III.    SABBATICAL LEAVE PROGRAMME

1.      Sabbatical Leave Programme has been introduced with effect from
        the 1989-90 academic year for academic staff and Deans, with
        the objective of facilitating the development of research,
        scholarly and pedagogical activities in the University.  In terms
        of duration, there is a 6-month programme and a 12-month programme.

2.      It should be emphasized that sabbatical leave is not a right,
        and is subject to application and approval.  Since there is no
        separate funding for the Programme, a staff member who is on
        sabbatical leave will have his/her duties taken up (at least in
        part for a 12-month programme and in full for a 6-month programme)
        by other staff members of the department.

3.      A formal application including details of the leave programme and
        how it would benefit both the staff member and the University
        should be submitted to the Department Head and Dean, and will
        be considered within the Faculty/School by a panel.  The
        Faculty/School will make nominations of the selected individuals
        to the Programme by the specified deadline as announced by the
        Staff Development Panel annually.

4.      Nomination will be made on the basis of the strength of the
        proposal, the relevance of the programme and the benefits to be
        gained for the purpose of the professional development of the
        staff concerned, and the staff member’s track record of
        performance.  The number of individuals to be selected will be
        subject to a maximum of not more than one in every
        ten academics from each Faculty/School for each academic year.

5.      To be eligible for application for a 6-month programme, a staff
        member must have (i) served the University for at least three
        years;  (ii) accumulated two months of annual leave; and
        (iii) been substantiated before he/she takes the approved
        sabbatical leave.

6.      To be eligible for application for a 12-month programme, a staff
        member must have (i) served the University for at least six years;
        (ii) accumulated three months of earned annual leave; and (iii)
        been substantiated.

7.      Upon completion of the programme, the staff member concerned is
        obliged to:  (i) submit a report to the Staff  Development Panel
        via the Personnel Office, with copies to the Head of Department
        and Dean of Faculty/School as appropriate; and  (ii) serve the
        University for at least one year.

8.      Application forms and detailed guidelines can be obtained from
        the Personnel Office.  Application Forms can also be downloaded
        from the Personnel Office Homepage at "www.hkbu.edu.hk/~pers."

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