Sabbatical at UNF

Questioner: Anonymous

Posted to: Jay Coleman, Associate Provost

I would like to see a breakdowns by college/unit for those awarded half-year, full pay sabbaticals. Although I have been at UNF for many years, I have never taken a sabbatical, and have been turned down for the half-year, full pay sabbatical (many faculty cannot afford the full year, half-pay sabbatical). I would also like to know if there will be an increase in the number of half-year, full pay sabbaticals as the number of faculty has increased steadily. Obviously, the odds have been skewed against the faculty with so few sabbaticals and so many more faculty competing for them than in years past.

Chip,

In response to the first request raised at Faculty Association regarding sabbaticals, please find attached a grid that presents the breakdown by college/department of the number of sabbatical applications vs. the number of sabbatical awards (half-year/full pay) for the 2015-16 year.

In response to the second request, the number of sabbaticals is dictated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (article 24), and is designed to increase as the number of eligible faculty increases:

Each year, the University Administration will make available at least one (1) sabbatical at full-pay for one (1) semester for each forty (40) eligible faculty members, subject to the conditions set forth below. The University Administration may, with the approval of the local UFF Chapter, provide sabbaticals that are equivalent to the one (1) semester, full-pay, sabbaticals.

The number of eligible faculty members is determined by first having our Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) perform a query based on in-unit status and number of years at UNF (6).  We then subtract those faculty members who have received sabbaticals in the previous five years (recipients must have six years of continuous service at UNF to be eligible to apply again). The result is divided by 40 and rounded to the closest integer.

This past year there were 209 eligible faculty, and we awarded five sabbaticals.  In the couple years prior, the number of eligible faculty was 182 and 190, both of which also yielded five awarded sabbaticals using the process above.

With best regards,

Jay Coleman​