Sabbatical

Definition

An academic sabbatical is time away from regular teaching and administrative duties. The department can grant sabbaticals to academic staff to enhance scholarly accomplishments by undertaking research and/or teaching activities at another university abroad or in Denmark.

Aims
The purpose of an academic sabbatical is to support the research, teaching, and broader intellectual development of academic staff, and to provide opportunities for consolidating and extending international research collaborations. An academic sabbatical is an opportunity rather than an obligation.

Benefits
Developing knowledge and skills as a part of academic sabbaticals is a great benefit for the department, Aarhus University, and individual academic staff members.

Academic sabbaticals benefit the department because sabbaticals usually improve the quality of publication output. Research has also shown that academic sabbaticals enhance the quality of teaching after academics return. For Aarhus University, academic sabbaticals contribute to the university’s strategic goal of internationalisation and collaboration. Sabbaticals also support the department’s strategic goal to recruit and retain academics with an international profile.

For individual academics, a sabbatical provides the flexibility of extended stays at other research institutions and the benefit of immersion into reading and writing activities. Underlying rationales include exploring new ideas, developing methodological proficiency, cultivating existing research networks, and contextualising own work in a broader framework.

Target group
The primary target group for sabbaticals is tenured academics - professors and associate professors. The department recognises its responsibility to support non-tenured academics in their efforts to qualify for tenured positions. The department therefore considers assistant professors as the secondary target group for academic sabbaticals.

Periods of academic sabbaticals
Professors and associate professors can apply for a 3-6-month academic sabbatical after every three years of full-time employment, or an academic sabbatical for 6-12 months after six years of full-time employment. The maximum length of an academic sabbatical is 12 months; there is no minimum length. Full-time assistant professors can apply for one 3-month academic sabbatical during their appointment period. Part-time staff members with at least 50% of a full-time position can apply for an academic sabbatical when they have reached the equivalent of three/six years of employment.

Application for academic sabbaticals
Academic staff initiate a pre-application dialogue. They express a wish to apply for an academic sabbatical to the head of research section at a staff development interview where this is documented in the meeting summary. The meeting is also an opportunity to discuss and agree on a preliminary timeline based on a list of the regular teaching and administrative duties during the proposed academic sabbatical period. The head of research section brings the request up with the chair of the employee’s teaching team and, if necessary, the vice head of department for teaching, to discuss how to cover teaching and administrative activities. This will most likely involve a higher teaching load for the applicant later or additional teaching responsibilities for other members of the teaching team. In principle, if it is not possible to cover teaching activities for the applicant in the semester of the planned sabbatical, all parties will explore possibilities for a sabbatical in the following semester.

Based on the agreement in the pre-application dialogue, the academic staff member sends the application for an academic sabbatical to the head of department. The application includes

1) a cover letter outlining the goals/objectives for the planned academic sabbatical, the significance of the work planned, and its anticipated impact;

2) a CV; and

3) a letter from the host institution, if applicable. The application must be submitted 10 months before the start of the semester where the academic sabbatical begins.

Procedure for granting academic sabbaticals
The head of department has the formal responsibility to ensure that teaching and administrative responsibilities during the planned academic sabbaticals are appropriately covered. The chair of the relevant teaching team and the vice head of department for teaching will assist the head of department with this assessment. The ambassadors? of the policy on academic sabbaticals can offer advice on relevant funding opportunities and other aspects of planning academic sabbaticals. The department does not offer financial support to staff members to cover any additional expenses incurred during academic sabbaticals.

Reporting on completed academic sabbaticals
Within six months of returning to the department, staff members must report on their completed academic sabbatical. Typically, this could be organising of a research event (e.g., a research seminar, panel debate, lunchtime talk, or a skills development session) of interest and relevance across the department.