C. Research Leaves of Absence for Tenured Faculty Members

Tenured faculty members should refer to the “General Leave Policies” section, in addition to the provisions summarized below. Note:  Professors in Residence should refer to the “General Leave Policies,” in addition to following the policies described below for tenured faculty members. 

(1)   Paid Sabbatical Leave and Unpaid Research Leave

a.  A “sabbatical” is a paid research leave for tenured professors, earned on a periodic basis after intervals of time spent in residence teaching (e.g., ordinarily six semesters in residence teaching). At the FAS, the term “sabbatical” is used in reference to tenured professors only. Faculty of other ranks (i.e., tenure-track professors, professors of the practice, and senior lecturers) are also eligible for paid research leaves which, in their case, are simply referred to as “paid research leaves.” For more information on research leaves (both paid and unpaid) for tenure-track professors, professors of the practice, senior lecturers, and non-ladder faculty, please see Sections 3D, 3E, and 3F in Chapter 3.

b.  In addition to paid sabbaticals, tenured professors are eligible to take unpaid research leaves, under conditions discussed further below. 

c.  The purpose of both paid sabbaticals and unpaid research leaves is to enable tenured faculty to take time off from their regular University responsibilities, including teaching and administrative service, in order to focus on their scholarly research. Tenured faculty on paid sabbatical or unpaid research leave are expected to continue to conduct their research, advise and mentor their students and trainees, and follow FAS and University policies, including (in the case of paid sabbatical) the 20 percent rule, which states that no more than 20 percent of one’s total professional effort may be directed to professional activities outside Harvard (see Chapter 2 for more information on this rule).

d. Tenured professors ordinarily earn a semester of paid sabbatical leave after every six semesters in residence teaching.^[1] When a faculty member earns a term of sabbatical, they have at least four options. For example:

i.  They may use that semester of paid sabbatical leave right away.

ii.  They may choose to use their earned semester of sabbatical leave right away, in conjunction with a term of unpaid research leave, for a leave that lasts for a full academic (or calendar) year. In this case, the sabbatical leave may be taken either as one semester at full salary or as an academic (or calendar) year at half salary.

iii. They may take a semester or an academic (or calendar) year of unpaid research leave and choose to “bank” the earned semester of paid sabbatical leave (that is, defer using that sabbatical until a future semester). (Please see Section 3.C.2 below for a fuller discussion of “banking” sabbaticals.)

iv. They may continue to spend time in residence teaching and choose to “bank” that semester of paid sabbatical leave.

Regardless of which approach a faculty member takes, in all cases faculty may not be on leave (whether on paid sabbatical and/or unpaid research leave) for more than one year at a time. In addition, tenured professors must ordinarily be in residence teaching for six semesters before they are eligible for their next paid sabbatical (and/or unpaid research leave), even if they have banked prior sabbatical semesters.

As options iii. and iv. above indicate, unpaid research leave may be used in lieu of, or in conjunction with, paid sabbatical leave; but unpaid research leave cannot be “banked”— it is not saveable over time in the manner that paid sabbatical is. Unpaid research leave is simply available as an option at those moments in time when a tenured professor has otherwise become eligible for a paid sabbatical leave (i.e., ordinarily, after six terms in residence teaching). 

Note: In 2023, the FAS Dean created the Sabbatical Recognition Program for tenured faculty, which recognizes tenured faculty members who are engaged in an extraordinary amount of non-research work to the benefit of students, trainees, faculty, the FAS community, and Harvard more broadly. Each academic year, the FAS Dean will award an additional sabbatical term to up to ten tenured faculty members. This sabbatical term can be used to extend their next eligible leave to one full year. Awardees will be selected by the FAS Dean based on recommendations from Divisional Deans and Department Chairs.

Faculty members holding joint appointments with another Harvard Faculty should refer to their offer letters and associated documentation for information on their leave eligibility.

(2)   Banking Sabbaticals

a. As noted in Section 3.C.1.d. above, when a faculty member earns a semester of paid sabbatical after six terms in residence teaching, they are not required to use that sabbatical right away. They may “bank” that sabbatical, i.e., defer using that leave until an eligible future semester.
 
If a tenured professor defers using a paid sabbatical, the time that elapses while that leave is deferred does not count as accrued time towards the next sabbatical (and/or unpaid research leave).^[2] For example: If a tenured professor defers taking a sabbatical until after eight semesters in residence teaching (rather than six), they have not, in so doing, accrued two “extra” terms towards their next sabbatical. When the faculty member returns from taking this sabbatical, they must still spend six semesters in residence teaching (rather than four) in order to earn their next sabbatical. Three exceptions to this rule are discussed in Section 3.C.2.b below.

b. There are three unique circumstances where, if a tenured professor defers taking an earned sabbatical, that deferred time does count as accrued credit towards their next sabbatical.

• Pressing service: If, for reasons of pressing departmental or University service, a faculty member asks their divisional dean/SEAS Dean if they can delay taking a sabbatical for one or two terms, then with the prior written approval of the divisional dean/SEAS Dean (i.e., before the faculty member goes on leave), the faculty member may, upon returning from that sabbatical, spend fewer than six semesters in residence teaching before earning their next sabbatical. For example: If a professor postpones taking an earned sabbatical from the spring semester until the fall semester, because they are serving as director of undergraduate studies in the spring, then with prior written approval from their dean, the required period in residence teaching following the sabbatical may be five terms rather than six.
• Covid exception: For AY 2020-2021, the Edgerley Family Dean of the FAS approved the following policy addendum. Given the goal of delivering a high-quality learning experience despite the COVID-19 pandemic, tenured professors scheduled to take a paid sabbatical during Fall 2020 were allowed to postpone their sabbatical without penalty for one or two semesters if they wished to remain on campus (virtually or otherwise) to teach their classes. Tenured professors scheduled to take a paid sabbatical during Spring 2021 were allowed to postpone their sabbatical without penalty for one semester, for the same reason. Thus, the semester or two for which a faculty member deferred his/her/their sabbatical will count as “credit” towards the required six semesters in residence teaching that ordinarily must occur between sabbaticals. After the faculty member takes their sabbatical, the six-semester clock will start up again at “1,” as usual, upon his/her/their return. Any tenured faculty member who postpones their sabbatical must still adhere to the following Handbook provision: “Ordinarily, faculty members should not be out of the Harvard classroom for more than a year at a time.”
• 12 terms in residence teaching: If a faculty member spends twelve straight terms in residence teaching (i.e., not taking the sabbatical they earned after 6 terms in residence teaching), those twelve terms all count as accrued credit, for a total of two semesters of earned paid sabbatical leave, or a full academic year of leave at full pay. (Note: This option became available following sabbaticals taken in 2003-2004 or later.
  
  Note: Faculty members do not continue to accrue sabbatical eligibility beyond twelve terms in residence teaching. For example, if a faculty member spends fourteen terms in residence teaching, those additional two terms do not count as credit towards a future sabbatical. Instead, the faculty member’s accrual clock stops at the maximum 12 terms, the faculty member forfeits Terms 13 and 14, and their accrual clock starts up again at “1” for the first semester after the faculty member returns from sabbatical.
  
  Likewise, if a faculty member stops short of spending 12 straight terms in residence teaching before taking a sabbatical--for example, let’s say they spend 10 terms in residence teaching—they have not, in so doing, earned a term of paid sabbatical plus 4 extra terms of credit towards a future sabbatical. Rather, they forfeit those 4 terms, and when they return from taking the sabbatical that they earned after the first six terms in residence teaching, their accrual clock will start up at “1” again for the first semester upon their return. 

In each of the three bulleted scenarios above, the faculty member’s sabbatical clock restarts at “1” for the semester when they return from taking their sabbatical, and six more terms in residence teaching must ordinarily elapse before they earn their next sabbatical.

c.  As indicated by the discussion above, a minimum of six semesters in residence teaching ordinarily must elapse between successive sabbaticals. If a professor returns from a sabbatical and also has a previously earned, unused sabbatical in the “bank,” they may not take that banked sabbatical at any time whatsoever of their choosing. They may not, for instance, go on sabbatical again two or three semesters after they have returned from the first sabbatical. Ordinarily, there must be at least six terms in residence teaching between sabbaticals. 

This means that, in practice, if a faculty member returns from a sabbatical, they may ordinarily use any banked sabbatical(s) only when they are next eligible to take a sabbatical (i.e., after six more terms in residence teaching). 

Similarly, unpaid research leave may not be taken by a tenured professor at any time whatsoever of their choosing. As mentioned in Section 3.C.1.d, tenured faculty may take unpaid research leave only at times when they are otherwise eligible for a paid sabbatical leave. Thus, there must ordinarily be at least six terms in residence teaching between successive leaves, whether they are unpaid research leaves, paid sabbaticals, or a combination of both.

(3)  Pulling Forward Sabbatical Leaves

In rare instances, when a tenured professor has an exceptional opportunity that they want to take advantage of before the next time at which they are eligible to take a paid sabbatical and/or unpaid research leave, they can ask their divisional dean/SEAS Dean for approval to “pull forward” one term of sabbatical leave at full pay. This term can be used alone or in combination with a term of unpaid research leave.   

If the tenured professor pulls forward a leave in this fashion, they must “pay back” the unaccrued time they pulled forward before they start accruing time toward their next leave. For example, if a faculty member who has spent four terms in residence teaching pulls forward, two terms early (i.e., after Term 4, rather than Term 6), a year of leave (i.e., one term of paid sabbatical plus one term of unpaid research leave), then when they return from their year of leave, they must spend eight terms in residence teaching before they are eligible to go on leave again. These eight terms “pay back” the two unaccrued terms that the faculty member pulled forward and also include the ordinary six terms in residence teaching required before the faculty member can next go on leave. When the faculty member then returns from that subsequent leave, their accrual clock will begin again at “1” and proceed normally. Their first semester back from leave will count as the first semester of accrual toward their next sabbatical and/or unpaid research leave.

(4)   Sabbatical for Those Promoted from the Tenure-Track Ranks

When a faculty member is promoted to tenure from the tenure-track ranks, their first sabbatical as a tenured professor works as described below.

Note: The policies outlined in a., b., c., and d. below apply to faculty members in all academic divisions and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, with the exception of “Category 2” departments in the Division of Science.  (See Chapter 3, Section E1, “Eligibility for Paid and Unpaid Research Leave,” for information on which Science departments are “Category 1” or “Category 2.”)

a.   If, by the time promotion to tenure occurs, the faculty member has used up their allotted semester of paid leave from the associate professor term,^[3] the faculty member is eligible for their first semester of paid sabbatical leave as a tenured professor after six terms in residence teaching have elapsed, counting from the start of the tenured appointment and regardless of when their last associate professor leave occurred.

b.   If, by the time the faculty member is promoted to tenure, the faculty member has not used up their allotted semester of paid leave from the associate professor term,^[4] the faculty member now has a semester of paid sabbatical leave that can be used immediately after being appointed as a tenured professor or else at a later time, in accordance with the sabbatical policies for tenured faculty described in Sections 1, 2, and 3 above.

c.   Any unpaid leave not used during a faculty member’s associate professor term does not roll over to be used during the faculty member’s tenured appointment.

d.   Upon promotion to tenure, faculty members follow the sabbatical policies for tenured faculty described in Sections 1, 2, and 3 above.

Note: The policies described below apply to faculty members in “Category 2” of the Division of Science, who are not eligible for a semester of paid leave during their assistant professor and associate professor terms. 

Upon promotion to tenure, the faculty member is eligible for their first semester of paid sabbatical leave as a tenured professor after six terms in residence teaching have elapsed, counting from the start of the tenured appointment and regardless of when their last associate professor leave occurred. Faculty members in “Category 2” departments must also observe the policies stated in 5c. and 5d. above.

(5)   Compensation during Sabbatical and Unpaid Research Leaves

A faculty member on sabbatical leave at full salary may not ordinarily receive compensation in the form of salary from another academic institution or external (grant or non-grant) funding source (beyond the allowable three ninths). Those on sabbatical at half salary may receive external compensation, but if the funding is paid through Harvard, the total compensation received from all funding sources during the academic year may not exceed the faculty member’s full-time nine-month base salary at Harvard and three months’ (three ninths) supplemental salary. In such cases, compensation that exceeds the base salary will ordinarily be converted, in accordance with the policies of the funding source, into research support. Please be advised that all salary payments made through the University carry a charge for fringe benefits. Therefore, it is important for faculty to work with their financial administrators when applying for outside funding.

Faculty members on fully paid and half-paid sabbatical leave may receive supplemental compensation from external sources that is paid through Harvard, so long as the total amount received from all sources does not exceed the equivalent of three months’ salary. For additional information on faculty supplementary salary and payments, see https://research.fas.harvard.edu/policies/outside-activities-holders-academic-appointments#addendum and https://research.fas.harvard.edu/policies/fas-supplemental-salary-payment-policy. 

A faculty member taking an unpaid research leave may receive compensation from another academic institution or external (non-grant) funding source. If the funding is paid through Harvard, the total compensation received from all funding sources during the academic year may not exceed the faculty member’s full-time nine-month base salary at Harvard and three months’ supplemental salary. In such cases, compensation that exceeds the base salary will ordinarily be converted, in accordance with the policies of the funding source, into research support.

Some external (non-grant) funding sources provide compensation directly to the faculty member, rather than running it through Harvard. In such cases, those on sabbatical at half salary may receive total compensation during the academic year in excess of their nine-month base salary and three months’ supplemental salary. It is very important, however, that faculty members remain mindful of the policies reflecting conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment, which apply at all times. Please see the following references (see also faculty research policies at https://research.fas.harvard.edu/policies/faculty-research): the University Statement on Outside Activities of Holders of Academic Appointments (available at https://provost.harvard.edu/statement-outside-activities-holders-academic-appointments), University Policy on Financial Conflicts of Interest (see http://files.vpr.harvard.edu/files/vpr-documents/files/harvard_university_fcoi_policy_4_0.pdf), FAS/SEAS Policy on Financial Conflicts of Interest Disclosures (available at https://research.fas.harvard.edu/policies/financial-conflicts-interest-disclosures), FAS/SEAS Policies Relating to Research & Other Professional Activities (available at https://research.fas.harvard.edu/policies-relating-research-and-other-professional-activities-within-and-outside-university), and FAS/SEAS Policies on Effort Reporting for Academic Year Effort and Supplemental Salary (available at https://research.fas.harvard.edu/effort-reporting) for more information. It is expected that each faculty member will, as noted in the Statement on Outside Activities of Holders of Academic Appointments, “conduct outside professional pursuits in ways that respect their responsibilities to their home institution. Along with status as a full-time Harvard academic appointee comes the expectation that one’s primary professional duties are to Harvard, and that outside professional activities will not conflict with obligations to one’s students, to colleagues, and to the University as a whole.”  In practice, this means that, while on half salary from Harvard, faculty members’ formal agreements with other organizations should reflect a half-time status at those organizations.^[5]

Faculty members on sabbatical leave may still direct 20 percent of their effort to outside activities related to their areas of expertise.

Any questions or concerns about potential conflicts of interest should be brought in advance to RCP_outsideactivities@harvard.edu. Any questions or concerns about potential conflicts of commitment should be brought in advance to the attention of the Office for Faculty Affairs.

During a paid sabbatical leave, the University continues to make retirement fund contributions on behalf of the faculty member. Similarly, health plan benefits, life insurance, and disability insurance continue to be effective, and the faculty member’s payments are deducted directly from the faculty member's paycheck.

During an unpaid leave, no retirement fund contributions are made by the University; however, health plan benefits, life insurance, and disability insurance continue to be effective so long as the individual makes the same contributions that the individual would have made if not on leave. In such cases, the University continues to cover its share of the relevant costs. Please note: Paycheck deductions for Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts stop during unpaid leaves. For more information about benefits during paid and unpaid leaves, faculty members should contact the Harvard Benefits Office directly.