Purpose: A major purpose of Leaves of Absence is to provide time away from the normal routine of institutional responsibilities for scholarly immersion; the development of professional skills; experimentation; the creation of artistic, musical, or other intellectual products; and, in general, personal and career renewal. The role of FDC is to encourage planning, creativity, and thoroughness of applications in order to promote successful periods of renewal.

A variety of leave opportunities support faculty members at various stages of their careers and accommodate as many different professional directions as are appropriate at an institution such as DePauw. The leave program will be carried out insofar as finances and staffing needs permit. All persons wishing a Leave of Absence from the University must submit the "Sabbatical, Pre-Tenure, and Special Leave Request" form to FDC by the date specified on the application. FDC recommends colleagues for leaves to the University administration. Types of leaves include Sabbatical Leaves, Pre-Tenure Leaves, Pre-retirement Leaves in lieu of sabbaticals, Special Leaves for Faculty-in-Residence opportunities, Academic Leaves, and leaves for other personal or professional reasons.

Each faculty member on a pre-tenure leave or sabbatical leave is eligible for supplementary support from the Fisher Fund for relocation to a new home base for part of the leave project (or under limited circumstances, more than one new home base) for a total of 3 months for a pre-tenure leave or a four-course sabbatical leave or for a total of 8 months for a full-year sabbatical leave. Please see Leave link for information about the application process, the reporting procedure, and Fisher Supplemental funding.

The International Center has provided more information explaining International SOS assistance as a resource for faculty members traveling abroad for any University sponsored activity.

Expectations & Rules:

• Semester-long (or longer) grants of sabbatical or pre-tenure leave will be made only to DePauw faculty members who continue with the University for at least one year following the year in which the grant is used. Should a grant be awarded to a member of the faculty who, subsequent to the award, finds that he or she will not be continuing his or her professional relationship with DePauw University during the next academic year, such an award will be withdrawn. Faculty members who accept payments for salary and/or benefits during a leave agree that, if they do not return to work at DePauw for the full academic year subsequent to the year in which they complete the leave, they or their subsequent employer will reimburse DePauw for all salary and benefits paid during the leave. Exceptions to this provision may be granted as part of pre-retirement agreement between a faculty member the the University.
• Departments are encouraged to negotiate the scheduling of approved leaves to balance the number of faculty members on leave between two semesters. The administration reserves the right to limit the total number of faculty members on sabbatical leave during any year or semester.
• If your sabbatical projects overlap with other projects funded by FDC, please explain the relationship between the projects. Distinct prducts are expected for Faculty Development awards for overlapping or related projects.
• Whenever possible, leave recipients should explore ways they might share the fruits of a leave with others, at a Faculty Forum, for example, so that the entire community share in the intellectual nourishment.
• Faculty members considering projects that involve information technology should consult with Faculty Instructional Technology Support (FITS) at least two weeks prior to the application deadline to gain assurance that the needed technology will be available to support the proposed project. Evidence of this assurance should be provided with the leave proposal.
• Faculty members are not eligible for a Fisher Time-Out during the same academic year as a pre-tenure leave or during the same two semesters as a sabbatical leave.