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Professional Development Opportunities

Sabbatical Leave: Full-time Faculty

Sabbatical leave provides full-time faculty the opportunity to take time away from the classroom to engage in various types of professional development endeavors for a period of one semester at full pay or one full academic year at half-pay. To be eligible for sabbatical, a faculty member must have 14 consecutive semesters of service. The faculty member must sign a written agreement to return to work for the next succeeding four full academic semesters after completion of the leave period. 

Key factors that contribute to student success are the competence and performance of the faculty who work so closely with them. To provide Montgomery College students with a quality education in a learning environment, the faculty must not only possess knowledge and skills current to its discipline and profession, the members must also prepare for the future.

Sabbatical leave provides full-time faculty members the opportunity to take time away from the classroom to engage in various types of professional development endeavors. Through the sabbatical activities, Montgomery College faculty members are able to enhance and diversify their knowledge, skills and competencies, study and explore the latest trends and best practices in their area of expertise, and most importantly, apply them in their classrooms and share these gifts with their students.

Additional Resources

Fellowship and Career Development Resources.

External Fellowship Resources

Please remember that if you obtain an external fellowship your leave must be coordinated with the appropriate professional leave, i.e., Professional Development Leave or Sabbatical Leave.

Career Development Classes

Helpful Tips for Preparing for your Sabbatical Leave. Target Audience: Full-time faculty If you are thinking about applying for sabbatical leave, you don’t want to miss this 90-minute informational class.

Designed with applicants in mind, this class provides and overview of the sabbatical leave program: eligibility requirements, guidelines on developing an application, criteria by which applications are evaluated, and timelines for the process. Upon completion of this class, you will be able to:

  • Define eligibility requirements
  • Develop and complete an application
  • List and describe the criteria by which applications are evaluated
  • Note timelines for the entire process

Check Workday Learns for a current schedule of classes. 

 

Professional Development Leave: Staff, Department Chairs, and Administrators

Professional Development Leave is available for staff, department chairs, and administrators for a period of three months or one semester at full pay. To be eligible to apply and be considered for this leave, the staff and administrator must have served continuously at Montgomery College for at least three years, and the department chairs must have completed three full years of term. The employee must sign a written agreement to return to work at the College for at least four months for each month of leave after the Professional Development leave ends. Employees in temporary positions with benefits are not eligible for this particular leave.

About Professional Development Leave

Purpose, Eligibility, Obligations, and more.

In accordance with Procedure 35003CP, section J, paragraph 3.a: “A professional development leave may be requested for any purpose which will further the professional development of a staff employee or enhance the reputation of Montgomery College. Leave may be requested to engage in a program of scholarly or academic pursuit which will enhance the individual's professional development in his or her role as an employee at Montgomery College, such as a program of professional renewal or development, scholarly or academic study, preparation of a text or other major literary work, or completion of a degree, certificate, or program of study.”

To be eligible for professional development leave an administrator or staff member must be a regular, full-time employee who has completed three consecutive years of employment without paid professional leave by the time the requested leave is taken. A staff member who works as a regular part-time employee (20 hours per week) who has completed six years of consecutive employment by the time the requested leave is taken is also eligible. An employee who has been a temporary with benefits, full- or part-time, will be credited with the amount of time worked in that role. Casual temporary employees and temporary employees are not eligible for professional development leave.

Pay and Benefits

Full-time administrators and staff members are eligible for full pay while on professional development leave and part-time staff members are eligible for part-time pay while on professional development leave. Participation in College benefits continues during the leave period; annual and sick leave may not be used or earned while on leave.

Frequency and Length of Leave

Leave may only be granted once every three years for a time period of up to four months or a maximum of one semester. While on leave, awardees must adhere to the terms in their acknowledgment agreement. Awardees are expected to carry out their approved project plan as originally submitted, and cannot engage in other employment or in Montgomery College work-related activities, including returning for meetings or special projects. Professional Development Leave Committee members are ineligible to apply for professional development leave during the three-year period they are serving on the committee.

Continued Employment

The administrator or staff member agrees in writing to return to work immediately following the leave period and to continue working four months for each month they were on leave.

Report on Outcomes

All awardees are expected to provide a brief report within 30 calendar days of returning to work at the College. The report should contain an overview of the activities completed, correlating them to the plans and objectives outlined in the project plan. If there have been major variations from the approved plan and its objectives, the report should explain the reason and the results of the modification. The report should be submitted to the awardee’s supervisor, the administrator, and the HRSTM coordinator and it will be considered by the supervisor in the individual’s evaluation. Transcripts or a certificate of completion are required for any coursework.

Changes in Project Plans

An awardee who has a need to make changes or modifications to his or her approved professional development project plan must notify his or her supervisor and the HRSTM coordinator in advance of the changing circumstance(s). The awardee must then submit a written justification that is approved by both the supervisor and the leave coordinator. Examples of changes include: enrolled courses, reduction or increase in credit hours to be attempted, adjustments to a research project, or changes in timelines.

Deferments

An administrator or staff member may request to defer approved leave to a future time period up to a maximum of one calendar year from the original date of awarded leave. The employee makes the written request through his or her supervisor who forwards it with a note of approval to the leave coordinator. If the deferment is for later than one calendar year, the administrator or staff member needs to reapply during the next or future application period.

Unmet Obligations

If the administrator or staff member fails to return from leave for the period required, fails to submit a report, or submits a report that is unsatisfactory and rejected by the college administration, he or she may be required to reimburse the College for all funds paid directly to the staff member or paid on his or her behalf.

Financial Support Successful applicants are entitled to the same travel funding (allowance) that is provided to all other administrators and staff members. The same policies and procedures apply for all travel requests, including those that support professional development leave activities.

Any request for travel funds during professional development leave, including travel which supports the purpose and objectives of the leave outside of commuting to classes, must be communicated at the time the application is submitted. Such travel requests are subject to the College’s policies and administrative procedures, at the time of the request. That is, if there is a restriction on distance travel, requests for travel funds during leave will not be approved. Likewise, if a travel restriction is instituted after a request for travel was approved, the College will honor its commitment to cover the travel expenses.

Applicants may utilize support services or experiences from external agencies or institutions. Letters of support from external organizations should address the intended support services as outlined in the project plan. Any letters of support and related documentation from external organizations should be attached to the proposal and noted in the appropriate section of the application form.