Faculty Leaves

Leaves for Assistant Professors

Assistant Professor Research Leave

Regular, full-time, untenured faculty possessing the terminal degree:

• who are not yet eligible for regular sabbatical leave,
• who will have completed two years of continuous service at Grinnell, and
• who have received less than two years of prior teaching credit toward tenure at Grinnell
  are eligible to apply for a one-semester (3 course) research leave.

Faculty on standard review schedules are eligible to apply in their third year.

Faculty with one year credit for prior teaching may apply in their third year.

Faculty with two years credit for prior teaching are ineligible to apply.

Faculty who have not finished their terminal degree when first appointed to Grinnell and who do not count part of their teaching at Grinnell toward the tenure review, or faculty who otherwise delay their tenure review beyond their sixth year at the College are eligible to apply for a research leave tenable two years prior to the year of the tenure review.

Faculty in regular, full-time, non-tenure track positions (such as physical education faculty and library faculty) are eligible to apply for a research leave tenable two years prior to the year they are reviewed for promotion to associate professor.

If a faculty member intends to apply for a research leave, it is extremely important that they inform both the Dean's Office and their department chair of their intention no later than the third Friday in August, as such applications affect review schedules.

Please note that only faculty who pass through a complete review in which the Personnel Committee identifies no significant concerns regarding teaching will be eligible for these leaves.

Grinnell College regards research leaves as a privilege granted upon the submission of an appropriate justification for the leave, not as an automatic entitlement. Such justification should take the form of (typically) a one-and-a-half to two-page letter addressed to the Dean of the College.

Longer statements of proposed scholarly work may be attached to the application (but are not required); however, the application letter must summarize the proposed project in succinct, non-technical, jargon-free language, not simply refer to a longer, technical description attached.

For more information and application instructions, please go to GrinnellShare (login required).

Harris Faculty Fellowship

A gift from the late Jack (’39) and Lucile Hanson (’40) Harris has endowed annual competitive fellowships for pre-tenure faculty members at Grinnell College. The fellowships provide awardees with a leave at full salary for one academic year and up to $8,000 in research/travel funds. The number of fellowships awarded each year depends on the annual endowment income of the Harris fund and on the merits of the proposals; proposals must pass a rigorous review to be funded. The Dean of the College, following consultation with the Personnel Committee, the Committee on Support for Faculty Scholarship, and appropriate evaluators, will select the Harris fellows.

For more information and application instructions, please go to GrinnellShare (login required)

Leaves for Associate Professors & Professors

Sabbatical Leave

Grinnell College regards sabbatical leaves as a privilege granted upon the submission of an appropriate justification for the leave, not as an automatic entitlement. Faculty members awarded a sabbatical will need to discuss with the Dean regarding office use as well as fulfilling other obligations outlined in their proposals.

A faculty member may apply for a one-year leave (normally 5 courses) after six years of teaching OR may apply to split a year-long sabbatical, taking one semester after 6 semesters of teaching and then the remaining courses after an additional 6 semesters of teaching at Grinnell. The application for a leave should include:

• A two-page letter addressed to the Dean of the College
• A two-part statement from the Department Chair *(sent under separate cover)
• A current CV.

Please note that longer statements of proposed scholarly work may be attached to the application (but are not required); however, the application letter must summarize the proposed project in succinct, non-technical, jargon-free language, not simply refer to a longer, technical description attached.

For more information and application instructions, please go to GrinnellShare (login required)