Faculty & Staff Resources

Sabbatical

Sabbatical leaves provide opportunities for study, research, creative effort, teaching innovation, and related travel, all to enhance the quality of the recipient's service to the university. As you consider 2023-2024 sabbaticals, please note that the College encourages and accepts applications for teaching-related projects. All applicants are expected to seek external funding for their plans. Applications are due in the Dean’s office by Monday, September 19, 2022.   

All sabbatical awardees are required to submit a College Sabbatical Award Report detailing their professional accomplishments during this leave period. This report, which should be 1-2 pages in length, is due on October 1st.


Application Process

Sabbatical leave applications may be submitted for:

  1. Two semesters at fifty percent salary after six years of continuous eligible service;
  2. One semester at full salary after six years of continuous eligible service;
  3. One semester at fifty percent salary after three years of continuous eligible service (“mini-sabbatical”).

One semester leaves may be for either a fall or spring semester.  Full-year leaves may begin in fall or in spring.

Please note: all sabbatical recipients are required to submit a 1-2 page report summarizing their activites during their sabbatical. This should be submitted to sarah.lyon@uky.edu by the end of the semester immediately following their sabbatical.

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Online submission of sabbatical application material to the Dean's Office

Department Chairs should submit a single electronic file to adrianne.gilley@uky.edu for each sabbatical application and keep a copy for the department.  Please name the file in the manner: lastname_first name_department_sabbatical period. Note that sabbatical period will be: Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 for semester-long leaves and will be 2023-2024 or calendar year 2024 for full year leaves.

The application file for a sabbatical consists of:

  1. The completed Sabbatical Leave Application form (found here), including faculty member and chair signatures.
  2. A “Statement from your Chair” in the form of a letter that;
    1. comments briefly on the merits of the proposed sabbatical research or project;
    2. addresses the effects of a leave on the department's curriculum and the resources needed to manage it;
    3. addresses the effects of a leave on graduate student supervision and mentoring;
    4. states how the application ranks relative to others submitted from the department.
  3. A “Detailed Description of the proposed program” that follows carefully the format outlined in sections (2) A-F on the Sabbatical Leave Application. Please note, if you plan to conduct collaborative research activities at other institutes or universities during your sabbatical, please provide letters of invitation or support from your collaborators (emails suffice).

General Criteria for Evaluating Requests for Sabbatical Leaves 

Proposals for sabbatical leave will be evaluated by the Dean's Office.  In the case of substantial joint appointments, both department chairs, and, if necessary, both deans, should receive the application.  Evaluation of sabbatical applications will focus on the quality and potential of the proposal and on the past productivity and achievements of the applicant.  Proposals will be evaluated against the criteria listed below. Faculty should consider these criteria when developing proposals and preparing applications. In addition, the College, when considering multiple sabbatical applications from a given department, will use the capacity of the department to cover its teaching, administrative, and service responsibilities as an additional criterion of evaluation. Please note that the College may not be able to advance all applications for consideration within the Provost's Office in a given year. Priority will be given to applications that (a) are highly ranked by department chairs, (b) advance the research and/or professional development of Associate Professors preparing for promotion to Full, and/or (c) are from applicants who have applied for external funding to support their sabbatical activities.

  1. General criteria: Scholarly, creative or innovative merit of the activities proposed. Value of the project, including its originality and potential contribution to scholarship or teaching. Adequacy and feasibility of the project in relation to the length of the sabbatical requested. Clarity and completeness of the proposal.  Project's potential for contributing to the faculty member's professional development.  Potential for the dissemination and/or application of  anticipated achievements through publications, grant proposals, presentations, or curricular and instructional activities. Likelihood that the project will contribute to the betterment of the University and to the implementation of departmental, collegiate, and University strategic plans.
  2. In evaluating proposals for research, the following additional criteria apply: Scholarly or creative productivity of the applicant. Quality and quantity of professional products, in relation to field and years of academic service. Substantive evidence of scholarly results or progress since the last sabbatical.  Consistency of professional productivity, in relation to years of academic service. Quality and quantity of work supported by previous UK sabbatical awards.
  3. In evaluating proposals for teaching-related activities, the College will recognize the following additional criteria: Creativity and originality of project. Track record as educator or as pedagogical researcher. Past innovative projects. Clear assessment and dissemination plans.  Projects and scholarship since the last sabbatical. Quality (and, if applicable, quantity) of work supported by previous UK sabbatical awards. Departmental support for any proposed curriculum development. Relationship between proposed project and courses currently or formerly taught.

College Support for Sabbatical Research Programs 

The college has established a recurring fund to support the research efforts of faculty members on sabbatical. All Associate Professors in fields with limited external funding opportunities may receive up to $5,000 in research support for their first sabbatical, contingent on available funds.  Other faculty members, upon notification that their sabbatical applications for the 2023-24 academic year have been accepted, may apply for funds in support of their sabbatical research programs.  Awards may not exceed $3,000 and usually average $2,500. Eligible faculty members must provide a brief budget and description of how they intend to use the requested funds.  All funds must be used for the direct support of the sabbatical research project and cannot be used to support research activities that are routinely supported through departmental funds (e.g. travel to conferences).  All funds allocated in support of 2023-24 sabbaticals must be spent during the 2024 fiscal year (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024).  To apply for these funds, please follow the instructions found at  https://www.as.uky.edu/sabbatical-research-fund