Description of Sabbatical Options

Base Sabbatical

For faculty with the rank of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor, the base sabbatical program is a one-year sabbatical at ½ salary or a one-semester sabbatical at full salary. To understand the teaching responsibilities of a year that includes a one-semester sabbatical leave, please refer to the FAQ page.

To apply for a base sabbatical faculty must submit a 1-page description of the specific scholarship or project(s) that the applicant will undertake.

Enhanced Sabbatical

The Enhanced Sabbatical is a competitive, proposal-based program that provides a full year sabbatical at 80% salary. This program is open to tenured faculty and to Senior Lecturers.

In addition to the general eligibility requirements for post-tenure sabbaticals, the Enhanced Sabbatical program requires that applicants submit an extramural proposal for support of their project. The proposal must be submitted 1 month before the Enhanced Sabbatical is scheduled to start (i.e. by June 30, for a typical academic-year sabbatical).

Criteria for evaluation:

  • Quality of the proposed work, and its relevance to the field or discipline
  • Clarity and feasibility of expected outcomes
  • A concrete, discipline-appropriate plan for dissemination of results
  • Impact of the work on the applicant’s professional achievement, teaching, or governance & engagement in the years beyond the sabbatical
  • Effective use of prior sabbatical or pre-tenure leave

Phillips Fellowship

The Phillips Fellowship is a competitive, proposal-based program that provides a full year sabbatical at full salary, plus $4,000 for travel and research expenses. Because only two or three Phillips Fellowships are awarded per year, preference is given to applicants who have not previously received a Phillips Fellowship. This program is open to tenured faculty and to Senior Lecturers.

In addition to the general eligibility requirements for post-tenure sabbaticals, the Phillips Fellowship program requires that applicants develop a plan for extramural collaboration with leading scholars in their field. 

Criteria for evaluation:

  • Quality of the proposed work, and its relevance to the field or discipline
  • Clarity and feasibility of expected outcomes
  • A concrete, discipline-appropriate plan for dissemination of results
  • Impact of the work on the applicant’s professional achievement, teaching, or governance & engagement in the years beyond the sabbatical
  • Effective use of prior sabbatical or pre-tenure leave
  • Specific to the Phillips Fellowship: Importance, feasibility, and definitive nature of the plans for traveling away from Bates to interact with leading scholars in the field

Required Application Materials

Base Sabbaticals

Please submit a 1-page description of the proposed scholarship or project(s), understandable to colleagues outside your field of expertise.

Application for Enhanced Sabbatical or Phillips Fellowship

The Enhanced Sabbatical and the Phillips Fellowship have common components to their application and also have unique components, as described below. A faculty member who meets the eligibility requirements can apply to one or the other or both with a single submission. 

Project Description 

This narrative should be 3 to 5 pages, understandable to colleagues outside your field of expertise. The narrative should be divided into the following sections:

  • Goals: A brief bulleted list of goals for the leave
  • Narrative: A detailed description of the work to be conducted, and how it fits into the field(s) or discipline(s)
  • Timeline: A concrete timeline of the proposed work
  • Outputs: Expected outputs and a plan for dissemination of results
  • Impact: How the award will advance the applicant’s professional achievement, teaching, or governance & engagement in the years beyond the sabbatical

Additionally, you will be asked to upload a copy of the report of accomplishments that you submitted after your prior sabbatical or pre-tenure leave.

Additional Application Components for Enhanced Sabbatical

If applying for an Enhanced Sabbatical, please upload a PDF related to your extramural grant proposal, as follows:

  1. A copy of the extramural grant proposal, if already submitted; or
  2. A draft extramural grant proposal, along with a description of when and where the proposal will be submitted. The proposal must be submitted 1 month before the Enhanced Sabbatical is scheduled to start (i.e. by June 30 for a typical academic-year sabbatical).

Additional Application Components for Phillips Fellowship

If you are interested in being considered for a Phillips Fellowship, please upload an additional PDF with the following four pieces of information:

  • A 1-page Plan for Collaboration with leading scholars in the field. The plan for collaboration should include a timeline for how the work will be arranged over the year. 
  • A Letter of Invitation from the host individual or institution.
  • A Budget for up to $4,000 in travel and research expenses.
  • A 1-page Modification Plan describing how the proposed sabbatical project would be changed if awarded an Enhanced Sabbatical rather than a Phillips Fellowship. [If you do not wish to be considered for an Enhanced Sabbatical, simply indicate that.]

Application and Academic Planning

  • To apply for a Base Sabbatical, Enhanced Sabbatical, or Phillips Fellowship, please use this proposal submission form.
  • Please coordinate in advance with your department or program chair(s), who must include the pre-tenure leave on the 3-year plan that they submit annually to the Dean of Faculty.  Chairs can refer to the FAQ page for guidance about the likelihood of replacement for faculty on various kinds of leave.

Reporting Obligations

  • Following completion of the sabbatical, the colleague shall submit to the Dean of the Faculty and to the department/program chair a written report of the professional work accomplished during the leave. This report should both summarize the work completed to date and describe the future agenda and manuscripts, publications, performances, or exhibitions that resulted from the sabbatical or are expected to result.  
  • This report must be submitted no later than the end of the first semester of teaching following completion of the leave. Upload a PDF of your report here.
  • Submission of this report is a prerequisite for access to internal sources of scholarly funding, including conference travel funds and the Bates Faculty Development Fund.