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College of Business Administration (CBA)

Sabbatical program

The faculty sabbatical program is governed by UW System Administrative Policy 160. Refer to the UWL Provost Office Sabbatical Guidance website for further information regarding the following:

  • Eligibility requirements
  • Available sabbatical types
  • Sabbatical compensation
  • Considerations for grants and other awards for sabbatical activities
  • Additional considerations

Purpose

The purpose of the sabbatical program is to enable recipients to be engaged in intensive study in order to become more effective teachers and scholars and to enhance their services to the university. This privilege is granted to faculty members on the merit of their past academic contributions.

 

College Procedures & Requirements

Application & Review Procedures

Deadline: Sabbatical applications are due via email to the Dean’s Office by the second Friday of September by 4:30 pm.

  1. Faculty intending to apply for sabbatical leave must discuss their intentions with their respective department chairs in the spring term prior to the fall application submission deadline.
  2. The Provost Office will announce a formal call for sabbatical leave applications for the next academic year in the spring semester of each year.
  3. A faculty member should complete all required sabbatical application materials (refer to the Application Content section for requirements) and submit the full application via email to the Dean’s Office by the above referenced submission deadline. Applicants are advised to review and strictly adhere to sabbatical application guidelines.
  4. Faculty have the option to schedule an interview with the sabbatical review committee.
  5. The college’s sabbatical review committee will evaluate proposals. In CBA, this committee is comprised of the CBA department chairs, Dean, and Associate Dean.
  6. Proposals are evaluated according to the application guidelines and review criteria. General guidelines for sabbatical leave can be found on the UWL Provost Office Sabbatical Guidance website.
  7. The CBA department chairs, Dean, and Associate Dean will meet and review the applications, which typically takes place during a regularly scheduled chairs’ meeting. Any chair who submits an application will not participate in the evaluation, discussions, and decision regarding any of the applications. Each chair completes an evaluation form and submits it to the Dean and Associate Dean for consideration. The Dean makes the decision on whether to fund the sabbatical.
  8. After receiving committee recommendations, the Dean will forward the final list to the Provost.
  9. Final sabbatical decisions will be announced by the Dean no later than November 1.
  10. After initial acceptance of a sabbatical project, a faculty must inform the dean in writing of the following:
    1. Any changes in the proposed project. Substantial changes may be reported by the Dean to the college’s sabbatical review committee for possible reconsideration.
    2. Any additional funding received for sabbatical as soon as award notification is received.

Application file name:

Last Name_Department_Semester/Year of request_Sabbatical Application
Example: Brooks_ECO_Spring_2026_ Sabbatical Application OR
Brooks_ECO_AY_2026_27_ Sabbatical Application

Application Content

Submit the full application to the Dean’s Office via email prior to the submission deadline. Required content is as follows:

  1. Board of Regents Abstract
    1. Title of the project
    2. Applicant name, rank, and department
    3. Date of application
    4. Sabbatical length and time period: Semester or academic year for proposed sabbatical leave
    5. Provide a 100-word maximum layperson summary of your proposed sabbatical activities
    6. Sample abstracts
  2. Project overview: Describe the nature of the project, its purpose, objectives, and relevant background information. Include in this section how the proposed work is related to your expertise and past contributions. Also include is this section known existing contributions to the field and how the work fits in that context.
    1. If the project includes curriculum development, describe related curriculum at UWL and elsewhere. Are there other courses in your own department or other UWL departments that include similar content? Are there existing textbooks, online resources, or scholarly literature that exist that complement the proposed curricular development? Describe how the proposed work builds off of current resources and integrates them or adds to it.
    2. If the project involves scholarly inquiry, describe the existing body of literature and how your inquiry contributes to the body of knowledge.
  3. Outcomes: List and describe measurable outcomes of the sabbatical. Describe how the output will be disseminated to your department, students, university, and/or scholarly literature, as appropriate.
  4. Activities/Timeline: Describe the activities that you will engage in to achieve the objectives of the sabbatical. Include a timeline of events and expected completion times.
  5. Impact: Describe the significance of the contribution to the enhancement of your teaching, UWL or UW System curriculum, or the scholarly literature, as appropriate. Describe also how the project contributes to the mission of UWL and the CBA. If appropriate, describe how the project contributes toward maintenance or attainment of program accreditation for the CBA (such as AACSB) or other programs at UWL.
  6. Coverage of responsibilities: Describe how the faculty member’s usual responsibilities will be covered. These responsibilities include teaching assignments, advising, and possibly other service performed for the college or university.
  7. Justification for leave: While UWL and the CBA is supportive of faculty members to take sabbaticals to improve themselves, their disciplines, and the university, paid leaves from teaching and service responsibilities are exceptional accommodations which should be justified. Describe the reason(s) that the proposed work cannot be completed during an academic year as part of a normal faculty workload that includes time for teaching, research, and service.
  8. Budget and funding sources: Provide a detailed budget that identifies all anticipated expenditures and the source of the funds. Relevant expenses may include travel, tuition, laboratory and/or library usage fees, data sources, or technology fees or purchases. Specify additional funding sources for which you have or planned to make requests. Describe the consequences to the project if additional funding requests which are not yet decided are denied.
  9. References: If applicable, list any references that are cited above.
  10. Supporting evidence:
    1. Department chair letter of support: The department chair should comment on the significance of the project, the impact to the curriculum or scholarly literature, the coverage of responsibilities within the department, and a recommendation to approve or deny the proposal
    2. Abbreviated curriculum vita: 2-3 pages
    3. Additional supporting documents: Any other evidence that the applicant believes may be useful for evaluating the proposal. This should not include additional narrative on the sabbatical project authored by the applicant.

Application Review Criteria

The sabbatical review committee will evaluate each application based on the following criteria:

  • Projects should align with UW System and UWL criteria. Refer to the UWL Provost Office Sabbatical Guidance website.
  • The project should enhance teaching, course and curriculum development, and/or research, creative, and/or other scholarly activities related to instructional programs within the faculty member’s field of expertise.
  • The project should lead to results that can be disseminated through a reputable journal, book form, teaching, or other recognized forms of presentation and dissemination.
  • The project should demonstrate originality.
  • The sabbatical length, schedule, and additional funds needed are appropriate to accomplish project objectives.
  • The proposed evaluation procedures are appropriate for the project.
  • Sabbatical proposal is concise, well-written, and clear.
  • If the project includes collaborative work with external partners, letters of recommendation/support from those partners are included in the application.

Application Resources

  • Examples of successful sabbatical applications are available from the Dean’s Office upon request.
  • Contact the Dean’s Office with any questions.

 Grants & Other Awards for Sabbatical Activities

A faculty member may receive and is encouraged to seek supplementary grants or other awards while on sabbatical leave. Note sabbatical compensation is subject to certain restrictions and requirements addressed on the UWL Provost Office Sabbatical Guidance website.

Return from Sabbatical Leave

  1. A faculty member must return to UWL for at least one academic year of service after the termination of a sabbatical or repay any compensation (salary plus the university’s share of fringe benefits) received from UWL during the sabbatical.
  2. A faculty member must submit a written report to the Dean’s Office using the Sabbatical Reporting Form within three months of completing the sabbatical. The report should outline accomplishments achieved during the leave. 

Final Report file name:
Last Name_Department_Semester/Year of request_Final Sabbatical Report 
Example: Brooks_ECO_Spring2026_ Final Sabbatical Report OR Brooks_ECO_AY2026_27_ Final Sabbatical Report

Sabbatical Forms

Sabbatical Reporting Form

Note: Other sabbatical related forms required by the college may be added.