The Faculty Benefits Committee sponsors three competitive award programs to support the professional development of tenured and tenure-track faculty: sabbaticals, summer fellowships, and project grants. The following questions are typically posed by applicants pursuing a sabbatical leave. Applicants are strongly urged to consult Please referred to the Faculty Handbook
[11. Faculty Development Programs 11.1 - 11.4 ]) for a complete description of the purpose, eligibility, conditions of acceptance and application procedures of each program.
1. What activities are supported by a sabbatical leave?
Answer: Sabbaticals support a variety of professional development activities of faculty. Examples include research, scholarly writing, advanced study or artistic performance. Sabbaticals cannot be used to prepare theses or dissertations or to meet degree requirements. Other 'fundable' activities are discussed in the Handbook please referred to the Faculty Handbook
[11. Faculty Development Programs 11.1 - 11.4 ].
2. When is the deadline for filing a sabbatical application and who needs to receives copies of the proposal?
Answer: The deadline for filing an application is the first Tuesday of October of each academic year. Late submissions will not be accepted, nor will applications exceeding page limits or missing other requirements. Submit copies electronically ( preferably PDF) to:
a). Faculty Senate Office, AC 105, c/o Grace M. Hiles (hilesg1@nku.edu);
b). the department chairperson;
c). the college dean.
3. Where can I obtain an application form and related information about this award program?
Answer: Application forms are on the web at the main Benefits page . The procedures, eligibility conditions, and reporting requirements are covered in the Faculty Handbook
[11. Faculty Development Programs 11.1 - 11.4 ] . At the beginning of the fall semester, the Benefits Committee holds a workshop on the application process for all award programs. Attendance is voluntary. The date of the workshop is announced in Sept through e-mail & Senate website.
4. What are the roles of the department chairperson and the dean in the application process?
Answer: The chairperson is responsible for filling out the Benefits committee-supplied Sabbatical evaluation form about the applicant. The dean is also responsible for filling out the Benefits committee-supplied Sabbatical evaluation form for the applicant. Chair and Dean letters are used to evaluate the application, verify the eligibility of the applicant and inform the Dean of a sabbatical application. The weight of the Chair and Dean letters as part of the evaluation process is up to the subcommittee members. Evaluation forms from both parties are due on the second Tuesday in October with electronic copies (preferably PDF) of the form to:
a). the Faculty Senate Office, AC 105, c/o Grace M. Hiles(hilesg1@nku.edu);
b). the dean (or chair) of the applicants college;
c). the applicant.
5. How often am I eligible for a sabbatical?
Answer: Tenured and tenure track faculty are eligible for a sabbatical after completing 12 semesters, excluding summer sessions, of employment at NKU. Tenure track faculty may submit an application during the fall semester of their sixth year of service but must be awarded tenure during their seventh year to be granted the leave. When applying for a second sabbatical, a faculty member who was awarded a sabbatical, for instance, in Spring semester 2019 and worked continuously for the next 12 academic year semesters would be eligible for another sabbatical Fall semester 2025. Similarly, a faculty member who was awarded a sabbatical for Fall semester 2020 and worked continuously for the next 12 academic year semesters would be eligible for another sabbatical during Spring semester 2027.
6. How long is a sabbatical leave?
Answer: Applicants have a choice of requesting a leave either for one semester at full pay (either fall or spring semester) or for two semesters at 65% of the applicants salary. If the applicant opts for two-semester leave, some benefits may be reduced (e.g., TIAA contributions by the applicant and the university) while other benefits (health & dental care) are not affected. Contact the Benefits Manager in the Department of Human Resources for complete details.
7. What does it mean, “provides academic references,” under criterion k3 in the Evaluation Guidelines document?
Answer: It means that the proposal contains citations to source material following discipline-appropriate, academic standards including works cited page and in-text citations. (It does not mean that letters of recommendation from colleagues in academia were provided.)
8. What are the final reporting requirements and when is the report due?
Answer: A final report is due within two months of returning from sabbatical leave. It consist of a summary abstract of about 250 words written for a general audience, a one to two page detailed summary, and a photo of the faculty member sent as email attachments to the Office of the Provost, c/o Assistant Provost of Special Project Jason Vest (vestj3@nku.edu) X-5622, who will distribute them to the appropriate Dean, Chair/Supervisor, and the Faculty Senate Office. The abstract and photo will be published in the annual Faculty Development Program Brochure published by the Provost's Office. The summary typically takes the form of a letter addressed to the Provost which summarizes what the applicant accomplished on leave. Tangible products of the sabbatical (e.g., a scholarly manuscript, book or book chapters, etc.) do not have to be submitted with the report; however, the applicant should make them available to administrators upon request. Recipients must also communicate achievements of the sabbatical informally to fellow faculty within an academic year of completing the leave. The typical forum is a brown-bag luncheon.
9. Who receives copies of the final report?
Answer: Award recipients submit electronic copies of the final report to:
a). the Office of the Provost, c/o Assistant Provost of Special Project Jason Vest (vestj3@nku.edu) X-5622
10. Can I apply for a summer fellowship, a project grant, and a sabbatical leave during the same academic year?
Answer: Yes, but be aware that separate applications must be submitted for each award, that there are different eligibility requirements for sabbaticals and summer fellowships, and that there are different final report deadlines for the various awards. Each Faculty Development Award is evaluated independently, approval of one does not necessarily guarantee approval of sister applications. Check the Faculty Handbook
[11. Faculty Development Programs 11.1 - 11.4 ] for eligibility requirements for the different awards and for deadlines of final reports .
11. Can I postpone a sabbatical leave after it has been approved by the Faculty Benefits Committee?
Answer: Yes. Although most applicants take their leave at the time they originally requested it, applicants may voluntarily postpone an approved leave. The applicant should inform the department chairperson, college dean, and Provost in writing of his/her intention to defer the leave and specify when the sabbatical will be taken (if known).
12. Does postponing an approved sabbatical leave affect eligibility status for subsequent sabbaticals?
Answer: No. Postponing a leave does not affect eligibility for subsequent sabbaticals because eligibility is determined from the semester/year that the prior sabbatical leave was awarded, not by the semester/year in which the leave was actually taken.
13. Is a chairperson eligible for a sabbatical, and if so, who evaluates their application and verifies their eligibility?
Answer: Yes, department chairs are eligible. The chairperson submits copies of the application simultaneously to the Faculty Benefits Chairperson c/o Faculty Senate Office AC 105 and to the college dean who writes a letter evaluating the application and verifies the applicants eligibility. If a current Chair or Dean applies for a sabbatical, the Chair and Dean letters should come from the applicants future Chair and Dean. In the case where these individuals are unknown, the applicant will work out with the Chair of the Faculty Benefits Committee appropriate substitutes. Under no circumstance should the Provost (who is part of the approval process) write one of these letters.
14. When will I know if my application is approved?
Answer: The Provost informs applicants of the status of their application no later than December 24.
15. How much consulting activity or other paid activity can I do on sabbatical?
Answer: Consulting activity is limited to one day per week for a two-semester sabbatical leave (see the Handbook). Time spent on consulting must be in addition to, rather than part of, the normal full time effort expected of full-time faculty. Faculty awarded a two-semester sabbatical may accept pay for up to 35% of their academic year salary, or they may accept a part-time position.
16. What happens if I terminate my employment at NKU and do not return after the sabbatical?
Answer: Recipients of a sabbatical must agree to return to the University for a minimum of one academic year following the end of the leave or to repay the full amount of the stipend to the university.
17. Where can I find an example of a successful application from a prior year?
Answer: Go to Benefits Committee homepage
17. Who reviews the application and how will they evaluate it?
Answer: A subcommittee within the Benefits Committee will initially review the application; the entire Benefits Committee votes on final funding recommendations which are passed onto the Provost. Each subcommittee is composed of members from a variety of colleges and departments on campus so it is important to be able to convey the content of your application to individuals outside your academic discipline. . The subcommittee follows the guidelines in the faculty handbook
and uses the folllowing rubric as an initial evaluation tool.
