Last Revised January 1995
[Approved in May 1973; Revised 1975, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1995]
The primary purpose of granting academic leave to members of faculty is to enable them to enhance their quality as scholars, teachers, and researchers, thereby assisting the University to achieve greater excellence in its basic areas of responsibility - effective teaching and the advancement of learning.* To further these concerns, the Committee on Appointment, Promotion, Tenure and Leave recommends that there be two forms of academic leave - sabbatical and negotiated.
*Quite different considerations attach to leave of absence in order to seek or hold full-time elective public office.
A. The Sabbatical
"Sabbatical" relates to a six month or one year leave.
1. Purpose
Sabbatical leave is to provide faculty members with an opportunity to make a temporary change in the normal pattern of academic duties. Such leave should be considered to fall within the scope of an individual's normal university responsibilities. These responsibilities include intellectual inquiry and activities related to the maintenance and further development of faculty excellence in teaching and scholarship.
2. Eligibility To Make Application For a Sabbatical
A member of faculty holding an appointment as set out in section I.b) of the Regulations Governing Appointment, Renewal of Appointment, Tenure and Termination for Academic Staff is eligible to apply for sabbatical after six years of service at Queen's since appointment. Application for subsequent sabbaticals may be at an interval of a minimum of three years in the case of a six-month sabbatical, or a minimum of six years in the case of a twelve-month sabbatical. Years taken on negotiated leave or another form of leave (e.g. "political" leave of absence) should not be counted towards eligibility to apply for sabbatical leave. If service prior to appointment at Queen's is to be counted towards the period of first eligibility, this must be settled at the time of appointment.
3. Eligibility of Deans and Department Heads for a Sabbatical
Except under special circumstances and unless there exists a suitable deputy, deans and department heads shall not take prolonged leave of any kind during a term of office. Upon completion of their administrative duties, deans and department heads shall be entitled to special consideration for sabbatical.
4. Location of the Sabbatical
A sabbatical usually will be tenable away from the Queen's campus but consideration will be given to proposals for a sabbatical in Kingston.
5. Length of the Sabbatical
The sabbatical is normally for twelve months, beginning July lst or January lst, but applications will be considered for six-month sabbaticals beginning on either of the given dates.
6. Obligation to Return
Faculty members who have taken a sabbatical leave shall be under an obligation to return to the University for a period of time equal to the length of the leave.
7. Regulations and Procedures
Within each faculty, the dean, in consultation with the faculty board, shall be responsible to the Principal for the establishment of regulations and procedures concerning sabbatical leave. All such regulations and procedures shall be in keeping with the general regulations and procedures contained in this document.
The regulations and procedures shall include a timetable giving dates by which the application for leave shall be submitted, the Principal's decision given, and the leave accepted by the applicant. This timetable shall be announced annually at the time applications are requested.
8. Salary Regulations*
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Except as provided in Sections 2 through 7, the following entitlements apply:
- each faculty member on a full-time appointment who is granted a 12 month sabbatical leave after 6 years is entitled to 75% of nominal salary.
- each faculty member on a full-time appointment who is granted a 6 month sabbatical leave after 6 years of service is entitled to 100% of nominal salary.
- each faculty member on a full-time appointment who is granted a 6 month sabbatical leave after 3 years of service is entitled to 75% of nominal salary.
- each faculty member on a full-time appointment who is granted a 12 month sabbatical leave to be taken in two 6 month leaves is entitled to 75% of nominal salary.
A faculty member on reduced responsibility for up to and including three of the previous six years normally is entitled to seventy-five per cent of nominal salary. A faculty member on reduced responsibility for more than three of the previous six years is entitled to seventy-five per cent of actual, not nominal, salary. A faculty member who delays a sabbatical application as set out above and has completed the equivalent of six years of full-time responsibility is eligible for the full financial support normally given in the faculty. A faculty member on a part-time appointment is entitled to seventy five per cent of actual salary.
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The faculty member, if eligible, shall apply to outside granting agencies for further support.
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Faculty members may apply to the dean for additional support from a faculty fund. This additional support might be in the form of salary or in the form of grants for research and travel expenses. If support additional to the seventy-five per cent of salary is not available from a faculty fund, faculty members may apply to the dean for a grant for research and travel expenses which, if approved, will reduce the faculty contribution to the faculty members' total remuneration appropriately.
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The total remuneration received from all sources must not exceed 100 per cent of regular salary except when it is determined by the appropriate administrative authorities that such factors as the cost of living and exchange rate on the Canadian dollar justify a greater remuneration. External grants to pay for travel and research expenses and remuneration for occasional work of a limited scope shall not be considered as remuneration for the purposes of this provision.
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If the total remuneration as defined above exceeds 100 per cent of the faculty member's regular salary and no determination as provided in Section 4 has been made, the faculty contribution (seventy-five per cent) shall be reduced appropriately.
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A faculty member on sabbatical leave shall not accept paid employment except for occasional work of a limited scope.
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The faculty member on sabbatical continues to be a full-time member of the academic staff and eligible for all fringe benefits, salary increases and promotions.
An Explanatory Note:
Actual salary is the salary paid to a faculty member in any given year. Nominal salary is the salary a faculty member would be entitled to receive if the member were employed for a full period of responsibility. For faculty members working full-time, actual and nominal salary will coincide. For faculty members working on reduced periods of responsibility, actual salary will be less than nominal.
*The implementation of this policy by faculties and departments should in no way work to the disadvantage of a full-time member of faculty within a department whose salary is funded only partly by the University.
9. General Procedures
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A faculty member shall make application to the head of a department by October lst of the academic year preceding the proposed sabbatical, stating the nature of the scholarly activity to be undertaken, the location of the activity, the period of time required and any external financial support which may be obtained or has been applied for.
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The head of the department shall review all applications for leave and forward them to the dean, with recommendations relating to the detailed allocation of teaching and other staff responsibilities.
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The dean, in turn, shall forward to the Principal each departmental submission along with the Dean's own faculty-wide recommendations.
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The Principal, on reviewing all recommendations, shall inform each applicant of the decision.
B. Negotiated Leave
1. Purpose
Negotiated leave is to provide a faculty member with the opportunity to be released from some or all of his or her duties at Queen's in order to undertake other outside activities related to the discipline or field of scholarly expertise.
2. Eligibility
A full-time or part-time member of faculty may apply for negotiated leave after any period of service.
3. Length of Leave
Normally a negotiated leave would be for one year or less. The faculty member is entitled to return to his or her position at Queen's upon completion of the leave.
4. Regulations and Procedures
Within each faculty, the dean, in consultation with the Faculty Board, shall be responsible to the Principal for the establishment of regulations and procedures concerning negotiated leave. All such regulations and procedures shall be in keeping with the general regulations and procedures contained in this document.
5. Salary Regulations
Arrangements for salary and fringe benefits shall be negotiated in each individual case.
6. General Procedures
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A faculty member shall make application to the head of the department stating the reasons for the request, the period and location of the leave, and his or her proposals for pension and fringe benefit arrangements.
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The head of the department shall review all applications for leave and forward them to the dean with recommendations relating to the detailed allocation of teaching and other staff responsibilities.
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The dean, in turn, shall forward to the Principal each departmental submission along with the Dean's own faculty-wide recommendations.
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The Principal, on reviewing all recommendations, shall inform each applicant of the decision.
Any change in the terms of the leave (including shortening or lengthening of the period of leave) shall be treated as a new proposal.