MONTANA BOARD OF REGENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Policy and Procedures Manual
SUBJECT: COMPENSATION
Policy 801.1 - Sabbatical assignment
Effective
November 16, 2007; Issued December 3, 2007
Attorney General's
Opinion:
1. Section
75‑6213, R.C.M. 1947 (now codified at 19-20-403 M.C.A.), does not
prohibit a faculty member from accruing creditable service and receiving the
employer contribution for retirement benefits during the performance of a
sabbatical program. Vol. 37, Opinions of the Attorney General, Opinion No. 80,
Board
Policy:
1. Faculty,
administrative or professional staff members in the Montana University System shall be eligible for their first sabbatical assignment
after seven years of service in the System. Those employees shall be eligible
for subsequent sabbaticals throughout their career, provided they have accrued
seven additional years of service in the System between each sabbatical. The
year in which the last sabbatical occurred shall be included in determining the
seven years of additional service.
Service while on sabbatical assignment shall be creditable service for
all purposes to the same extent as a person's service while on regular assignment.
2. Sabbaticals
are subject to budget limitations that may exist at any campus of the Montana
University System.
3. Satisfactory
programs or projects for sabbatical periods include research, travel, related
work in other institutions or private or business organizations, or other
activities which the president or chancellor of the campus agrees will improve
the staff member professionally, or which directly or indirectly benefit the
campus and the state.
4. All
sabbatical assignments shall normally be for a period of not les s than one
semester or more than an academic year for persons on academic year
appointments and not less than one‑half or more than one fiscal year for
persons on fiscal year appointments; however, a person may request a shorter
assignment.
5. Compensation
from campus funds may not exceed two‑thirds of the academic or fiscal
year contract amount established for the individual for the period for which
the sabbatical assignment has been approved.
Special compensation arrangements involving funds from other than campus
sources must be agreed upon and approved in keeping with the following
conditions:
a. Compensation
paid during a sabbatical assignment may differ from that paid for regular
assignment because it may involve funding from sources other than regular
campus funds such as fellowships, assistantships or other sources of limited
income including funds available from grants or contracts administered by the
campus.
b. all
compensation must be received through the campus and no person may be
additionally compensated for the time on sabbatical assignment by income from
other employment during the same period;
c. funds
from non-campus sources must be made directly available to the campus for
periodic disbursement to the person in addition to, or in lieu of, regular
funds;
d. funds
from other sources may be used to supplement campus funds to increase the
compensation up to, but not in excess of, that amount which the individual
would have earned on regular assignment during the same period;
e. compensation
in excess of that which could have been earned on regular assignment may be
approved only if all campus funds have been replaced by funds from other
sources;
f. programs
or projects which necessarily involve employment by an employer other than the
campus may not qualify for sabbatical assignment but may be approved as leave
without pay.
6. A
recipient of a sabbatical assignment will be expected to return to his/her
campus for a period equal to the length of the sabbatical assignment or to
repay money received from the campus while on leave.
7. Persons
on sabbatical assignment will continue to be eligible for employee benefits.
8. Part‑time
faculty may be eligible for sabbatical assignments on a pro‑rated basis.
9.
This policy shall be
applicable only where a collective bargaining agreement is not in effect.
Procedures:
1. Faculty
members may apply to their respective campus administrators for sabbatical
assignment.
2. All
applications for sabbatical shall be submitted to the president or chancellor
of the campus, or, if applicable, to the Commissioner of Higher Education,
allowing sufficient time for evaluation and approval.
3. In
granting sabbaticals, campuses will be guided by the applicant's:
service
which is appropriate to the person's regular assignment;
academic rank, if
appropriate;
total
length of service in the Montana University System; and
type and quality of the
proposed program.
4. Each
president and chancellor shall submit by an annual summary of sabbaticals to
the Commissioner of Higher Education and the Board of Regents upon
request.
Definition:
A sabbatical assignment
is a change of duties which neither diminishes nor increases the extent of the
person's employment with the university system. The recipient remains employed
by the university system during the entire term of the sabbatical to the same
extent he or she was employed while on regular assignment, regardless of the
compensation agreed upon for the term of the sabbatical.
History:
Item 204‑001, Nov. 27,
1967 as amended October 29, 1976 (the portion of this item relating to
sabbatical leave is rescinded); Item 20‑003‑R0478, Sabbatical
assignment, Montana University System (Revised), July 10, 1978, as revised
November 18, 1999 and March 25, 2004 (ITEM
122-104-R0304, see Attachment
1). Item
137-103-R1107 approved November 16, 2007 (supporting
material).