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Tenured faculty members are eligible to apply for a sabbatical after six years of service to the University of Colorado. Eligible faculty members may apply for subsequent sabbaticals after at least six years of additional service to the University, provided they have filed a report on sabbatical activity, and demonstrated that they have substantially met the academic goals stated in the previous sabbatical plan.

Yes! Approval of the sabbatical would be contingent on the award of tenure and the sabbatical would need to take place after the award of tenure.

University administrators who are tenured faculty are not eligible for faculty sabbaticals. (Note that university policy defines department chairs as faculty, not administrators.) Tenured faculty members who also hold full time administrative positions may only take a faculty sabbatical from their faculty positions after completely relinquishing their administrative position. Time in administrative appointments counts toward eligibility for faculty sabbaticals.

Both CU System and Â鶹ӰԺ campus requirements are detailed on the Sabbatical Leave Application form, which can be found here. APS 1024 specifies the following to beÌýincluded in a sabbatical plan:

1. Dates of sabbatical;
2. Plan for coverage of current academic responsibilities and replacement of teaching expenses;
3. Plan for coverage of all other current responsibilities (any responsibilities to be retained while on leave must be documented and agreed to by supervisor and others as appropriate; these may include administrative responsibilities, research grants and/or clinical service);
4. Remuneration plan for sabbatical (includes source of funds, identification of expenses to be reimbursed and manner in which reimbursement is to occur);
5. Statement of available external funding sources and attempts to obtain such funding;
6. Description of the sabbatical’s academic objectives, including its contribution to the faculty member’s professional growth and expertise;
7. Description of a clear work plan, including all anticipated professional activities;
8. Demonstration of the benefit of the proposal’s objectives to the academic, clinical, and/or pedagogical goals of the primary unit;
9. Specification of the sabbatical’s contribution to enhancing the university’s reputation; and
10. Description of the sabbatical’s contribution to the educational experience of the students.

Please remember that sabbaticals are not entitlements, but the campus office of faculty affairs is here to help faculty members navigate the application process.

Yes, the Campus Controller’s office needs some fiscal information from your answers to the questions in Part 2 of the CU Â鶹ӰԺ sabbatical application.Ìý

Each school and college has its own internal deadlines for receiving sabbatical applications. Please check with your dean’s office.Ìý

Each plan shall be subject to approval by the department chair, unit head, or an appropriate primary unit committee; by the dean of the college/school; and by the provost. If approved, the faculty member's request shall be forwarded to the vice president for academic affairs, who shall ensure that each step of the approval process has met the requirements of APS 1024. Requests shall then be forwarded to the Board of Regents for final approval.Ìý

No. Although faculty members are encouraged to seek out external sources of funding to help support their sabbatical leave, those applying for sabbatical assignments shall apply for external funding (such as fellowships, grants, or clinical work) when appropriate. No one is required to apply for or obtain external funding in order for a sabbatical to be approved. The university recognizes that external-to-CU funding is not always available. For example, you may respond to question 6 in Part 2 of the campus sabbatical application by writing that you explored applying for external funding, but it didn’t work out for whatever reason. Please note that any internal-to-CU Â鶹ӰԺ funding possibilities should not be included in the application.

No, there is no restriction on additional non-university income, subject to the faculty member satisfying the duties of the sabbatical plan and any contract/grant requirements. The total university salary to the faculty member, from sabbatical pay and university funds (e.g., general funds), shall not exceed university limits.

In accepting a sabbatical assignment, the faculty member shall agree to return to the university upon completion of the sabbatical and work for the university for at least two semesters for 9-month faculty and one year for 12-month faculty. Under circumstances in which the faculty member voluntarily terminates their connection with the university within the period of one year after the end of the sabbatical, the individual shall refund the university the amount of the sabbatical salary support provided by the university on a pro-rated basis. This requirement shall be exempted under extraordinary circumstances, such as permanent disability or death of the faculty member, wherein neither the individual nor the heirs shall be obligated to refund any part of the amount paid while the faculty member was on sabbatical. Any exceptions, such as for individual retirement agreements, shall require approval by the dean and the chancellor or chancellor's designee.

By no later than the end of the first semester after returning to regular duties, the faculty member shall file a substantive report with their dean describing their work and overall accomplishments during the sabbatical. The dean shall evaluate the report for conformity with the sabbatical plan. Both the plan for the sabbatical and the post-sabbatical report shall be public documents. The primary unit shall evaluate the sabbatical report as part of the annual merit evaluation and post-tenure review process.