Information
When preparing to submit your application, please note the following:
- Sabbatical awards are granted in accordance with Article 9 - Leaves of Absence with Pay in the faculty contract.
- Faculty must make sure the application is complete and includes the program director/department head and associate dean support documents.
- Proposals for sabbatical leaves for the forthcoming year must be submitted to the program director/department head and associate dean by the first Thursday after Mid-Semester break. Feedback for faculty proposals for sabbatical leaves must be submitted to the provost by the second Thursday after Mid-Semester break.
- The provost’s office will forward all proposals to the Sabbatical Review Committee for review.
- The Sabbatical Review Committee will consider the proposals and make their recommendation to the provost by the third Thursday in April.
- The provost presents their recommendation to the president, then approves the sabbatical award(s).
- The faculty member(s) will receive an official award letter from the provost. Awardees will be recognized at a college event, in GRCC Employee News and other outlets, as appropriate, and on the provost’s website.
- Faculty schedules, including requests for temporary staffing for fall/winter will be adjusted accordingly to cover the classes/student service normally provided by the faculty member on sabbatical. It is expected that faculty members will spend their sabbatical fully engaged in the activity described in their proposals.
- If GRCC students are used in sabbatical research, the highest possible ethical standards must be maintained. Faculty members will seek permission from Institutional Research and the provost, as appropriate, before conducting sabbatical-related research.
- Awardees will submit a report of their sabbatical activities and results to the provost and to their associate dean within three months of the completion of the sabbatical.
AGC Sabbatical Review Committee and Review Criteria
The Academic Governing Council (AGC) Sabbatical Review Committee will be appointed by the AGC in accordance with the AGC Bylaws and team’s charter. The Sabbatical Review Committee’s purpose is to evaluate sabbatical applications on a yearly basis. The committee evaluates applications against AGC-approved criteria.
The Sabbatical Review Committee shall include the academic deans and at least one department head/program director from each school. Committee members serve two-year terms with no term limit impositions. The executive committee of the AGC, or the committee members themselves, may nominate a chair to serve a two-year, renewable term.
The chair of the AGC Sabbatical Review Committee works with AGC and the provost to ensure that the evaluative procedures are met, the committee has adequate members, the evaluative procedures and application information and form are periodically reviewed, and a regular update to the AGC is offered.
Criteria
- The applicant has complied with all provisions as stipulated by the AGC sabbatical leave process.
- The purpose of the leave fits the current and future needs of the college.
- The leave supports the mission, vision, values, and strategic goals of the college.
- The leave demonstrates clearly the potential to expand the applicant’s professional knowledge and contributes to the educational process of the college and community
- The leave clearly articulates how the applicant has demonstrated their ability and potential to actively contribute to the educational process. Sabbatical recipients must articulate a plan to share their learning with colleagues at an AGC-approved venue. Questions regarding appropriate venues should be submitted to the provost’s office and the executive committee of the AGC.
Scoring:
Please note: The process outlined above was determined through AGC review and recommendation in April 2014 then updated in January 2026 based on feedback provided to the provost’s office. This feedback was reviewed and endorsed collaboratively by the AGC exec chair, faculty association president and provost.