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Office of the Provost

Sabbatical Leave

Policy in the Faculty Handbook (PDF) p 53-54

The major purpose of a sabbatical leave is to provide an opportunity for a faculty member's continued professional growth and intellectual achievement through study, research and/or writing. The number of sabbatical leaves granted during a given academic year depends upon the availability of funds, as well as the ability of the College or School and/or department to maintain its teaching schedule.

Sabbatical leaves will be granted only for clearly defined and well-advanced scholarly or creative projects in the areas of research, writing, and publication or creative activity. The University's decision to grant a sabbatical leave will be based primarily on evidence that the faculty member's project will contribute to his or her professional standing and, upon return to the University will enrich that individual's teaching and/or research capabilities.

A faculty member who has completed seven or more years of full-time teaching at Pace, who has not had a paid leave of absence during that time, and who currently holds an appointment at the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor is eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave. In addition, the faculty member must agree to return to the University for at least one academic year of full-time service immediately following completion of the leave.

Faculty members granted sabbatical leaves may not accept a full-time teaching assignment at other institutions unless such an assignment is considered essential to the scholarly or creative project. Work towards a graduate or professional degree does not qualify as an acceptable project for a sabbatical leave except for post-doctoral or equivalent study.

The salary rate of compensation shall be full base pay for a one-semester leave or half base pay for a one-year leave. If a faculty member on leave receives compensation, salary, or a financial grant from an off-campus source, beyond base salary and additional costs, the sabbatical leave compensation or salary from the University may be adjusted in accordance with the amount received from other sources. All fringe benefits to which a faculty member is entitled shall be continued while the faculty member is on sabbatical leave. The University will continue its contributions to an employee's benefits program on the basis of the salary the employee would have received if the employee were not on sabbatical provided the employee also continues personal contributions at the rates specified for employees. If a faculty member is paying for additional life insurance or family health coverage, such benefits may be continued provided the faculty member pays all premiums in advance.

A period of at least seven years shall elapse between the end of one sabbatical leave and the beginning of another.

  • Sabbatical Review 2024–2025

    (This Sabbatical Timeline 2024-2025 (PDF) is for the faculty applying to take Sabbatical in AY 2025–2026)

    Note: On this page, you can download the forms and templates listed below in the timeline. Sabbatical applications, evaluation templates, post-sabbatical report templates, and lists of committee members should be emailed to the Interfolio email address at interfolio@pace.edu (this is a Pace internal email address monitored by The Faculty Center.)

    • July 24 at 1:00 p.m.: Information Session via Zoom, please contact the Interfolio email address for more information.
    • September 10 EOB: Letters of intent to apply for a sabbatical are due to Dean, Chair, and Pace Interfolio (a brief email stating intent).
    • October 8 EOB: All forms should be submitted in Word format to Pace Interfolio for sabbatical leave to be taken in the following academic year.
      1. Sabbatical Application (fill out the form)
      2. Sabbatical FACT Sheet (fill out the form) – Faculty Center will verify
      3. Updated CV (follow the University template)
      4. Sabbatical Proposal completed according to these instructions (fill out template)
      5. External letter(s) of support (this can be submitted in PDF) from a colleague, book publisher, journal editor, or art gallery owner, etc. (optional, may strengthen your application)
    • By October 29 EOB: The Faculty Center forwards the completed sabbatical application to the Department Chair/AD via Interfolio. School/College Dean’s Office submits a list of committee members to Pace Interfolio.
    • By November 12 EOB: The Department Chair/AD submits a letter of recommendation and Applicant Ranking Form, in the event of multiple departmental submissions, to Pace Interfolio.
    • By November 19 EOB: Cases are sent to the School/College based Sabbatical Review Committee (if applicable) and the School/College Dean.
    • By December 3 EOB: The School/College based Sabbatical Committee submits an evaluation via template of each application to Pace Interfolio.
    • By December 10 EOB: Sabbatical applications are reviewed by respective School/College Deans. The Sabbatical Applicants Ranking form (if there are multiple candidates from a School/College) and the evaluation(s) are submitted by the School/College Deans to Pace Interfolio.
    • By December 17 EOB: Applications are sent via Interfolio sabbatical to the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs.
    • January 7 EOB: The Associate Provost for Academic Affairs forward their recommendations to the Provost for final approval.
    • January 28 EOB: Upon final decision, the Office of the Provost will send electronic notification of all applicants (approved/not approved) copying their respective School/College Dean and Department Chair.

  • Below are some common answers regarding the Sabbatical Process:

    • BOTH semester-based (100% pay) and full-year (50% pay) sabbatical applications will be accepted.
    • Sabbatical full-year term can be taken within a single academic year, from Fall to Spring. Applications will be automatically denied if they span two different academic years. Single-semester sabbaticals can be applied either for Fall or Spring semesters.
    • All applications must be submitted per the templates. If you have any questions, please contact the Interfolio email address.
    • A sabbatical provides a faculty member a paid leave opportunity awarded for scholarly research projects and/or other creative activities. All instructional and administrative responsibilities are relinquished during this time.
    • The number of sabbatical leaves granted during a given academic year depends upon the availability of funds and the teaching schedule of the school/college.
    • Sabbatical leaves will be granted only for clearly defined and well-advanced scholarly or creative projects.
    • Requests to change from full-year term to single semester or vice versa after application has been submitted cannot be considered.
    • Once a sabbatical application is approved, the applicant cannot defer the acceptance to a different year. A new application would have to be submitted.
    • The Sabbatical Application asks candidates to provide a synopsis of the proposed project. Please provide the synopsis in that application instead of stating to “see attached.”
    • Incomplete, incorrect, and/or past deadline sabbatical applications will not be reviewed.
    • The faculty member must agree to return to the University for at least one academic year of full-time service immediately following the completion of the sabbatical.
    • A period of at least seven full-time teaching years shall elapse between the end of one sabbatical leave and the beginning of another. (You are eligible to apply for a sabbatical during your 7th year of full-time teaching to be able to take a sabbatical during the 8th year).
      • Note: For Haub Law faculty, a period of at least six years shall elapse between the end of one sabbatical leave and the beginning of another.
    • Example: if the last sabbatical taken was Spring 2018, then full-time teaching should have occurred in the next 7 years:
      1. Fall 2018-Spring 2019
      2. Fall 2019-Spring 2020
      3. Fall 2020-Spring 2021
      4. Fall 2021-Spring 2022
      5. Fall 2022-Spring 2023
      6. Fall 2023-Spring 2024
      7. Fall 2024-Spring 2025

    In the example above, Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 is the earliest when the applicant can take the next sabbatical. So, the applicant would apply in Fall 2024.

    • The seven years of full-time teaching do not need to have been completed consecutively.
    • Paid leaves of absence (e.g., a fellowship away from campus, receiving a grant to teach/research elsewhere, sabbaticals, paid leave that does not include maternity/paternity leave, etc.) do not count towards the seven years of full-time teaching.
    • Those who are tenured and currently hold an appointment at the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor are eligible to receive sabbatical leave.

  • Below are materials that need to be submitted to the Interfolio email address in Word format:

    1. Sabbatical FACT Sheet (DOCX)
    2. University CV template (DOCX)
    3. Sabbatical Application (DOCX)
    4. Sabbatical Proposal (DOCX)
    5. External letter(s) of support from a colleague, book publisher, journal editor, or art gallery owner, etc. (optional, may strengthen your application, submit file in PDF format)

    Here is a sabbatical checklist (DOCX) of documents needed to be submitted.

  • Post-Sabbatical Report (DOCX) is due within three months upon the end of the sabbatical leave. These reports should be sent to the Office of the Provost, Chair, Dean, and the Interfolio email address. Faculty are also expected to present their research/sabbatical project at an event hosted by the Faculty Center during the year they return from sabbatical.

    • Due August 15 (if candidate’s sabbatical ends right after the Spring semester)
    • Due March 15 (if candidate’s sabbatical ends right after the Fall semester)