National Cheng Kung University Regulations on Sabbatical
Leave of Professors and Associate Professors
Approved by the fifth University Affairs Meeting of the 1996 academic year on June
11, 1997
Amendment approved by the fourth University Affairs Meeting of the 1999 academic
year on June 21, 2000
Amendment approved by the third extended University Affairs Meeting of the 2001
academic year on June 12, 2002
Approved by the first University Affairs Meeting of the 2002 academic year on
October 09, 2002
Affirmed by the second University Affairs Meeting of the 2002 academic year on
December 25, 2002
Amendment approved by the third University Affairs Meeting of the 2002 academic
year on February 26, 2004
Amendment approved by the second University Affairs Meeting of the 2005 academic
year on December 28, 2005
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Article 2
Article 3
In order to improve the academic research quality of the faculty, and
conduct the academic exchange with other universities, academic
research institutes (organizations) and research and development
entities, the National Cheng Kung University (hereafter refers to as the
University) established this Regulation on sabbatical leave of
professors and associate professors (hereafter refers to as the
Regulation).
The professors and associate professors mentioned in this regulation
(hereafter refers to as the teachers of the University) have approved
qualification from the Ministry of Education.
Full time professors or associate professors of the University, after a
service of seven semesters or more, are allowed to apply for a semester
of sabbatical leave. Full time professors or associate professors of the
University, after a service of seven years or more, are allowed to apply
for an academic year of sabbatical leave, or two non-consecutive
semesters. The two non-consecutive semesters shall be applied at once,
and shall be completed within two academic years after the approval
date, but special cases with special approval of the President are not
within this limitation. If the seniority of a teacher is less than the
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required minimum mentioned above, the seniority can count the
seniority together with the time of being associate professor when the
applicant for the first time after being nominated as a professor, but the
seniority at the moment of a further application for a sabbatical leave
shall begin to count from the next semester after returning to the
University. When counting the time is combining the seniority of both
being professor and associate professor, the application shall be as an
associate professor, and the examination shall base on the qualification
requirement for an associate professor.
Besides of the above mentioned seniority, the professors or associate
professors shall fulfill the requirements mentioned in Article 4 in order
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to apply for the sabbatical leave.
The professors who wish to apply for sabbatical leave shall possess
thesis or work published in well-known domestic or international
academic journals in the last three years, with good records.
The associate professors who wish to apply for sabbatical leave shall
fulfill one of the following requirements:
(1) Obtain research plan of the National Science Council and occupy
the position of plan director in the last three years.
(2) Have publication or at least five theses published at well-known
domestic or international academic journals in the last three years,
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with good records.
(3) At least three creations or inventions which obtained national or
international patents in the last three years.
(4) Have organized at least 2 times individual exhibitions in the last
three years, the works have not repeated, in the application shall
submit the following documentation: picture album (or
videocassette, VCD) of the exhibition, certification of exhibition or
storage of a private or public artistic exhibition institute.
Before applying for sabbatical leave, the applicant is approved to serve
other institute or organization, the total seniority is less than four years,
and has been returning back to the university to teach, and has not
received any hourly remuneration, it counts 50% of the seniority.
The seniority for applying sabbatical leave of the applicant, having
been a semester (including) more to do advanced studies at a domestic
or foreign institute, or research at a domestic or foreign institute, or
giving lectures abroad, but does not give lectures at the University,
shall recount from the next semester after returning to the University. If
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a full-time professor or assistant professor after a service of 3 1/2 years
or more, who applies for advanced studies at a domestic or foreign
institute, or research at a domestic or foreign institute, or giving
lectures abroad, shall deduct 3 1/2 years from his/her seniority for
applying sabbatical leave, and the rest of the seniority for applying
sabbatical leave can add up to the time from the next semester rafter
returning to the University. After the teacher completes his/her
returning duty for service at the University, he/she can apply for
sabbatical leave again, but in special cases, after the approval of the
Teachers’ Review Committee of the department, institute, college and
university, and finally the approval of the President, are not within this
limitation. The seniority for applying sabbatical leave, after the end of
the non-consecutive sabbatical leave, counts from the next semester of
the next year of the first section of the approved sabbatical leave.
Article 7
In case of leave without pay because of nurturing infants, attending
parents or employed again after temporarily suspension or the position,
the calculation of the seniority is that the absent time from the
university shall be deducted, and add up the time of the seniority
before and after the absence.
The amount of personnel at sabbatical leave cannot be more than 15%
of the total amount of professors in the department or college, or 5% of
the total amount of associate professors, if less than one person, it shall
count as one person, the quota of the sabbatical leave professors or
associate professors do not use in an academic year is not possible to
reserve. If the department and institute are as a unity, the amount of
professors and associate professors at sabbatical leave shall count
together. Under the condition of not affecting the teaching plan, the
amount of professors and associate professors at sabbatical leave for
the first and second semesters can be distributed in a flexible way. The
classes held by the teachers at sabbatical leave shall be distributed to
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other faculty members at the department or institute, the number of
personnel shall not be increased therefore.
The teacher of the University who applies for sabbatical leave shall
submit research plan three months before the beginning of the semester.
After the approval of the 3 levels of Teachers’ Review Committee, the
applicant can start the approved research, but cannot have any other
full time work which is not related to the research plan. If the applicant
teaches at the University during his/her sabbatical leave, he/she is not
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allowed to get the hourly remuneration for the lectures, the approval
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principle of each Teachers’ Review Committee is not only based on the
qualification of the applying teacher, but also on the contribution to the
University and the necessity to promote the regular teaching work.
During the sabbatical leave, it is only permitted to receive a sole
full-time salary that is given by the University or other university,
academic research institute or organization. If the other university,
academic research institute or organization does not pay to the standard
of faculty salary, the University will pay for the difference.
After finishing the sabbatical leave and returning back to the university
to serve, the teacher shall give a written report of the research result
within three months; otherwise, he/she is not allowed to apply for
sabbatical leave again. If the report does not coincide with the original
plan, an explanation also must be submitted; otherwise, he/she is not
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Article 13
allowed to apply for sabbatical leave again.
The professors who have reached the retirement age and extend the
service at the university, cannot apply for sabbatical leave.
The teacher who finished his/her sabbatical leave shall have two
conditions in order to apply again for advanced studies at a domestic or
foreign institute, or research (including sabbatical leave) at a domestic
or foreign institute, or giving lecture abroad: 1. After an academic year
of the sabbatical leave, the teacher shall return to the University to
serve at least two years. 2. After a semester of the sabbatical leave, the
teacher shall return to the University to serve at least one year.
This regulation starts to execute after the approval of the University
Affairs Meeting, the amendments as well.
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