A. Sabbatical

1. Definition

Faculty members with multi-year appointments who have completed six continuous years of full-time teaching at Bennington are eligible to apply for sabbatical leaves. Faculty members may choose to apply for either one term at full salary or a year of sabbatical leave at 55 percent salary. Sabbatical leaves must be taken in the first or second term after eligibility unless the APC recommends and the Provost and Dean of the College concludes that the needs of the College require deferral of the sabbatical for an additional period. Prior to taking a sabbatical leave for which a faculty member is eligible, he/she may not accrue more than two excess terms to be credited toward his/her next sabbatical leave.

2. Purpose

Sabbatical leave is granted to faculty not only as a recognition of service through teaching and of contributions to the College community, but especially as an aid and inducement to further achievements. It is intended to provide the faculty with opportunities for continued professional growth for the benefit of both the faculty member and the College. Sabbaticals are not to be used primarily for recreation and recuperation. Sabbatical leave terms do not accrue toward a faculty member’s next sabbatical. A sabbatical for teaching elsewhere is generally discouraged but may be approved by the APC and the Provost and Dean in exceptional circumstances. The opportunity for taking a sabbatical at regular intervals is not absolutely guaranteed by the College and will be granted, at the sole discretion of the College, only when the condition of the area of teaching involved and of the College is such that the faculty member’s proposed absence will not seriously impair the interests of the College.

B. Early Sabbatical

1. Definition

Faculty members who have completed a minimum of three continuous years of full-time teaching at Bennington and have been reappointed following a Faculty Performance Review are eligible to apply for an early sabbatical. The early sabbatical is a competitively awarded leave. Faculty members may choose to apply for either one term at full salary or a year of sabbatical leave at 55 percent salary. Early sabbaticals must be taken within the first or second term after being awarded and cannot be deferred. Early sabbatical leave terms do not accrue toward a faculty member’s next sabbatical. Faculty members who are awarded early sabbaticals are eligible to apply for their next sabbatical after completing six continuous years of full-time teaching at Bennington following the early sabbatical.

2. Purpose

The early sabbatical is a competitively awarded leave intended to provide faculty with the opportunity for continued professional growth in a timely manner. Normally, one early sabbatical will be approved each academic year. As with sabbaticals, the leave is granted to faculty not only as a recognition of service through teaching and for contributions to the College community, but especially as an aid and inducement to further achievements. Early sabbatical leave terms are not to be used primarily for recreation and recuperation. A sabbatical for teaching elsewhere is generally discouraged but may be approved by the APC and the Provost and Dean in exceptional circumstances.

3. Proposal Review

Early sabbatical proposals are reviewed by a committee consisting of the Dean and Provost of the College, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Chair of the Academic Policy Committee, and the Chair of the Faculty Performance Review Committee. The Committee recommends a faculty member candidate to the Academic Policy Committee. The granting of the leave is made by the Provost and Dean of the College after recommendation from the Academic Policy Committee.

Bennington Studies Leave

1. Definition

Faculty members who have completed a minimum of three continuous years of full-time teaching at Bennington and have been reappointed following a Faculty Performance Review are eligible to apply for a Bennington Studies Leave. The Bennington Studies Leave is a competitively awarded leave. Faculty members apply for one term at full salary. A Bennington Studies Leave must be taken within the first or second term after awarded and cannot be deferred. The term in which the Bennington Studies Leave is taken accrues toward Sabbatical Leave. Following the completion of the Bennington Studies Leave, the faculty member is required to make a presentation describing the work and its impact on the College community.

2. Purpose

The one-term Bennington Studies Leave may be awarded to one faculty member each year to facilitate greater engagement with the academic life of the college. During the term of the leave, the faculty member participates fully in two Bennington College courses (including papers, presentations, performances, labs, workshops, etc.). The faculty member does not teach but is expected to continue advising students, participating in committee work and other College community service.

3. Proposal Review

Bennington Studies Leave applications are reviewed by a committee consisting of the Dean and Provost of the College, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Chair of the Academic Policy Committee, and the Chair of the Faculty Performance Review Committee. The Committee recommends a faculty member candidate to the Academic Policy Committee. The granting of the leave is made by the Provost and Dean of the College after recommendation from the Academic Policy Committee.

Unpaid Leaves for Professional Purposes

Faculty members may, with the recommendation of the APC and approval of the Provost and Dean, apply to take unpaid professional leave at a time when they are not eligible to receive College-supported sabbatical leave. Unpaid professional leaves may be granted for research, study, and teaching at another institution, or other forms of professional development provided that such leaves will not interfere with the educational responsibilities of the College. Faculty members must be in residence and teaching no fewer than two continuous years (four terms) before each application will be considered. Such leaves may be for a term or a year. The base salary of faculty members on professional leave will be adjusted on their return by the amount of any general faculty salary increase granted during their absence. Up to two terms of unpaid professional leave may be taken between sabbaticals without canceling terms already accrued toward the next sabbatical. Leave terms will not accrue toward sabbatical. A faculty member proposing such a leave, in order to avoid resetting the sabbatical clock, must propose the leave by December 1 of the academic year preceding the proposed leave, and that proposal must be approved by the APC and by the Provost and Dean of the College.

Administration of Sabbatical Leaves, Bennington Studies Leaves, and Unpaid Leaves of Absence

A. Applications

Faculty members will be notified of their upcoming sabbatical and Bennington Studies Leave eligibility on or about September 15 of the academic year preceding their eligibility. A faculty member who wishes to apply for a leave must submit an application by December 1 of the academic year preceding the proposed leave whether that leave will be for a year or term. The application must include:

1. The dates of the requested term or year of leave.

2. If a sabbatical leave, the general outline of the work that will be undertaken and a statement of how the work meets the purpose of College sabbaticals: to provide opportunities for professional growth for the benefit of the faculty member and the College.

3. If an early sabbatical leave, the general outline of the work that will be undertaken and a statement of how the work meets the intent of College sabbaticals: to provide opportunities for professional growth for the benefit of the faculty member and the College. The application must also include a statement addressing the need for the timely undertaking of the work involved.

4. If a Bennington Studies Leave, the courses the faculty member will complete and his/her reasons for pursuing the coursework.

5. If an unpaid leave for professional purposes, a general outline of those purposes and the activities to be undertaken.

B. Reports

By the end of the first month of teaching following the leave, all faculty members granted a leave are expected to forward to the APC and the Provost and Dean copies of a report on activities undertaken during the period of the leave. For Bennington Studies Leaves, the faculty member is required to make a presentation describing the work and its impact on the College community.

C. Benefits During Leaves

1. Sabbatical and Bennington Studies Leaves. The College will pay its customary share of all employee benefits while a faculty member is on paid sabbatical leave, prorated to his or her sabbatical salary.

2. Unpaid Leaves of Absence. Benefits during unpaid leaves vary. The College will pay its customary share of medical, disability, and life insurance premiums for faculty on unpaid leaves who have no outside income during that period. Faculty members must continue to pay their own share of these premiums. The same arrangements will exist for faculty members who have outside income from a grant, employer, or other source that will not pay benefits. The College will not, however, provide benefits for faculty members on unpaid leave who have outside income from a grant or employer who pays benefits. The grant or employer will be expected to assume the cost of the faculty member’s employee benefits in this case.

The College will not make Social Security or TIAA-CREF contributions during unpaid leaves of any kind, since these benefits are tied to salary payments. In all cases, faculty members planning to take unpaid leaves should discuss their individual cases with the Human Resources Office to be sure employee benefits are being properly provided.

D. Changes of Leave

Orderly planning of program and curricular staffing requires certainty about leaves for individual faculty members and has an impact on the size of the faculty. Once an individual has requested and been granted a leave, whether paid or unpaid, for a specific period, the individual may not unilaterally decide to forgo the leave and return to regular teaching. The rescinding of an already-granted leave requires the approval of the APC and the Provost and Dean of the College.