Grinnell College has established a competitive program of study leaves designed to encourage and promote increased scholarly productivity for the faculty. The intent of this program is to support scholarship either by extending a one-semester sabbatical leave to a full year or by providing an additional paid leave for one semester (2 courses) at the midpoint between regular sabbatical leaves. Faculty taking study leaves will normally be expected to continue with advising and modest service activities, but proposals which require long-term absences and therefore cannot entail advising or service work will be considered. Requests for a complete severance from college service will require convincing substantiation. A written report on the leave should be presented to the Dean of the College by February 1 (for fall semester leaves) or July 1 (for spring semester leaves).

Eligibility

Faculty members who hold full-time, regular positions at the Associate Professor and Professor ranks are eligible. Leaves will be granted to faculty either during their regular sabbatical year or near the midpoint of a sabbatical cycle. The one-semester leaves taken between sabbatical years will replace the two-course semester. Normally, these midpoint leaves will not be tenable within the two years after completing a sabbatical year or within two years of eligibility for the next sabbatical leave. However, it is possible to apply for a leave that would extend the length of the paid sabbatical leave from one to two semesters. Normally, only one study leave will be granted to a faculty member in any one seven-year period. The table below summarizes the schedule for eligibility:

If you have questions about your own schedule of eligibility for faculty study leaves, please contact the Dean’s Office before submitting an application.

Priorities for Study Leave

Awards will be based on the academic strength of the proposal, with priority given to projects that show promise of substantial progress or which can result in products that will be ready for peer review by the end of the leave period. Normally, evidence of previous scholarly accomplishment weighs heavily in determining the quality of the project and its likelihood for success. The Committee encourages applicants to submit a proposal for external support of the project, and such submissions will be considered positive factors. Candidates are welcome to make a case for why this particular time is an opportune one for the College to invest in their scholarly work.

Application Procedure

Applications for leaves are due in the Dean’s Office by 5:00 p.m., the third Friday in August(Departmental and Institutional Planning section is due by 5:00 p.m. the first Friday in October.)

Proposals should include the following elements:

• Summary of the Proposed Study (not to exceed one single-spaced page): This summary describes the basic ideas, problems, works, or questions to be addressed. It should also give an overview of the planned approach, methodology, or perspective for the project.

Please note that the summary is written for an audience that is likely not to be expert in the applicant’s field. This section must be free of abstruse technical language.



• Context Statement (not to exceed two single-spaced pages): This statement reviews the relationship of the proposed work to the applicant’s overall program of scholarship. It places the proposal in the context of past scholarly accomplishments (including the outcomes and/or products of the most recent project or leave). The context statement also describes the applicant’s current scholarly activities and the present status of this proposed project, and clarifies how this work contributes to the applicant’s long-range goals as a teacher and scholar. If the area of study is new to the applicant, it should explain the context for embarking on this new enterprise.



• Curriculum Vitae: Attach updated curriculum vitae (not to exceed five pages).



• Project Description: This narrative (not to exceed five single-spaced pages) should carefully consider the questions listed below. To enable reviewers to assess the quality, significance, and feasibility of the proposal, a simple statement of need or intent does not constitute evidence that the project merits support. The following questions are intended as a guide rather than a prescriptive form.

What are the basic ideas, problems, works, or questions that the study will examine? What is the planned approach, methodology, or perspective that informs this study?


Please offer a proposed schedule or plan for the project, including a description of any part that has already been completed.


What form is the study likely to assume, such as a monograph, textbook, performance, article, editor’s introduction, series of lectures, exhibit, etc.? Has a publisher (or an arranger of performances or exhibitions) expressed interest in or awarded a contract for the work?


What is distinct about the proposed study? What contribution is the proposed study likely to make to the field of study, or to teaching and learning generally?


If the proposed study requires specific equipment, access to certain archives or collections, or a period of residency or research at another institution, please describe any arrangements that have been made to gain access to these resources.



• Appendix:

Departmental and Institutional Planning (one-half single-spaced page, first Friday in October): Prepared in consultation with the applicant’s department chair—and, if appropriate, concentration chair—this section of the proposal briefly outlines which courses ordinarily taught by the applicant would be absent from the curriculum during the study leave period, and evaluates the necessity of replacing them. This section also briefly describes any College activities and faculty service (e.g., advising, committee work) that the applicant will engage in during the semester of leave. While neither the level of campus activity nor the necessity of replacements will be used as criteria for judging the merit of individual proposals, the Dean and President may have to consider such factors before approving a recommendation by the Committee on Faculty Scholarship. For example, if it is costly to replace a particular faculty member, this factor could result in fewer resources to award for other study leaves. In each case, the Dean and President need to ensure that granting these leaves will not compromise the quality or functioning of the academic program.

List of Supplemental Materials (not to exceed one single-spaced page): This page should list the names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of five potential external reviewers for the proposal. Any personal or professional relationship to these potential reviewers should be briefly noted. This page should also indicate the availability and nature of sample chapters, portfolios, articles, or other works that could be made available upon request. Although they will normally judge proposals directly on the basis of the project description and the applicant’s scholarly record, the Committee for Support of Faculty Scholarship may choose to request these materials in cases where they determine that further information would be helpful.

Budget (only if applicable): The intent of the study leave is simply to provide salary during a non-teaching semester to support a scholarly project. However, if additional funds are needed in order to undertake the project, this need may be described and explained in this section. Any grant support for the project (external or internal, awarded or pending) may also be described here.