II. Privileges of Faculty Members

A. Sabbatical Policy

1. Statement of Purpose

   The sabbatical program at the University of Tampa provides a faculty member with necessary leave from normal duties to promote intellectual or professional renewal, to sustain intellectual or professional growth, or to pursue the enrichment of teaching. Even though sabbatical topics are diverse, scholarly activities are the primary focus of all sabbaticals. All rights, privileges and benefits as a faculty member continue through the sabbatical leave.

   A sabbatical may be taken for one semester at full pay or an entire year at half pay. All fringe benefits and evaluations for salary increases continue during the sabbatical leave. After completing a sabbatical, the faculty member must continue his/her service to UT for not less than one full academic year following the academic year in which the sabbatical is taken or reimburse the University for the salary and benefits paid during the sabbatical period.

   Appropriate sabbatical activities may include study, research, writing, creative explorations, and artistic performance. Sabbatical leaves are not granted for the following reasons: illness, family leave, vacation, or solely for financial gain. A faculty member is encouraged to seek external financial support for his/her sabbatical, but such support must be consistent with the Handbook policy regarding outside employment. Nor should employment during the sabbatical period defeat the purpose of the sabbatical.

2. Eligibility

   A tenured faculty member may apply for a first sabbatical in his or her 6th year of full‐time service at the University of Tampa with the sabbatical to be taken in the 7th year. A faculty member may apply for a sabbatical and tenure/promotion during the 6th year of full‐time University of Tampa academic service.

   In the 6th full academic year after completing a sabbatical, a faculty member is eligible to apply for the next sabbatical to be taken in the 7th year. An unpaid leave of absence does not count as a year of service nor does it erase the accrual of previous years of service.

   If a faculty member’s proposal is recommended for approval by the Faculty Sabbatical Committee and approved by the provost but the applicant’s sabbatical is deferred by the provost, then the applicant’s accepted proposal requires no resubmission. The proposal will be given the highest priority by the provost among the approved sabbatical applications in the following year. The deferral does not alter his/her place in the rotation: in these circumstances, the faculty member will again be eligible for a sabbatical seven years from the date originally requested for the deferred sabbatical.

   When the provost denies a faculty member’s proposal, the faculty member may reapply in any subsequent year. The denial alters his/her place in the rotation: in these circumstances, the faculty member will again be eligible for a sabbatical seven years from when a sabbatical is granted by the provost. A faculty member who chooses not to apply for a sabbatical when eligible will alter his/her sabbatical cycle: the cycle will not resume until the faculty member goes on a sabbatical.

3. Application Procedure & Review

   The provost will solicit sabbatical proposals for the next year by notifying all eligible faculty members by April 1st prior to the year in which they can apply. At the same time the provost provides notice to the faculty member, the provost will also provide a current application and the notification of sabbatical training, to be led by members of the Faculty Sabbatical Committee. Faculty members are urged to signal their intent as early as possible. The applicant is responsible for forwarding their completed application to the provost, the appropriate college dean, department chair and the University’s Faculty Sabbatical Committee by October 1.

   In addition to the application cover sheet, the sabbatical request must include a clear and concise statement of not more than five (5) pages detailing:

   1. What will be done during the sabbatical;
   2. How the faculty member’s proposed sabbatical leave will:
      1. Enhance teaching/scholarship and foster significant intellectual, professional growth or renewal;
      2. Substantively benefit the applicant’s discipline(s) and the University;
   3. How the faculty member will document the effectiveness of the sabbatical at its conclusion.

   The Faculty Sabbatical Committee will evaluate the proposal’s merit using the above criteria. If the proposal is found to be meritorious, the committee will recommend approval. If there are concerns about the proposal, the chair of the Faculty Sabbatical Committee will work with the faculty member to help meet the criteria. Written comments will be sent to the applicant, who will be allowed one week to respond in writing to the Faculty Sabbatical Committee.

   The Faculty Sabbatical Committee will forward their recommendations to the provost by December 1st. On that same date the committee will copy each sabbatical applicant and his or her department chair and dean on the recommendation sent to the provost. Each recommendation will specifically state if the FSC recommended the proposal for approval or denial. Each recommendation for denial will provide an explicit and detailed rationale regarding the recommendation.

   Sabbatical applicants whose sabbatical requests are recommended for denial by the FSC may send a letter of rebuttal to the provost within five working days.

   The provost’s decision shall normally be based on merit, subject to budgetary and staffing limitations. The provost will send out letters of approval, delay, or denial to all sabbatical applicants prior to January 7 of that academic year. Each letter will provide an explicit and detailed rationale as to why the sabbatical was denied or delayed, if such is the case. The recommendation will also include whether or not the dean and chair were consulted as to the delay and their recommendations, if any.

   After a sabbatical application has been approved, any substantial changes in the sabbatical plan must be communicated to the provost, the dean, the department chair and the chair of the Faculty Sabbatical Committee. The faculty member must submit a summary of the sabbatical activities to the dean and the provost within 90 days of completing the sabbatical.

   This policy and process may be disrupted when the president, provost, deans, and the Faculty Sabbatical Committee agree that financial difficulties exist.

B. Leave of Absence

In response to a request from a faculty member, the provost may grant a leave of absence without pay for a period not to exceed two years. Requests for such leaves of absence must be filed with the provost at least sixty (60) days prior to the first day of the leave. The leave of absence will not affect the faculty member's eligibility for tenure, promotion in rank, or contract renewal, but the period of the leave will not count as time served toward tenure. Unpaid leaves of absence may be granted for the following reasons: faculty exchange, advanced study, scholarship/research or creative endeavor, public service, or personal hardship.

C. Faculty Development Grants

The University of Tampa funds faculty scholarship and research through the Research Innovation and Scholarly Excellence Grant Program (RISE). RISE funds provide financial support for professional development projects that clearly contribute to faculty members’ excellence as scholars, and therefore, more informed teachers. This grant program is made possible by contributions from three sources: (1) University of Tampa money allocated for funding in recognition of Dr. David Delo, who served as President of The University of Tampa from 1958 to 1971; (2) the Dana Foundation; and (3) the University of Tampa Alumni Association.

Other faculty development programs include Teaching Innovation Grants, Professional Development Awards, and inquiry-based experiential education grants. RISE and Professional Development grants are recommended by the Faculty Grants Committee and forwarded to the provost for final approval. Teaching Innovation Grants are reviewed and approved by the dean and associate dean(s) within each college. Inquiry-based experiential education grants include grants for year-long and summer undergraduate research and inquiry projects and are reviewed and approved by the Undergraduate Research and Inquiry Committee.

The provost in consultation with the Faculty Grants Committee defines criteria and announces the awards annually. At the conclusion of the grant period, the recipient of a grant is required to file a narrative report on the work that has been accomplished as a result of the grant. The director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry in consultation with the Undergraduate Research and Inquiry Committee defines criteria and announces the awards annually. At the conclusion of the inquiry-based experiential education grant period, the student and faculty recipients will be required to submit proposals for appropriate conferences or external grant funding, as outlined in the policy and implementation guidelines for each grant.

D. Faculty Remuneration Practices

Faculty payroll checks are distributed through the payroll office according to a schedule published at the beginning of each fiscal year.

The University does not grant salary advances to any employee. Upon employment, faculty members must file a Form W‐4 with the human resources office, so that withholding tax may be deducted from their salary checks as required by Federal law. Each new faculty member must also satisfactorily complete an INS Form I‐9 prior to the beginning of employment as required by Federal law.

E. Faculty Travel Policy

1. Purpose

   The University supports a broad range of research, teaching, and other travel activities ranging from individual travel to travel by groups of faculty. The following paragraphs specify the reimbursement policies for faculty travel expenses.

2. Prior Approval

   Prior to any travel and the actual incurring of expenses, all University‐ sponsored travel requires written approval by the appropriate designated authority (i.e. academic deans and associate deans). If the travel involves international travel, the approved travel report form must also be forwarded to the International Programs Office in order to monitor any travel advisories.

3. Faculty with U.S. Passports

   In planning for international travel, faculty with U.S. passports should be diligent in checking the expiration date on their passports. Travel can be denied if a passport will expire within 6 months of the date of return from travel. It is also the responsibility of faculty holding U.S. passports to arrange for all necessary travel visas, travel immunizations, re‐entry documentation and/or other essential documentation prior to travel. It is the responsibility of each faculty member to officially register with the U.S. embassy or consulate in the country or countries he/she is visiting at www.travel.state.gov. Confirmation and proof of the registration process must be forwarded by the traveler to the International Programs Office.

4. Travel Reimbursement

   Travel can be divided into three categories: travel for faculty development, travel to present a paper at a conference, and international travel to present a paper at a conference Travel reimbursement will include the following:

   1. Registration cost of conference
   2. Personal accommodation/hotel/motel costs
   3. Personal airline travel. Airport parking fees of personal auto will be reimbursed
   4. Personal car mileage in lieu of air fare but not to exceed equivalent coach airfare
   5. Personal meal allowance for breakfast, lunch and dinner (no alcoholic beverages allowed)
   6. Public transportation (taxis, buses, airport limos and trains) at destination. Rental cars may be used if justified by cost savings and/or the requirements of the trip.
   7. Passport and visa costs

      The amount that will be reimbursed is dependent upon the type of travel and is exclusive of any additional financial assistance the faculty member may receive from the University or other sources. The reimbursement for a faculty member is limited each year to one of the following three cases (i.e. the reimbursement per year is not the sum of the three cases):

      1. Domestic travel for faculty development is the lowest level of reimbursement
      2. Domestic travel for presentation at a conference will be 125% of the lowest level of reimbursement
      3. International travel for presentation at a conference will be 175% of the lowest level of reimbursement

         Each college will have a travel budget each year based upon the number of full‐time faculty in the College. At the end of a budget year, if all of the money has not been distributed, the College may reimburse those faculty members who exceeded their reimbursement limit with additional amounts in equal portions.

         Travel expenses for recruitment, grants, or business of the University will be reimbursed from the recruitment, grant or business budgets and not the colleges’ travel budgets.