SABBATICAL POLICY

NUMBER:                   02-01.0
OFFICE OF RECORD:  Provost's Office
ISSUED BY:                Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
APPROVED BY:           Dr. Kay Schallenkamp, President
EFFECTIVE DATE:      05/01/2006

1. A faculty unit member may be granted sabbatical leave after six (6) or more consecutive years of full-time employment in the system.
2. Approval for such leave will be contingent upon the faculty unit member presenting plans for formal study, research, or other experiences which are designed to improve the quality of service of the faculty unit member to Black Hills State University, to the Board of Regents, and to the state of South Dakota.
3. The number of all faculty unit member improvement, career redirection or sabbatical leaves granted by Black Hills State University during any fiscal year will not exceed five percent (5%) of the faculty unit members or one (1) FTE, whichever is greater, in any one year, unless additional awards are recommended by the president and approved by the Board of Regents.
4. Sabbatical leave for nine (9) month faculty unit members will be for not more than two (2) semesters at one-half salary which would have been paid had the faculty unit member been on full-time employment, or not more than one (1) semester at the full salary which would have been paid had the faculty unit member been on full-time employment.
5. Sabbatical leave for twelve (12) month faculty unit members will be for not more than twelve (12) months at one-half salary which would have been paid on full-time employment, or not more than six (6) months at the full salary which would have been paid on full-time employment.
6. All faculty unit members receiving sabbatical leave are required to return to Black Hills State University for at least two (2) academic years of full-time service or to refund the full salary and institutional costs of fringe benefits received while on leave.
7. If a faculty unit member returns, but fails to perform the full two (2) years return-to-service obligation, then the repayment obligation will be prorated. Any repayment obligation will be due in full one (1) calendar year after the end of the leave period.
8. Any repayment obligation that remains unpaid after falling due, shall earn interest at a rate equal to the monthly average prime rate of interest offered by the Wells-Fargo Bank system, or its successor, during the leave period plus two percentage points.
9. A faculty unit member who cannot perform return-to-service obligations due to death or permanent and total disability or reduction in force will be released of all repayment obligations. Determination of whether a faculty unit member is to be considered disabled will be made by the Board of Regents. 
10. All faculty unit members, upon return from sabbatical leave will be returned to their former positions or be assigned to positions of like nature and status and will be granted increment increases that were given during their leave.
11. As noted in the BOR-COHE contract section 19.1(2)(H), for purposes of performance-based salary increases, absent more current documentation provided to the department head, faculty unit members who were on approved leave during the year being evaluated for purposes of determining salary increases will be presumed to have continued to serve at the levels and with the assignments recorded on their most recent evaluation documents.
12. Documentation of relevant professional accomplishments during approved leaves taken during the previous calendar year must be considered if received by the last working day in January. The faculty unit member may be considered for merit increases as if they had served at the institution during such period.
13. The faculty unit member will maintain tenure, insurance benefits, accumulated sick leave, and all other accrued benefits.
14. If the faculty unit member is on less than fifty percent (50%) compensation, service for retirement is not accumulated during the period of such leave.
15. The following criteria will be considered in selecting the candidates for faculty unit member sabbatical leave:
    a.  The merit of the objectives as they relate to improving the instructional program and enhancing the professional growth of the applicant, and where other institutions are involved, evidence of acceptance of the faculty unit member's program or project by the institution offering the advanced study or research.
    b. Years of experience in the system.
    c. Previous leaves.
    d. Distribution of applicants by academic area.
    e. Anticipated program changes.
16. All grantees of faculty unit member sabbatical leave will execute a promissory note with the Board of Regents that is consistent with the terms of this agreement.
17. Applications for sabbatical leave should be submitted in accordance with the current BOR-COHE contract. (BOR-COHE contract section 21.6 Sabbatical, Faculty Unit Member Improvement, and Career Redirection Leaves).
     

NUMBER:                   02-01.0
OFFICE OF RECORD:  Provost's Office
ISSUED BY:                Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
APPROVED BY:           Dr. Kay Schallenkamp, President
EFFECTIVE DATE:      05/01/2006

Posted On: 03/10/2011 at 1:00pm
Last Updated On: 03/10/2011 at 1:00pm