Please also refer to the Faculty Handbook [pdf] (Chapter II, Section D, Leaves of Absence) for a more comprehensive description of leave eligibility and requirements.

Leave Policies

Types of Leaves

Sabbatical Leaves

Sabbatical leaves are opportunities for faculty members on continuing appointments to further their development as teacher-scholars, benefiting both themselves and the College. Therefore, faculty are encouraged to take sabbaticals on a regular basis and should apply for a sabbatical leave only if they are returning to the College after the leave.  Eligibility to apply for a sabbatical leave is a function of rank and of semesters spent in full-time teaching service to the College. 

All eligible faculty, upon completion of six semesters of teaching at the College at the rank of Assistant Professor or above, may apply to take a leave for research or other scholarly activity on one of the following plans:

(a)    Seventh Semester With Subvention for one semester on full semester salary;

(b)    Seventh Semester Without Subvention for one semester on half semester salary.

All eligible faculty, upon completion of twelve semesters of teaching at the College at the rank of Assistant Professor or above, may apply to take a leave for research or other scholarly activity on one of the following plans:

(a)    Seventh Year With Subvention for two semesters on full salary;

(b)    Seventh Year Without Subvention for one semester on full salary or one year on half salary;

(c)    Seventh Semester With Subvention for one semester on full semester salary;

(d)    Seventh Semester Without Subvention for one semester on half semester salary.

Faculty will not be penalized for taking a seventh semester sabbatical later than the seventh semester if such a delayed leave accommodates departmental needs.

Leaves Without Pay

Providing the application is received by the October deadline, leave-without-pay for a semester or a year may be granted to faculty members who have special opportunities for study or research at times when they are not regularly eligible for sabbatical leave.  Leave without pay for a semester or a year may be requested without regard to rank or term of service, but no combination of sabbatical leave and leaves without pay can exceed two years of continuous absence. Such leave periods do not accrue teaching credit toward future sabbaticals. Those granted such leaves are not eligible for Pomona College research or travel grants during the time of the leave without pay; in addition, except under the special circumstances described under Fellowship Leaves, the College will assume no responsibility for a faculty member's benefit payments during a leave without pay. The College's policy on leaves-without-pay for purposes other than professional development (such as medical or family leave) is described in Chapter II, Section E, of this handbook.

General

Sabbatical leaves count toward the date of consideration for tenure and promotion to full professor, but leaves without pay normally delay these considerations. Faculty members are required to be in full-time service at least two continuous full years between any two periods of leave.

Sabbatical Subventions

Faculty members applying for sabbatical subventions and junior faculty applying for Steele sabbatical leaves are required to seek outside support from one external source. Feedback on applications to outside funding agencies can yield helpful advice from colleagues and lead to refinement of the leave project. In the letter requesting sabbatical salary subvention or Steele Leave, faculty should identify the external source(s) to which they have applied or plan to apply to for funding.  The subvention request must be included in the on-line application. The on-line submission deadline is October 11, 2021. The Associate Dean's office can provide assistance in locating funding sources and making applications.

Leave Application Instructions

A unique link to the web application will be emailed to all faculty members at the beginning of the Fall semester. The on-line application is comprised of: attachments (PDF or Word Docs) to upload, selecting answers from a drop down boxes, and a few questions that require short text answers. Application check list of attachments and required information is provided below.

Requested Information

  • Semester(s)/Period and Type of Leave you are requesting  (drop down selection box)
  • 1 to 2-sentence summary (up to 600 characters with spaces) of your leave plan
  • Information pertaining to at least one External Grant Application (required for subvention requests and Steele leaves)
  • Name of Foundation or Granting Agency
         Amount of Funding Request
         Deadline to Apply
         External grant proposal(s) as a PDF or Word Doc – (if already submitted)
  • Description of accomplishments from last leave
  • List of publications, exhibitions, etc. resulting from last leave
  • Purpose and plan of study for the requested leave describing the significance of the project and methodology
  • Current CV
  • Department Chair Letter – attached OR emailed separately to David Tanenbaum.

Leave Application Deadlines

Members of the faculty who wish to apply for sabbatical leaves, Steele leaves, or leaves without pay for either or both semesters of the 2022-23 academic year, or for the entire 2023 calendar year, must submit an on-line application by October 11, 2021. (Applications for one-semester leaves in fall 2022 should be submitted in 2021.) Because of the extensive approval process and the date of the Trustees' meeting at which formal approval is given, it is very important to meet this deadline. Applications received after the deadline ("late leave requests") will not be considered. A deadline in the Fall term preceding the year of a requested leave permits orderly planning for possible faculty replacements by the Dean's Office staff. Just as important, it enables faculty to submit applications for outside funding well ahead of a planned sabbatical. Please note that you must submit a formal leave request whether or not you have secured sources of external funding to support your proposed leave.

The deadline for notifying the Dean's Office about whether an approved leave will not be taken is January 12, 2022. This deadline enables budget planning processes for staffing to proceed smoothly.

Leave Procedures

Applications for all types of leaves are reviewed by the Research Committee, the Faculty Personnel Committee, the Cabinet, and the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees. Applications must be submitted online no later than the October 11, 2021, deadline to allow adequate time for review and advice to applicants by these bodies. Requests for leaves after this date will not be accepted.

The Research Committee reviews proposed leave projects to ensure that the College makes the best possible use of resources set aside for scholarly activity and for individual faculty development.  The Committee's participation in the approval process enables it to assess the merits of proposals and to provide guidance designed to assist faculty in refining their research plans.  The Faculty Personnel Committee reviews leave proposals with respect to their departmental and collegiate personnel implications.

Sabbatical Subventions

Faculty members applying for sabbatical subventions and junior faculty applying for Steele sabbatical leaves are required to seek outside support from at least one external source.  The on-line leave application asks the faculty member applying for leave to confirm if they are requesting subvention and if so to identify external source(s) to which they have applied or plan to apply to for funding. Feedback on applications to external funding agencies can yield helpful advice from colleagues and lead to refinement of the leave project.

Associate Dean of the College David Tanenbaum in the Dean's Office can provide assistance in locating funding sources and making applications ((909) 621-8722). External funding sources are listed on the Dean's Office website.