See also Section 12 for other faculty leaves.
11.1.1 Purpose
Sabbatical leaves are granted by Northern Kentucky University to promote the professional growth and effectiveness of the faculty. Sabbatical leaves are granted to enable recipients based on merit to devote additional time to scholarly activity and research, advanced study, or artistic performance—all in pursuit of academic objectives. The type of sabbatical that would best meet these objectives is to be determined by the faculty member applying for leave. The University’s goal is to make available a number of sabbaticals approximated by 8.0% of the (tenured + 1/6 tenure track) faculty members. The minimum number will be communicated by the provost or designee to the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee no later than the first Friday in August. The actual number approved will be contingent on the total number of applications and their scholarly merit as reviewed by the chair/director, dean and provost, and ranked and recommended by the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee. Sabbatical leaves are normally not granted to prepare theses or dissertations to meet degree requirements. A sabbatical leave may be granted for the purpose of retraining a faculty member in a new academic field if this retraining is in the interests of the University.
11.1.2. Eligibility for Sabbatical Leaves
Tenured, full-time faculty and department chairs/school directors are eligible to apply for sabbatical leaves and are governed by the procedure outlined in this Handbook. A non-tenured faculty member in the sixth year of a probationary appointment may apply for a sabbatical leave but must be granted tenure in order to receive the sabbatical leave.
Accrual of time toward eligibility begins at the date of initial tenure-track appointment at the University, or July 1, 1970, whichever occurred later. After twelve (12) semesters of employment at the University, excluding summer terms, faculty are eligible to receive a sabbatical leave of one semester at full salary or two semesters at sixty-five (65) percent salary. Twelve (12) semesters after the year or semester for which the sabbatical leave was awarded, a faculty member is again eligible for a sabbatical leave. Eligibility for subsequent leaves accrues in the same fashion.
A sabbatical leave may be postponed when the number of sabbatical applications recommended by the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee exceeds the University’s funding capabilities. The decision to postpone a leave will be reached in consultation with the applicant, chair/director, and provost. If sabbaticals are postponed, the provost will make every effort to increase the total number of awards the following year by the number of awards postponed. If a sabbatical leave is postponed by the administration, by the department/school, or by the faculty member, the faculty member may elect to choose when to take the sabbatical leave, in consultation with the chair/director; however, eligibility for a subsequent leave shall be calculated on the basis of the semester/year for which the leave was awarded, not when it was completed.
11.1.3. Conditions
Sabbatical leave of one semester carries full salary. A leave of two semesters carries 65% salary.Recipients of sabbatical leaves who receive salary must agree to return to the University for at least one academic year immediately following the end of the leave or to repay the University the amount of the leave stipend.
Faculty on sabbatical leave for one semester with full salary may not accept paid employment except where the purpose of the leave is for professional practice or experience that cannot be obtained without such employment. Faculty on two-semester sabbatical leaves at 65% of salary may normally accept a paid position that compensates up to the remaining 35% of salary (excluding extraordinary personal expense) or may accept a part-time position. Faculty on sabbatical leave may accept money from fellowships or grants for study, research, or travel, all without prejudice to their University salary.
Time spent on sabbatical leaves shall be considered a part of University service. The University will make its normal contributions to the faculty member’s insurance (if continued coverage is permitted), to retirement plans, and to all other normally paid fringe benefits. Salary increments and any promotion increments for a year that includes a sabbatical leave shall be determined as if the faculty member were in residence during that period.
Between the awarding of the sabbatical leave and the initiation of the leave, in the event of intervening circumstances that prevent the recipient from fulfilling the terms of the sabbatical leave or the University from funding the leave, the leave will be postponed. If a sabbatical is postponed, that postponement will not reduce the number of sabbaticals made available to the faculty in any subsequent year (see Section 11.1.2).
11.1.4. Required Reporting
Within two months of returning from a sabbatical leave, the faculty member shall submit a report summarizing what she/he accomplished on the leave to the Office of the Provost. The report shall consist of an approximately 250-word abstract outlining the major accomplishments, a one to two page extended overview of the sabbatical, and a photo of the faculty member or of their work appropriate for publication. The Office of the Provost will disseminate the report to the department chair or other appropriate supervisor, to the dean of the faculty member’s college, and to the chair of the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee. A copy of the report will be placed in the faculty member’s personnel file maintained in the Office of the Provost. Within one academic year following the end of a sabbatical leave, sabbatical recipients will provide an opportunity for others in the NKU community to learn about the results of their work. There are several acceptable vehicles for this report including but not limited to, formal and information presentations, the dissemination of written information, a public show or performance.
11.1.5. Procedures
The procedures set forth at Section 11.4 “Application and Procedures” apply to applications for sabbatical leaves.
11.2.1. Purpose
Faculty summer fellowships provide funds to support professional development during the summer months. The following are examples of the types of activities that may qualify the applicant for a faculty summer fellowship:
• Improving teaching skills;
• Individual research;
• Scholarly writing;
• Creative and artistic projects;
• Preliminary studies and literature searches; and
• Attending seminars or courses related to one’s field or professional work.
11.2.2. Eligibility for Faculty Summer Fellowships
Full-time and part-time tenure-track or tenured faculty may apply for a faculty summer fellowship. A faculty member who receives a faculty summer fellowship will not be eligible to receive another faculty summer fellowship until the third summer following the prior fellowship. A faculty member who will receive a terminal contract is not eligible to receive a faculty summer fellowship.
Revised: Fac. Senate, 5.7.2021/BoR, 11.16.2021 (extended eligibility to part-time tenure-track/tenured faculty)
11.2.3. Term of the Fellowship
The duration of the summer fellowship is two (2) months, usually between June 1 and July 31. The time window may be shifted so that it starts as early as the Monday following spring commencement or ends as late as two Fridays before the start of fall classes.
11.2.4. Stipend or Reassigned Time
All recipients on an academic-year contract will receive the same stipend in a given summer. Each year the provost, after consultation with the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee, will announce the exact amount of the stipend for faculty summer fellowships prior to the application deadline.
Recipients on academic-year contracts will receive 90 percent of their stipends near the beginning of the term of the fellowship, normally during the first week in June. The remainder of the stipend will be paid only after the reporting requirements have been completed.
All recipients who are on a fiscal-year contract will receive 100 percent reassigned time for two months
during the summer of the fellowship in addition to accrued vacation time. They shall continue to receive their regular salary during this reassigned time.11.2.5. Conditions
Faculty summer fellowships are not awarded to enable faculty to complete degree requirements. Recipients of faculty summer fellowships will not teach any summer courses or perform any other paid duties for the University during the term of the fellowship. Exception: a recipient on an academic year contract may take part in isolated service activities for which he/she receives a small stipend, such as assisting with summer advising sessions or contributing a few hours to a summer camp, provided that the recipient extends the duration of the fellowship by one day for each extra service activity and receives confirmation in advance from the chair of the Benefits Committee.
Recipients of faculty summer fellowships must agree to return to the University for a minimum of one academic year following the fellowship or to repay the University the full amount of the fellowship stipend. Recipients of faculty summer fellowships must comply with the University’s outside-activity guidelines during the term of the fellowship.
In addition to the fellowship-reassigned time, a recipient on a fiscal-year contract is entitled to one month of vacation between mid-May and mid-August.
If, between the awarding of a fellowship and the funding or beginning of the fellowship, intervening circumstances prevent the recipient from fulfilling the terms of the fellowship or the University from funding the fellowship, the University is not obligated to fund the fellowship.
11.2.6. Reporting
No later than September 1, the faculty member shall submit a report to the Office of the Provost summarizing what was accomplished on the faculty summer fellowship. The report should consist of an approximately 250-word abstract outlining the major accomplishments, a one to two page extended overview of the fellowship and a photo of the faculty member or of their work appropriate for publication. The Office of the Provost will disseminate the report to the department chair (or other appropriate supervisor), to the dean of the faculty member’s college, and to the chair of the Faculty Benefits Committee. A copy of the report will be placed in the faculty member’s personnel file maintained in the Office of the Provost.
11.2.7. Procedures
The procedures set forth in Section 11.4 “Application and Procedure” apply to applications for faculty summer fellowships.
11.3.1. Purpose
Faculty project grants are awarded to provide funds to pay expenses, purchase equipment, and to cover other financial needs for sabbatical leaves, faculty summer fellowships, and for other instructional, scholarly, and creative activities where financial support is not available through department budgets. Availability of department funds should be communicated by department chairs or program/school directors as part of their evaluation of the application.
11.3.2. Eligibility for Faculty Project Grants
Full-time and part-time tenure-track or tenured faculty may apply for a faculty project grant. A faculty member who will receive a terminal contract is not eligible to receive a faculty project grant.
Revised: Fac. Senate, 5.7.2021/BoR, 11.16.2021 (extended eligibility to part-time tenure-track/tenured faculty)
11.3.3. Award
Normally the maximum amount for a faculty project grant will be the amount of a faculty summer fellowship. Especially worthy projects, however, may be funded with additional amounts. Grant funds will be made available on May 1 of the calendar year in which the award is made and must be spent before June 30 of the following calendar year.
11.3.4. Limitations
No salary or honorarium may be paid to any full-time faculty member from grant funds. Projects leading to completion of a terminal degree and student projects will not be funded.
11.3.5. Disposition of Purchased Property
All property, including equipment and art works, purchased with faculty project grant funds becomes the property of Northern Kentucky University. The provost will make the final determination of assignment of all property purchased with grant funds.
11.3.6. Grant Administration
11.3.6.1. Administration and Accounting
The Office of the Provost will coordinate administration and accounting for the grant. All expenditure authorizations must be approved prior to disbursement. The Office of the Provost will provide information and assistance in complying with regulations of the University and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
11.3.6.2. Fiscal Procedures
University fiscal policies and procedures are subject to change. Recipients of faculty project grants are expected to check with Office of the Provost to ensure adherence to current practices.
11.3.7. Final Report
Upon completion of the grant, the faculty member will submit a report to the Office of the Provost. The report should consist of an approximately 250-word abstract outlining the major accomplishments and completed goals, a one to two page extended overview of the project grant, and a photo of the faculty member of their work appropriate for publication. The Office of the Provost will disseminate the report to the department chair or other appropriate supervisor, the appropriate dean, and the chair of the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee. A copy of the report will be placed in the faculty member’s personnel file maintained in the Office of the Provost.
11.3.8. Procedures
The procedures set forth in Section 11.4 “Application and Procedures” apply to applications for faculty project grants. If, between the awarding of the faculty project grant and the funding or initiation of the project, there are intervening circumstances that would prevent the recipient from completing the project or prevent the University from funding the project, the University may revoke the grant.
11.4.1 Application
No later than 4:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday in October, the faculty member shall electronically submit the proposal for a specified faculty development program. A faculty member may apply for more than one program. Applications for summer fellowships and project grants must be given to the department chair/school director or program director and to the chair of the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee. Sabbatical applications must be given to the department chair/school director or program director, the college dean, and to the chair of the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee. In colleges where there is no department or school, the dean or a designee will function as department chair in these processes.
Each application must comply with the proposal criteria and format established by the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee and approved by the Faculty Senate.
No later than April 30, the Faculty Senate shall provide copies of the application form, criteria, and format to each chair and director. These documents will be available to the faculty from each chair and director no later than May 1 of each academic year for use in the following fall semester.
11.4.2. Evaluations and Recommendations
No later than the second Tuesday in October, the department chair or program/school director and college dean must evaluate all applications received. Department chairs and program/school directors must verify the eligibility of all applicants and must include a summary of the applicant’s stewardship of previous Faculty Development Awards. The evaluation must be forwarded to the chair of the Faculty Benefits Committee and the appropriate dean and the applicant. The evaluation of a sabbatical application by a college dean must include a summary of the contributions of the project to the college, the University, or the non-academic community. The dean’s evaluation must be forwarded to the chair of the Faculty Benefits Committee, the department chair/school director, and the applicant. In the event that a department chair/school director is applying to a faculty development program, the appropriate dean will fill the role of the chair/director in the evaluation process.
When a department chair/school director applies to the same faculty development program (such as the sabbatical or a project grant program) as a faculty member from his/her department, the chairperson/director will defer the responsibility of evaluating both the faculty member’s application, as well as his/her own application, to the dean. The dean will, therefore, evaluate the chairperson’s/director’s application and the faculty member’s application for eligibility, stewardship of prior awards, and value of the application to the college, University, or non-academic community. The dean’s letters shall be forwarded to the chair of the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee and to the respective applicants by the second Tuesday in October. In colleges where there is no department or school, the dean or a designee will function as department chair in these processes.
No later than December 1, the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee will submit to the provost a ranked list of all approved applications and a list of all unapproved applications.
The provost, after consultation with the appropriate dean, may change a recommendation of the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee; such changes will be made in consultation with the committee. No later than December 24, the provost will notify all applicants of the approval or disapproval of their faculty development program applications.
The provost maintains final responsibility for the dispersal of faculty development program funds.
11.4.3. Bylaws
The Faculty Senate Benefits Committee will maintain Bylaws for the evaluation of faculty development program applications. These Bylaws must be approved by the Faculty Senate and the provost. Copies of the Bylaws must be available to any faculty member from the chair of the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee.
11.4.4. Evaluation
In evaluating and ranking applications, the following are the primary factors that will be considered:
a) How well the proposal meets the purposes of the program for which application is made;
b) The value of the project to the applicant’s growth and professional status; the value of the project to the scholarly community;
c) The value of the project to the applicant’s teaching responsibilities and students;
d) The value of the project to the University;
e) The value of the project to the non-academic community;
f) The probability that the project will be carried out (to be measured in terms of the applicant’s background, previous success, and attainability of the goals stated);
g) The ability of the applicant to convey the content and importance of the project to those outside the applicant's own academic discipline;
h) Contribution of the project to the applicant’s ongoing scholarship or creative activity;
i) Investigation of alternative funding sources;
j) The urgency of the project to be undertaken; and
k) Overall quality of the proposal.
Other things being equal, preference should be given, first, to a candidate who has not previously received a program award; second, to a candidate without tenure; and, third, to a candidate who received a program award the longest time ago.
The Regents Professorship Award was established May 9, 1990, by the Board of Regents of Northern Kentucky University.
The Regents Professorship shall be awarded from time to time to those at the rank of Professor who, at the apex of their careers, have a demonstrated record of academic achievements that have brought acclaim to the University. Upon selection, the Regents Professor shall carry such title for the remainder of their tenure at the University. Compensation for the award may include salary compensation, reassigned time, and other benefits as stipulated by the Board of Regents. Appropriate personnel should make the presentation of the Regents Professorship to the person receiving the award at the appropriate college commencement in the spring prior to the first year of the initial Regents Professorship term.
The Regents Professorship selection process shall be administered by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Announcements regarding the award availability will be made to all full-time faculty.
11.6.1. Definitions
“Reassigned time” is a reduction granted in the normal teaching load to faculty to allow them to pursue professional growth and improved teaching effectiveness, but it may be limited by budgetary or departmental considerations. A reduced workload may be granted to librarians for worthwhile projects but may be limited by budgetary or departmental considerations.
“Faculty-initiated reassigned time” is reassigned time that is initiated by a faculty member (see also Section 11.7 “Administrative-Initiated Reassigned Time”).
11.6.2. Eligibility for Faculty-Initiated Reassigned Time
This policy applies to all full-time, tenure-track faculty, except that faculty on terminal contracts are not eligible to receive faculty-initiated reassigned time.
11.6.3. Purpose and Scope
A faculty member may request reassigned time for creative and scholarly activity, for research, for curriculum development, or for community research and service. The following are examples of the types of projects that may qualify; these descriptions are not intended to be all-inclusive:
• Faculty development, such as scholarly and creative activity as defined in Section 3.1.2; research in developing experimental projects; research in improvement of teaching skills; holding a responsible, time-consuming office in a regional or national professional organization.
• Curriculum development, such as revising programs; developing multi-section courses or new courses that require extensive preparation; writing grant proposals—all of which would further objectives of the department.
• Community research and service, such as coordinating service projects; development and implementation of workshops, research and analysis, special training projects or conferences; writing or editing service publications; holding a responsible, time-consuming office in regional or national service organizations.
11.6.4. Limitations
Reassigned time will not be granted for paid consultation, for “normal” course revisions that are routinely required of all faculty, or for research or writing or course study to meet degree requirements. Award of reassigned time is conditioned upon signing a non-terminal contract for the academic year for which reassigned time is awarded.
11.6.5. General
A college may maintain funds for staffing departments/schools that have faculty on faculty-initiated reassigned time. Where proposals are equally justifiable, the dean will attempt to equitably distribute reassigned time among departments/schools. Requests for reassigned time may be made for a one- or two-semester duration. The award will clearly state the amount of reassigned time. The amount of reassigned time will be stated as a percentage of the regular 12-hour teaching load, or percentage of normal workload for librarians, within the department/school. The maximum amount of reassigned time per person shall not normally exceed 50 percent. There is no restriction as to how often a faculty member may request reassigned time but, all other factors being equal, priority will be given to those who were not given reduced teaching loads in the previous semester.
11.6.6. Procedure and Evaluation
Faculty members initiate requests for reassigned time by submitting proposals in writing, using the appropriate form if one exists, to the chair or other appropriate supervisor, no later than the end of the seventh week of the semester prior to the semester for which reassigned time is requested.
The chair or school director will recommend either approval or disapproval of the proposal and forward it to the appropriate dean. The dean will either approve or disapprove the proposal. The dean will use these criteria to evaluate each proposal:
• Explicitness of the goals;
• Attainability of the goals in the time period;
• Sufficiency of the applicant’s background for attainment of the stated goals;
• Contributions to one or more of the following:
o The applicant’s growth or professional status;
o The program area;
o The University;
o The scholarly community;
o The non-academic community; and
o The chair’s/director’s recommendation.
At the end of each semester, the dean will send a list of all faculty granted faculty-initiated reassigned time to the department chair/school director and to the provost.
11.6.7. Intervening Circumstances
In the event circumstances develop between the time of awarding reassigned time and the beginning of the reassignment that prevent the faculty member from fulfilling the terms of the reassignment or the University from funding the reassigned time, the University may withdraw the award of reassignment.
The administrative officers of the University may assign a faculty member to serve in an administrative or other capacity for a specified time. This assignment may be full-time or part-time for a limited period.
Each full-time regular faculty member may take up to six (6) semester hours of NKU course work per semester/entire summer session without being required to pay tuition. Each full-time regular faculty will be provided with a tuition waiver benefit of six (6) semester hours of NKU course work each semester for the faculty member’s spouse and each dependent. “Full-time regular faculty” is defined as tenured full-time faculty, tenure track full-time probationary faculty, and non-tenure track renewable full-time faculty.
After one year of continuous service, a temporary non-tenure track full-time faculty may take up to six (6) semester hours of NKU course work per semester/entire summer session without being required to pay tuition. Beginning in the fourth year of continuous service, the employee’s spouse and dependents will also eligible for six (6) hours per semester.
After two semesters/entire summer session over the course of one academic year of continuous service, a part-time faculty member may take up to three (3) credit hours per semester/entire summer session without being required to pay tuition. The employee’s legal spouse and dependents are not eligible for the tuition benefit.
Each department/school and program may be allocated faculty travel funds. The chair or director is responsible for allocating these funds among faculty. The purpose of the travel funds is to enable faculty to travel for professional purposes, especially to enable faculty to present papers and to serve on professional panels. Each faculty member is responsible for securing proper authorization for travel and for submitting the proper forms and information for reimbursement of travel expenses.
