Sabbatical Leave Policy

I.    Statement of Principle

The regents of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology accept the principle that a sabbatical leave plan benefits the Institute by providing opportunities for professional advancement to members of the teaching and research staff.

II.   Purpose of the Sabbatical Leave Plan

The sabbatical leave plan of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is designed to provide tenured members of the professional teaching and research staff the stimulus, the time, and the leisure to enable them to extend their information, to explore new areas of knowledge, to make contact with distinguished scholars, and to reconstruct effectively their own patterns of thinking, in order that they might serve the Institute more effectively.

III.  The Sabbatical Leave Plan

1.  A sabbatical leave plan is required of members of the professional teaching and research staffs of the Institute. Teaching faculty should submit the plan in time to allow the evaluation process to be completed at least one regular semester before the leave begins.

2.  A staff member becomes eligible to apply for sabbatical leave after having achieved tenure and after the completion of six full years of service since beginning employment or since the last sabbatical leave.

3.  A member of the staff upon fulfilling conditions as specified above may apply for sabbatical leave upon the recommendation of his or her department head of supervisor and division director (the Vice President for Academic Affairs serves as the division director of the College). The division director will refer the proposal for leave to a sabbatical leave committee elected by the Institute Senate and containing representatives from the entire professional staff of the Institute. The sabbatical leave committee will review the proposal and evaluate its conformity with the general purpose of sabbatical leave as stated in Part II and the conditions stated in paragraph 4 below. When an excess of applications are received, the sabbatical leave committee will recommend priorities. The committee will forward its recommendations to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the President shall be filed by the staff member with the request for leave.

4.  Conditions of sabbatical leave are that the staff member engage in scholarly activity such as study, research, or writing, and that he or she plan to return to the institute for a period of at least one year following the sabbatical leave.

5.  The availability of funds and other financial adjustments shall be decided by the President with the advice of other administrative officers.

6.  At the option of the candidate, the request for sabbatical leave may be made according to one of the following alternatives:  

a.  for one full contract period at one-half salary. In this case, the salary freed could be used to cover required courses through temporary appointments.

b.  for one semester at full salary. In this instance, any required courses would either be carried by other members of the department or arrangements made to defer the course(s) for a semester (the students must be aware of these changes at least one semester in advance so as to plan their course programs). Salary will not be available to cover the courses with temporary faculty, except in extraordinary cases.

7.  The applicant shall furnish the President a statement of outside salaries, consulting fees, and other financial support likely to be received during the sabbatical period. While on sabbatical a staff member will be
permitted to engage in private consulting subject to the consulting policy in effect for his or her Division. The staff member's total earnings, exclusive of private consulting fees, while on sabbatical should not exceed his or
her full time salary at the Institute plus travel and relocation costs and appropriate cost of living adjustments. The staff member is responsible for supplying cost of living differential information.

8.  All other conditions having been fulfilled, requests for leave shall be considered on the basis of length of service.

9.  Following a sabbatical leave, a staff member will be expected to prepare a brief written report on his or her sabbatical activities.
 

IV.    Other Leaves of Absence

At the discretion of the President, with the advice of other administrative officers, any full-time member of the instructional, research, of administrative staff on regular appointment may be granted leave of absence without pay.

V.    Report to the Regents

The President shall report annually to the Regents on all actions taken on requested leaves of absence.