Mandate:
The MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee will review all sabbatical leave applications and determine whether to grant, defer or deny the leave. Decisions of the Committee will be based on resources available and will be based on the merits and feasibility of the proposed project, the value to the member, and to the University. The University will ensure that faculty from a range of faculties, schools, and divisions are granted sabbatical leave by taking numbers of continuing faculty per faculty/school/division into account when making recommendations.
Related Policy: D2080 Sabbatical Leave
1. Mandate
The MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee will review all sabbatical leave applications and determine whether to grant, defer or deny the leave. Decisions of the Committee will be based on resources available and will be based on the merits and feasibility of the proposed project, the value to the member, and to the University. The University will ensure that faculty from a range of faculties, schools, and divisions are granted sabbatical leave by taking numbers of continuing faculty per faculty/school/division into account when making recommendations.
2. Accountability
2.1 The Committee is responsible for receiving recommendations of faculties/school/divisions, prioritizing and making recommendations to the Executive Vice President Academic for granting, denying, or deferring sabbatical applications.
2.2 The Associate Vice President Academic and Research shall provide to the Vice President Finance and University Services, Academic Governance Council, and the Board of Governors, an annual statistical report stating the number of sabbatical leaves granted, deferred, and denied, listed by faculty/school/division.
3. Composition
3.1 The MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee will consist of the following members (as per Policy D2080 Sabbatical Leave):
a) Associate Vice-President Academic and Research (Chair)
b) Research Officer
c) Faculty Development Coordinator
d) Continuing Faculty Members: a sufficient number (4-6) appointed by the Academic Governance Council to represent a range of disciplines/programs and the kind of scholarly professional work at the University. At least one member from each faculty/school must sit on the committee.
3.2 Members of the MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee are not required to be members of AGC.
4. Term of Office
4.1 Apart from the Chair (Associate Vice-President Academic and Research), Research Officer, and Faculty Development Coordinator, members shall serve two year terms.
5. Committee Operations
5.1 The MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee will oversee the integrity of the Sabbatical application process by reviewing all the documentation available to the Faculty/School/Division Sabbatical Leave Committee.
5.2 The MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee shall receive the report and recommendations of Faculty/ School/ Division Sabbatical Leave Committees and of Deans; review the recommendations; and make decisions to recommend the granting, deferral, or denial of each application based on resources available. The committee will have in its possession a document from the Human Resources Department confirming the eligibility of the application.
5.3 Deliberations shall take place in confidence and decisions based on the following factors:
- The merit of the proposed project in terms of benefits to the member and the University. This will be based on the strength of the recommendation of Faculty/ School/ Division Sabbatical Leave Committees, the recommendation of Deans, and application documents submitted.
- The desirability of promoting sabbatical leaves for faculty representing a range of the University’s academic programs/disciplines located in different faculties/schools/divisions.
- The applicant’s past University work performance (annual reports for the preceding two years) and past sabbatical leave performance (if applicable)
- The faculty/school/division’s strategic academic plan and the programming impacts on the faculty/school when appropriate.
5.4 Deferred approvals from previous years will be given priority as per clause 4.5.5 of Policy D2080: Sabbatical Leave.
5.5 A report will be prepared summarizing the approvals, deferrals, and denials of applications. The approved applications will be ranked as part of committee deliberations.
5.6 The MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee will grant deferrals only in exceptional cases where circumstances arise that potentially jeopardize professional, teaching, and/or scholarship needs within the University. Individual faculty members may request deferral or cancellation of successful sabbatical leave applications in writing to the Committee.
5.7 The Office of the Associate Vice President Academic and Research shall provide administrative and resource support to the Committee.
5.8 Members of the MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee are expected to maintain confidentiality of all documentation and discussions. The Chair of the committee will ensure that all documentation (including committee member notes) is collected and secured when deliberations are complete.
Note:If a member of the MacEwan Sabbatical Leave Committee applies for sabbatical leave while serving on the committee, his/ her membership will be deemed void, and he/she will be asked to resign from the Committee.
Approved by Academic Governance Council
April 14, 2009 (Motion AGC-03-04-14-2009)
December 1, 2009: Updated as result of change of name to Grant MacEwan University (Motion AGC-09-11-17-2009)
Meeting Time:
The Committee meets annually in November
Chair: Susan May, Associate Vice President Academic and Research
Administrative Support: John Friesen
Phone: 780-633-3370
