Time off for research not a sabbatical

By N. William Hines

I recently read five stories and editorials in Iowa newspapers discussing the issue of whether the state's current economic crisis justifies suspension of the professional development awards (PDAs) to faculty members at Iowa Board of Regents universities for the 2010-2011 academic year. All of them referred to the semester-long relief from teaching duties at issue as “sabbaticals.”

Calling the Iowa PDAs “sabbaticals” is simply

incorrect and confuses the public about the nature of these valuable opportunities for professors.

Within the academy, the term sabbatical has referred traditionally to a practice, typically at private colleges, in which professors are periodically granted a block of time to recharge their intellectual batteries by pursuing a personal activity they find beneficially relaxing. For professors at Iowa's public universities, that traditional term is far from describing the nature and terms of the PDAs authorized by the Iowa Legislature.

The Iowa PDA was initiated in 1977 to help our public universities retain highly productive faculty members in the face of rising competitive pressures from other universities. I was one of the collegiate deans involved in the creation of the PDAs.

The very idea of a classic sabbatical was rejected in favor of a more restricted and competitive program. Faculty members who demonstrate sustained excellence in their teaching, research and service may apply every 10 to 12 semesters for relief from teaching duties for one semester to pursue a specific professional development project full time.

Projects that qualify for a PDA are most commonly research-oriented, but PDAs can provide an opportunity for additional education or training, preparation of a new course, or other teaching-related activity. PDA applications must include detailed written descriptions of the project proposed. They must be approved by the faculty member's department head, collegiate dean and university provost before they are forwarded to the regents for final approval.

At the conclusion of the project, a formal report must be filed and approved. If the PDA does not achieve impressive results, it is unlikely the faculty member will be approved for a second PDA when eligible again.

Iowa's PDA program has been enormously successful, both in supporting cutting-edge projects that have benefited the state and in helping retain outstanding faculty. It would be a shame if the future of such an important academic program were to be threatened because it was confused with a quite different mechanism for granting faculty members free time through paid leaves.

N. William Hines is professor and Dean Emeritus, University of Iowa College of Law.