5. Professional Development Resources

Faculty members of Champlain College are expected to engage in appropriate professional development activities that enhance their teaching skills, maintain currency in their fields of expertise and contribute to their discipline. As a faculty committed to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) education into our professional lives, Champlain College faculty will participate in professional development opportunities linked to the College’s mission as it is related to DEI. Faculty will be responsible for participation in DEI efforts by including annual professional development goals that reflect these values. As a learning community working together, we make a commitment to justice on our campus. The College supports those activities through an infrastructure dedicated to helping the faculty develop as professionals, scholars, and teachers.

5.1     CENTER FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING

The Center for Learning and Teaching provides resources, leadership and expertise to support teaching and learning at Champlain.  The Center provides faculty with support and guidance in using the Canvas learning management system and instructional design support for blended, hybrid, and online courses in the undergraduate curriculum, as well as support for the thoughtful and effective use of other classroom strategies and instructional technologies that may enhance the teaching and learning experience.  The Center also provides support in a wide range of teaching and learning topics such as integrative learning, teaching style, teaching philosophy, classroom management, inclusive classroom practices, assignment design, and related areas.

5.2     SABBATICAL LEAVE - AMENDMENT REQUIRES BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVAL

This policy may be  changed  only  with  the  voted  approval  of  the  full  Faculty  Senate  and  approval  of the President, and in no case shall any change apply during the academic year in which the change or changes are approved.

1. Eligibility
   1. Application for a sabbatical by a full-time faculty member may be made during or after the seventh year of employment.
   2. Subsequent sabbaticals may be requested during the seventh year of employment following a previous sabbatical leave.
2. Purpose - The purpose of a Sabbatical will be one or more of the following:
   1. Study within a degree program, related to a faculty member’s area of competence and/or assignment at the College.
   2. Formal or informal study not leading to a degree but related to a faculty member’s assignment at the College.
   3. Research or  work on  a  written project (for  example,  a  manuscript, book,  series of articles, poems) to be submitted for publication, or work on a non-written project (for example, a work of art, film, software) to be produced or submitted to a juried exhibition or other peer-reviewed process.
3. Application Process - Applicants should be aware that, because an employee on sabbatical is completely dispensed from all teaching and service obligations (while pursuing a professional project free of the inevitable interruptions of being on the campus), his, her or their office may be dedicated to use by another employee, or devoted to some other purpose, during the period of sabbatical leave. While the specifics of an employee’s office use while on sabbatical may be negotiated in particular cases, the general assumption is that an employee will minimize his or her time on campus during the period of sabbatical leave.  If an employee foresees that he, she or they will need to use his, her or their office during his or her sabbatical, that employee should indicate and explain this in his, her or their sabbatical application itself.
   1. Applications for sabbatical must be submitted by October 15 of the previous academic year and include the following information:
      1. Name and address
      2. Starting date of employment/number of years of full-time service
      3. Purpose of sabbatical
      4. Detailed outline of proposed program. This proposal should identify specific outcomes and address the benefits to both the individual faculty member and the College. (For instance: How might courses be enhanced? How might students and/or colleagues benefit from your experiences? If publication is a goal, what publications will be pursued?)
      5. Letter of acceptance at outside institution (if applicable)
      6. Current position and total credit hours and subjects taught
      7. Acknowledgement from the divisional Dean that the employee is applying.  This acknowledgement must be received by the chairperson of the Promotion and Sabbatical Leave Committee not later than October 15 of the academic year prior to the proposed sabbatical leave, in the event that many members of the same Division seek simultaneously to apply for sabbatical leave for the same period
      8. Plan explaining what applicant will do upon completion of sabbatical leave to verify that outcomes have been achieved
4. Period of Sabbatical and Pay Program
   1. A faculty member may ask for an academic year sabbatical for which he/she will receive one half his/her salary.
   2. A faculty member may ask for an academic semester sabbatical. The sabbatical contract is calculated at the full annual salary.  An employee on fall sabbatical need not attend college-wide and divisional meetings during the week preceding the start of the fall semester. An employee on spring sabbatical must attend college-wide and divisional meetings during the week preceding the start of the following fall semester.
   3. All benefits will be paid during the year of the sabbatical.
5. Tuition Reimbursement
   1. The College will pay 50% of tuition for master’s degree study, up to $1,500 per term and $3,000 per academic year. Tuition fees associated with non-active studies (placeholder fees) are not eligible for reimbursement during the timeframe in which a faculty member is on sabbatical.
   2. Full-time regular faculty (as defined in the Faculty Handbook) with three (3) or more years of full-time employment status  who do not have a doctoral degree, are eligible to receive partial tuition reimbursement for their studies toward their doctoral degree. Champlain College pays 60% of tuition, up to $2,500 per term, however, the cost may not exceed $5,000 per fiscal year with a lifetime maximum of $30,000. The College will pay half of dissertation holding fees for up to two terms; exceptions to this limit must be approved by the Chief Academic Officer and the Vice President of Finance. This benefit may be applied towards one doctoral degree. Books, residency costs, labs, fees, and other non-tuition expenses are not eligible for reimbursement by the College. (Please see Tuition Remission Policy in the People Center for additional details.   Please note that tuition remission and/or reimbursement may be subject to taxation; any related tax obligations will be the responsibility of the faculty member.)
6. Return to Champlain
   1. A faculty member granted a sabbatical must agree in writing to return to the College for the period of one contract year in his or her former capacity.
   2. Within 60 days of return to the College, a faculty member must submit written evidence to the Sabbatical Leave Committee substantiating completion of the program  and the plan described in the Application Process section above.
   3. Any faculty member failing to fulfill obligations agreed to on the application will be liable for the full amount of salary and benefits paid during the leave.
   4. A faculty member employee will return with full benefits and rights and upon return shall receive equal raise in salary as would have been awarded had the sabbatical not been taken.
7. Promotions and Sabbatical Leave Committee (see Appendix, Senate Bylaws)
   1. An application for sabbatical should be submitted with sufficient copies to all members of the committee.
   2. The membership of the Promotions and Sabbatical Leave Committee shall consist of at least seven (7) voting members drawn from the academic Divisions and the Library, with additional voting members to be identified by the Chair in order to fulfill the following requirements: 
      1. One member shall have at least 10 years of service as a faculty member at Champlain College, and one member shall have been hired on or after July 1, 2007.
      2. At least one member shall hold the rank of Associate Professor, and one member shall hold the rank of Professor.
      3. Whenever possible, one (1) member shall have successfully completed the promotion application process at Champlain and one (1) shall have already been granted a sabbatical.
      4. Members will serve for two (2) or three (3) years, with terms of membership staggered to ensure continuity. In general, the membership of the Promotions/Sabbatical Committee shall consist of the persons selected under Faculty Senate By-laws Article 7, section 1, and the Provost as a non-voting member.
   3. The role of Chair each year shall be filled by a returning Committee member, appointed by the Faculty Senate President.
   4. If applications have been submitted, the Committee will meet between October 15 and November 15 to review applications.
   5. In the case of incomplete applications, the Committee may defer its consideration until all application components are completed.
   6. Applying faculty members may be interviewed by the Committee at its discretion.
   7. The Committee  may  decide  that  no  sabbatical  will  be  granted  for  the  following academic year. Such a decision shall be conveyed to the faculty member in writing as above, with the Chairperson’s signature and the vote of the Committee recorded. This decision must state the reasons why no sabbatical is being granted.
   8. The Committee shall send its recommendations to the President and Provost of the College for consideration
      no later than November 20.
   9. The President shall send announcements of the decision in writing to the applicants no later than December 20. If denied, this decision must state the reasons why no sabbatical is being granted.
   10. An applicant may not challenge the eligibility of any Committee member.
   11. Rejection and resubmission of applications including grievance: Any faculty member who is refused a sabbatical may resubmit a new application the following year, but in no case shall such a refusal be deemed cause for a grievance with the College. If a faculty member is refused a sabbatical, they may request an interview with the Committee, Provost or President to discuss the reasons for refusal.
   12. Within 30 days of submission, the Committee will review post-sabbatical documentation to verify that objectives have been met.
8. Changes to approved applications for sabbatical leave
   1. If, prior to the beginning of an approved sabbatical, the faculty member proposes to change the time period of the sabbatical, or significantly to alter the content of the sabbatical project itself, then that faculty member must re-submit a revised application for sabbatical leave to the committee.  That revised application must then be approved (following the regular procedure set forth in this document) in order for the sabbatical to take place.
   2. If, after the beginning of an approved sabbatical, the faculty member proposes to change the time period of the sabbatical, or significantly to alter the content of the sabbatical project itself, then that faculty member must convey a written explanation and justification of the proposed change(s) to both the committee and the Provost.

5.3     EXTERNSHIP FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The Externship Faculty Development Plan is a voluntary opportunity for any regular full-time faculty member to work part- or full-time up to a limit of one academic year at a job in the community that is related to the faculty member’s position at the College. Only faculty members who have completed seven (7) years of full-time teaching at the College are eligible.

If the compensation received from the externship job site is lower than the faculty member’s normal base pay, the faculty member will be paid the difference between his/her normal base pay and the compensation received from the externship job site.  The faculty member will also continue to receive regular, full-time College benefits. A faculty member taking an externship must agree to teach at the College for one academic year after the end of the year in which the externship was taken.

Interested faculty members should apply through the Office of the Provost. Final approval of each externship is at the sole discretion of the President. All application materials are due to the Provost’s Office before February 1 of the year preceding the intended externship semester or year. Questions related to the externship program may be directed to the Provost’s Office.

5.4     FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SPENDING ACCOUNTS

Faculty Development Spending Accounts (FDSAs) are provided by the College to support individual faculty development.  Use of the funds is at the discretion of individual full-time faculty members under the supervision of the Deans, as outlined below.  Deans may review the use of these funds as part of the faculty evaluation process.

Approved FDSA Categories - Faculty members have discretion to use FDSA funds for any combination of the following:

• Professional and disciplinary organization memberships (it is an expectation that all faculty belong to at least one such organization in their primary teaching field);
• Expenses for meetings, conferences, and workshops related to professional and disciplinary organizations or other professional development activities (normal expenses including travel, lodging, registration and other fees, etc.);
• Expenses that support the research and creative activities of the faculty member;
• Books, including subscriptions to electronic book collections;
• Other subscriptions (print and electronic);
• Continuing education expenses not covered by other tuition benefits programs (for example, tuition, fees, travel, specialized materials and supplies); or
• Specialized software or hardware that enhances the faculty member’s development or productivity. Hardware purchases will be restricted to once every three years and hardware costing more than $500 remains the property of the College.

If the faculty member would like to use FDSA funding for expenses other than those listed above, s/he may seek the approval of the Dean, so long as the expenses do not conflict with existing College policies or practices.

Spending Limits - FDSA funds are under the management of the Deans, and are accounted for in one lump sum per division.  Spending limits for each faculty member are set each year as part of the budgeting process.   No funds are carried over from year to year.  However, Deans may work with individual faculty members to pool unused individual allocations to supplement the funding available to another faculty member, while monitoring long term fairness of use.

5.5     FACULTY ENROLLMENT IN CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE COURSES

Undergraduate Tuition at Champlain College

Employees may normally take for-credit courses tuition-free on a “space-available” basis. Under special circumstances, an employee may be permitted to take one course during working hours with the approval of the employee’s supervisor. There is no limit to the number of courses or degrees that an employee may take over the course of that individual’s career at the College. The College does not pay bonuses for degrees earned.

This tuition benefit is excludable under IRS regulations and is therefore not reported as taxable wages on the employee’s W-2.

Books, residency costs, labs, fees and other non-tuition expenses are not paid for by the College.

Graduate Tuition at Champlain College

Employees of the College may normally take for-credit Graduate courses tuition-free on a “space-available” basis. If an individual is matriculating in a degree program every effort will be made to accommodate that student in the current term and if space prohibits then the student be seated the following term for that course. Under special circumstances, an employee may be permitted to take one course during working hours with the approval of the employee’s supervisor. Any time limitations on degree completion may be adjusted for employees if their schedule is impacted by the “space available” clause.

Books, residency costs, labs, fees and other non-tuition expenses are not paid for by the College.

IRS regulations determine the maximum amount of tuition value, per calendar year, that need not be reported as taxable wages. Note: IRS regulations stipulate that tuition benefits valued at over $5,250 per calendar year are to be reported as taxable wages on the employee’s W-2 form unless the amount is excludable as a “working condition fringe.”

Champlain College pays the employer FICA taxes on taxable wages. The employee is responsible for all other taxes. Employee taxes are deducted during normal payroll cycles.

This benefit is not available to retirees.

5.6     FACULTY DEVELOPMENT: PEER EXCHANGE PROGRAM

INTENTION 

The Peer Exchange Process  is intended to help faculty members develop professionally as teachers, to support development toward promotion and to enhance elements of professorship regardless of rank or promotion eligibility.  This process is completely formative and intended to provide time and space for faculty to regularly discuss their teaching with their colleagues.  This formative process will replace the Dean’s classroom observation portion of the faculty evaluation for contract renewal purposes. Dates of participation will be noted on the faculty’s Self-Evaluation form, and Deans are no longer required to attend a faculty’s class as part of the summative review process for contract renewal.  The Peer Exchange Process is intended to support a culture of development, safety, risk-taking,  and professionalism among the faculty providing an opportunity for  discussion and growth on self-identified areas of interest with colleagues of their choosing.   While the results of this process are confidential, shared only with the faculty and peer observer, faculty are encouraged to reflect on their participation as one completes their self-evaluation and/or discusses the development of their teaching in their promotion portfolio.