Sabbaticals are covered by GR X-11, 12, Provost Policy Statement- Sabbatical Leave Policy (2014), and information at this link. 

Because sabbaticals require Board of Trustees’ approval, proposals should be submitted a minimum of six months in advance of the leave start date.

Steps:

1.  The faculty member contacts the department chair to inform him or her of sabbatical interest and intent.  The faculty member and chair discuss how the faculty member’s responsibilities will be covered.  It is not uncommon for the Associate Dean for Faculty Resources, Planning and Assessment to read a draft proposal and provide feedback early in the process.

2.  After preliminary approval by the chair, faculty member provides the department chair with a formal written sabbatical request including:

                    A.  ​Cover letter outlining the request

                    B.  Completed and signed UK Sabbatical Leave Application 

                    C.  Sabbatical proposal (see UK Sabbatical Leave Application for details)

3. If the department will be providing travel funding for the sabbatical, this information must be included in the sabbatical proposal and the academic unit leader support letter. Please be sure to follow Reimbursement of Travel Expenses (E-5-1).                    

4. In accordance with federal regulations, if the faculty member is on a federally funded sponsored projects he or she should consult with the College Grants Officers when applying for sabbatical to ensure that requirements for reporting time dedicated to federal projects is met. The faculty member should also notify the CGOs when the sabbatical is approved, and when it begins. 

5.  The department chair completes the CAFE Sabbatical Leave Approval Form, and attaches it, along with the faculty member's cover letter, proposal and UK Sabbatical Leave Application to an email addressed to cafe-frpa@uky.edu. 

6.  If approved, the Dean will sign the CAFE Sabbatical Leave Approval Form and the materials will be forwarded on to the Provost for approval. 

7.  Once the proposal is approved by the Provost/BOT, the Office of Faculty Resources, Planning and Assessment notifies the Department Chair/Director and faculty member, including a request for a report (due 90 days after the end date of the leave) at the conclusion of sabbatical leave. 

8. Once notice has been received that the leave is approved, the faculty member, should request, through their department HR staff person, that a new DOE version be initiated in the Effort Planning System. The DOE should reflect 100% Professional Development while the faculty member is on sabbatical. Once the faculty member returns from sabbatical, a new DOE version will be created, returning the DOE to the pre-sabbatical distribution. Questions about amending DOEs may be sent to at cafe-frpa@uky.edu. 

9. The department chair and business officer should work to ensure that payroll for the sabbatical is properly processed in terms of full-pay vs. half-pay sabbatical, which funds are used for pay during the leave, and the amounts. In the case of a 9-month faculty member the implications of the leave on the faculty member's paycheck should be verified with the College Business Center through Le Anne Herzog. Once the faculty member's sabbatical has begun, the department business officer should verify that the payroll is accurate during the monthly preliminary payroll check. 

10.  No more than 90 days after the end date of the sabbatical, the faculty member should prepare a summary statement of their sabbatical outcomes based on their proposal. The report should include:

• ​Summary and timeline
• Objectives 
• List of achieved outcomes
• List of outcomes in progress
• Brief description of how these outcomes will benefit the department, college and university.
• The report should be no more than 2 pages in 12-point font.

​Submit the report attached to email to at cafe-frpa@uky.edu in the Office of Faculty Resources, Planning and Assessment. The faculty member should also share a copy of the report with his or her department chair. 

A note on benefits during sabbatical: 

Extension faculty members with civil service status should work with Le Anne Herzog, to determine how federal regulations might affect benefits.  For faculty members not in civil service status, the only affected benefit is retirement contributions, which are reduced to half during a full-year leave with half pay.  

Faculty members enrolled in UK health insurance: be sure to check with the Benefits Office if the sabbatical will be in a location away from the Lexington service area or if the sabbatical involves being out of the United States for 90 days or longer.  

Additionally, please see the Provost’s memo regarding the effect of sabbatical on vacation benefits. 

For more information about UK benefits, please contact Joey Payne in HR Benefits, 257-9185.

Impact of sabbatical on performance review: 

While on sabbatical, faculty members are not exempted from the annual performance review process. Faculty members are expected to provide evidence of their accomplishments through Digital Measures, a narrative statement, and when applicable, a teaching portfolio, the same as if they were not on sabbatical. Additionally, for sabbaticals occurring but not yet completed during the review period, the sabbatical application will be included in the materials submitted for performance review. For sabbaticals that end within the review period, the sabbatical report will be included in the materials submitted for performance review.