Professional Development/Sabbatical Leave:
Faculty members are eligible for professional development/sabbatical leave after six years of continuous full-time service to the university. Professional development/sabbatical leave provides eligible faculty with the opportunity to take a period of time for professional renewal, planned travel, study, formal education, research, writing, employee development, certification, or other experience of professional value. The College will also entertain “Administrative Leave” for Chairs or Associate Dean’s upon request. Guide- lines for Administrative leave will be identical to those of professional development/sabbatical leave outlined below.
Application for professional development /sabbatical leave initially made through the respective faculty member’s chair with concurrence of both the Dean and the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs.
Terms of the leave, established by the Office of the Provost, are as follows:
• While on this leave program, the employee’s salary will be one-half pay for the academic year for two semesters, or full-pay for one-semester. A summer session may be requested as one of the terms by 12-month faculty only. The leave may not extend beyond the academic year awarded.
• The employee must return to the University for at least one academic year following partici- pation in the program. Agreements to the contrary must be reduced to writing prior to partic- ipation. Return to the University of salary received during the program may be required in those instances where neither of the above is satisfied.
• The employee must, within thirty days upon returning from the program, provide a concise written report of the employee’s accomplishments during the professional leave/sabbatical to the chair, with a copy to the dean and to the Senior Vice-President for Health Affairs. This report must include information regarding the activities undertaken during the professional leave/sabbatical, the results accomplished during the sabbatical as they affect the employee and the university, and research or other scholarly work produced or expected to be produced as a result of the professional leave/sabbatical.
• An employee on a leave program assignment will be evaluated on the leave activities. It is incumbent on the employee to provide a copy of the written report in a timely manner to make such an evaluation possible.
• Contributions normally made by the university to retirement and Social Security programs shall be continued on a basis proportional to the salary received. University contributions normally made to employee insurance programs and any other employee benefit programs shall be continued during the leave program. (It is suggested that employees check with the Fringe Benefits Office to make sure benefits are continued.)
• Eligible employees shall continue to accrue annual and sick leave on a full-time basis during the professional leave/sabbatical.
• While on leave, an employee shall be permitted to receive funds for travel and living expenses, and other leave-related expenses, from university sources as well as sources other than the university, such as fellowships, grants-in-aid, and contracts and grants, to assist in accomplishing the purposes of the leave. Further, travel and living expenses shall be allowable to the limit identified by the agency/institution that funded the travel. Receipt of funds for such purposes shall not result in reduction of the employee’s university salary. If financial assistance is received in the form of salary, the University salary shall normally be reduced by the amount necessary to bring the total income of the leave period to a level comparable to the employee’s current year salary rate. Employment unrelated to the purpose of the leave is governed by 6C1-1.011, F.A.C.
Vacation, Sick, Holiday & Personal, FMLA, Domestic Violence and Other Leave:
The College follows all policies for faculty leave as outlined in the University of Florida, Office of Human Resources respective websites as follows: