Leave Policies

Sabbatical Leaves

Sabbatical leaves are opportunities for faculty members on continuing appointments to further their development as teacher-scholars, benefiting both themselves and the College. Therefore, faculty are encouraged to take sabbaticals on a regular basis and should apply for a sabbatical leave only if they are returning to the College after the leave.  Eligibility to apply for a sabbatical leave is a function of rank and of semesters spent in full-time teaching service to the College. 

All eligible faculty, upon completion of six semesters of teaching at the College at the rank of Assistant Professor or above, may apply to take a leave for research or other scholarly activity on one of the following plans:

(a)    Seventh Semester With Subvention for one semester on full semester salary;

(b)    Seventh Semester Without Subvention for one semester on half semester salary.

All eligible faculty, upon completion of twelve semesters of teaching at the College at the rank of Assistant Professor or above, may apply to take a leave for research or other scholarly activity on one of the following plans:

(a)    Seventh Year With Subvention for two semesters on full salary;

(b)    Seventh Year Without Subvention for one semester on full salary or one year on half salary;

(c)    Seventh Semester With Subvention for one semester on full semester salary;

(d)    Seventh Semester Without Subvention for one semester on half semester salary.

Faculty will not be penalized for taking a seventh semester sabbatical later than the seventh semester if such a delayed leave accommodates departmental needs.

Leaves Without Pay

Providing the application is received by the October deadline, leave-without-pay for a semester or a year may be granted to faculty members who have special opportunities for study or research at times when they are not regularly eligible for sabbatical leave.  Leave without pay for a semester or a year may be requested without regard to rank or term of service, but no combination of sabbatical leave and leaves without pay can exceed two years of continuous absence. Such leave periods do not accrue teaching credit toward future sabbaticals. Those granted such leaves are not eligible for Pomona College research or travel grants during the time of the leave without pay; in addition, except under the special circumstances described under Fellowship Leaves, the College will assume no responsibility for a faculty member's benefit payments during a leave without pay. The College's policy on leaves-without-pay for purposes other than professional development (such as medical or family leave) is described in Chapter II, Section E, of this handbook.

General

Sabbatical leaves count toward the date of consideration for tenure and promotion to full professor, but leaves without pay normally delay these considerations. Faculty members are required to be in full-time service at least two continuous full years between any two periods of leave.

Sabbatical Subventions

Faculty members applying for sabbatical subventions and junior faculty applying for Steele sabbatical leaves are required to seek outside support from one external source. Feedback from applications to outside funding agencies can yield helpful advice from colleagues and lead to refinement of the leave project. The online application for sabbatical leave includes space to identify the external source(s) to which the faculty member have applied or plan to apply.  The subvention request must be included in the Leave Application.  The Associate Dean's office can provide assistance in locating funding sources and making applications.

A new link to the web application will be emailed to all faculty members at the beginning of the Fall semester. The online application is comprised of selecting answers from a drop down boxes, a few questions that require short text answers, and upload fields for PDF files. A check list of attachments and required information is provided below.

Requested Information

• Semester(s)/Period and Type of Leave you are requesting
• 1 to 3-sentence summary of your leave plan
• Information pertaining to at least one External Grant Application (required for subvention requests and Steele leaves)
• Name of Foundation or Granting Agency
       Amount of Funding Request
       Deadline to Apply
       External grant proposal(s) as a PDF – (if already submitted)
• Description of accomplishments from last leave, and list of publications, exhibitions, etc. resulting from last leave
• Purpose and plan of study for the requested leave, describing the significance of the project and methodology
• Current CV

Leave Application Deadlines

Members of the faculty who wish to apply for sabbatical leaves, Steele leaves, or leaves without pay for either or both semesters of the following academic year, or for the entire calendar year beginning the following Spring, must submit an on-line application in early October. Because of the extensive approval process and the date of the Trustees' meeting at which formal approval is given, it is very important to meet this deadline. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. A deadline in the Fall term preceding the year of a requested leave permits orderly planning for possible faculty replacements by the department and Dean's Office. Just as important, it enables faculty to submit applications for outside funding well ahead of a planned sabbatical. Please note that you must submit a formal leave request whether or not you have secured sources of external funding to support your proposed leave.

The deadline for notifying the Dean's Office about whether an approved leave will not be taken is in January. This deadline enables budget planning processes for staffing to proceed smoothly.

Applications for all types of leaves are reviewed by the Research Committee, the Faculty Personnel Committee, the Cabinet, and the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.

The Research Committee reviews proposed leave projects to ensure that the College makes the best possible use of resources set aside for scholarly activity and for individual faculty development.  The Committee's participation in the approval process enables it to assess the merits of proposals and to provide guidance designed to assist faculty in refining their research plans.

The Faculty Personnel Committee reviews leave proposals with respect to their departmental and collegiate personnel implications.

Applications must be submitted online no later than the annual deadline in the Associate Dean's application announcement message - this year, October 7, 2024. This deadline allows adequate time for review and advice to applicants by the above bodies. Requests for leaves after this date will not be accepted.

When the approvals process is complete, leave applicants will be notified and reminded of some follow-up information they'll need to provide the Dean's Office regarding salary options and office space needs.