Sabbatical applications are due to the Dean’s Office by August 31, 2024. This is the only time you may request sabbatical leave for the academic year 2025-2026 (Fall 2025 and/or Spring 2026).
Sabbaticals are available for tenured faculty with at least six full contract years of service since the last sabbatical. Your sixth-year tenure review must have been completed and tenure approved before we can consider a leave request. (Example: If your tenure was considered and approved in 2023-24, you may apply in Fall 2024 for a sabbatical in 25-26). When computing your eligibility, we cannot count time spent on the previous sabbatical (or any other kind of leave) toward the six contract years of full-time service. A leave with pay (sabbatical) is a privilege which may be granted to an individual who has demonstrated substantial ability in research or other creative activity, scholarship, and teaching. Therefore, research and publication record since your previous sabbatical is important in evaluating your application.
An essential condition of going on a sabbatical leave is that you must return to Penn State for a full academic year following the academic year of your sabbatical or refund all salary received from the University during the period of leave. (Note: there will be no proration of the amount to be returned if the individual remains employed for any time less than one year.) This requirement cannot be waived. Also, before returning to work, all faculty returning from leave of six months or longer must complete a Penn State Arrest and Conviction self-disclosure form per HR-99.
Please also note that you need the Dean’s permission to accept additional funds beyond your University sabbatical salary during the period of your sabbatical. Permission will be routinely granted for grant and contract work related to your sabbatical proposal. However, permission will not be granted for part-time teaching or other work not related to the purposes of the sabbatical.
For the leave request to be supported, faculty should have met or exceeded expectations in all three areas of responsibility – teaching, research and service, and met all university compliance-related requirements.
The Faculty Council and Dean will evaluate all proposals. The narrative is the key component in the proposal and will be carefully reviewed.
If after the University approves your sabbatical leave you decide against taking the leave you need to discuss it with the Dean of our college who will inform the Office of the Vice Provost.
Please prepare the information for the proposal packet as follows:
A. PSU Application for Leave of Absence with Pay (Sabbatical).
The “brief description of the proposed project” within this application should be written in a format that is appropriate to appear in the Penn State Newswire. This information should be non-technical and include work to be accomplished and the location where research will be conducted. Typically, is 2-3 sentences long.
B. Narrative (between 4-8 double-spaced pages in length).
- Title
- Statement of the purpose.
- An elaboration of the PSU Application for Leave “brief description of the proposed project” summary.
- You should include the significance of the project with a clear, more concise statement of objectives.
- This section could range from one to three paragraphs in length.
- Work to be accomplished to include:
- Methodology (how do you propose to carry out the work)
- Place (where do you propose to work).
- Mention resources (libraries, laboratories, etc.) which the location provides, and you must attach copies of letters indicating approval of tentative arrangements unless the facility is open to the public.
- Identify people and their expertise.
- Include an estimated schedule of the project's progress.
- Projected/Anticipated Results (publication plans)
- Justification/Relevance of the sabbatical to own scholarly development (how does your project relate to previous research). Give titles and references not only of your own research publications but also those of relevant scholars.
C. Supporting documents
- A brief current vita (no more than 8 pages), including especially a list of publications and recent professional activities and accomplishments.
- If you are proposing to reside at another institution or use collections in other archives or libraries please include a letter of invitation for that institution, or a statement that access is granted to all scholars.
If applicable, you must note accomplishments resulting from previous sabbatical leaves and the post-sabbatical report from your previous sabbatical should be included as part of the review.
