faculty members who fail to submit their report according to the deadline will be subject to the provision related to future sabbatical requests.
Non-Represented Faculty are obligated to write an appropriate report on sabbatical activity within one semester following the termination of the leave (See University Policy section V.G.).
Reports must provide clear, professional accounts of sabbatical activities and accomplishments in relation to the initial proposal, including how the outcomes contributed to the individual's professional development. Faculty must use the Sabbatical/Professional Development Leave Report form.
Completed reports are submitted to the school or unit director who will confirm the report meets the required guidelines. Approved reports are then submitted to the dean for review and recommendation before being forwarded to the Associate Provost for Academic Administration (via email to pvcsabbatical@siu.edu) for final consideration.
Sabbatical Report Deadlines
- October 9, 2024* - Sabbatical Reports for Sabbaticals ending before August 16, 2023 due to Directors
- November 1, 2024* - Sabbatical Reports due to APAA office via PVCSabbatical@siu.edu
- December 15, 2024** - Sabbatical Reports for Sabbaticals ending before August 16, 2023 due to Directors
- December 31, 20243** - Sabbatical Reports due to APAA office via PVCSabbatical@siu.edu
- March 4, 2025* - Sabbatical Reports for Sabbaticals ending on/before December 31, 2023 due to Directors
- March 27, 2025* - Sabbatical Reports due to APAA office via PVCSabbatical@siu.edu
- May 10, 2025** - Sabbatical Reports for Sabbaticals ending on/before December 31, 2023 due to Directors
- May 31, 2025** - Sabbatical Reports due to APAA office via PVCSabbatical@siu.edu
* - SIUCFA represented Faculty
** - non-represented faculty
Frequently Asked Questions
The form will not open for me and I keeping getting a “Please wait...If this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF viewer may not be able to display this type of document.”
The form must be saved and opened within Adobe Acrobat. Click the “Download Form” link on the eForms page, then select "download" from the browser ribbon. For Mac OS: either control+click or click and hold the mouse button down on the link until the menu pops up and save as PDF.
Contact your unit's IT department for technical support.
May I apply for sabbatical if I do not yet have tenure?
Faculty must hold tenure at the time the sabbatical leave is taken. A tenure-track faculty member who is standing for tenure-review in the current fiscal year may apply contingently for a sabbatical in the following fiscal year. The faculty member must check the “Eligibility for Tenure-Track Faculty” box on the Applicant's Verification of Understanding section of the application.
If my sabbatical includes working for another university or company, do I need to indicate that on the application form? Do I need to complete any additional forms?
The University or other entity should be identified in the sabbatical plan that is part of the application. University Policy and the Collective Bargaining Agreement require that sabbatical recipients who anticipate earnings from an entity other than SIUC during an approved sabbatical leave must submit a request and be approved by the Provost in advance. The Annual Disclosure of Proposed Non-University Activities and Financial Interest form is used for this purpose.
Do I have any obligation to return to the university after I complete my sabbatical?
University Policy and the Collective Bargaining Agreement require that all sabbatical recipients must return for the period of one academic year or reimburse the University for an amount of salary proportional to the length of time remaining if they serve less than a year. For example, if the sabbatical period is August 16 – December 31, 2024, the recipient must return to SIUC and serve two semesters (SP25 and FA25) in order to meet this requirement or reimburse the university for a portion of the salary costs related to the sabbatical. The application form includes a checkbox acknowledgment of this requirement.
My proposed sabbatical leave has changed, do I need to let anyone know?
University policy requires that modifications to any approved sabbatical leave, including changes to dates of leave, scope of activities, anticipated travel, et cetera, must be approved at all levels. The application form includes a checkbox acknowledgment of this requirement
Does the Board of Trustees read my full application? How is the information I submit provided to the Board?
The Sabbatical Leave application form requires a brief abstract of the planned activities and outcomes during the proposed leave. The information from this field is provided to the Board of Trustees for review and consideration and is published in the Board’s minutes. Applicants are encouraged to be succinct and to use lay-terms where possible, while also providing an appropriate level of detail about the project and the benefits that will accrue to the University. There is also a field on the application form for information related to the location of the sabbatical leave, as required by the Board.
Once I return from leave, do I have any other obligations related to my sabbatical?
University Policy and the Collective Bargaining Agreement require that all sabbatical recipients submit a written report on sabbatical activities and outcomes. Information about the form and submission information can be found above.