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Planning Your Sabbatical Leaves

Explore the benefits, challenges, and strategies of different sabbatical approaches through real-life experiences. Discover how to make the most of your time away from work while balancing personal and professional obligations.

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Planning Your Sabbatical Leaves

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  1. Planning Your Sabbatical Leaves Carla Schlatter Ellis Duke University

  2. My Story • To Duke as Associate Professor, 1986 • Sabbatical #1 – 1991, Stay-at-home • Sabbatical #2 – 1997-98, Seattle WA • Promoted to Full Professor while there*. • Sabbatical #3 – 2006, Stay-at-home *Absence does make the heart grow fonder

  3. Stay-at-home Sabbaticals • Why choose to stay home? • Family complications • Sabbatical #1 – 1991 • Son, 8 years old • Husband John • Faculty at Duke, but not on leave • Diagnosed with cancer • Sabbatical #3 – 2006 • Husband Rick, retired; Son is at college • 2 new puppies to train

  4. Stay-at-home Sabbaticals • Making it work: Sabbatical #1 – 1991 • Not successful • Went into the office (WRONG!) • I didn’t know how to say “no” • 3 Ph.D. students in thesis mode (needed attention)

  5. Stay-at-home Sabbaticals • Making it work: Sabbatical #3 – 2006 • Successful (so far) • Freedom to travel & using it • Staying out of the office! • I’ve learned to say “no” (it’s about time!) • New projects / directions • 3 Ph.D. students are also remote (for their own personal reasons -- not planned that way)

  6. Sabbatical Away • Why and why not? • Sabbatical #2 – 1997-98, Seattle WA • Son (age 14): “You are going to ruin my social life.” • Lots of overhead – whose job to arrange? • Housing there, house at home • Spouse’s job, son’s schools • Constraints of taking 2 dogs • Packing for a year (who thinks about tax records in July?) • Had just graduated 3 Ph.D. students • In serious need of a change • Great place & great people invited me to come.

  7. Sabbatical Away • Making it work: • Be open to new directions, unexpected collaborations • Don’t stick to the original research plan just because you made one • Don’t expect too much from your host • Involve yourself in the host institution • Make yourself available to students • Participate in events • Be a tourist & pay attention to family

  8. Sabbatical Away • Coming back: • The Monday morning of your career • Don’t be hard on yourself • Lots of overhead in returning • Reversing all those logistics of going • Give yourself time to do it • Re-entry at work • In some ways, you are starting over • Recruit some new students ($ cohort of students you will never really know) • Revive your research group • Get assigned to teach a grad course (ideally a topics course: What I did on my sabbatical)

  9. Experiences of Others • An Industry Sabbatical: ½ year at IBM • Why IBM? – it is almost local • Husband could not leave for the full year • Local apartment 2-3 nights; 2 hour commute home. • Leveraged an existing collaboration (she suggested visit). • Industry issues • Legal agreement: all intellectual property generated there belonged to IBM • Financial arrangement: Paid by host, then it’s a 2nd job • Recommendation: Maintain as much flexibility as possible; beholden as little as possible to host

  10. Experiences of Others • A ½-year Sabbatical Away: UW in Seattle • Why UW? • They invited – new spacious building with room for visitors; Great people • Seattle was attractive location • Logistics – huge overhead for only 6 months • Family went along (husband on leave from work, dog, cat) • She did all arrangements • Recommendation: amortize overhead – go a full year. • Greatest benefits of sabbatical • Switching gears & getting away • Stepping back & enjoying life (lasting effect)

  11. Experiences of Others • A Foreign Sabbatical: Full-year in Sweden • Long-standing professional acquaintances (not previously collaborators). He asked them. • Deal: no financial obligations, just office & invitation letter to get visa • Logistics – complicated! • Family – spouse quit job, 2 kids in school (find appropriate schools, language issue) • Division of labor: He did housing arrangements in Sweden; She did arrangements at home. • Benefits: enjoying lots of travel around Europe.

  12. Summary • Many women defer sabbaticals because of family considerations.Don’t do it!At least do a stay-at-home. • Know what your institution offers • How often are you eligible? • Other kinds of leaves possible to exploit?(e.g., Duke has a leave specifically for Associate Professors who have been delayed for promotion)

  13. Summary • Be proactive in approaching potential hosts • Examples were ½ by host and ½ by visitor • The logistics look daunting. Go away long enough to amortize the work. • Have realistic expectations (for everyone), let yourself refresh, & have fun.

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