Non-IU Work During Sabbatical

Guidance on Non-IU Work During a Sabbatical

Question: If a faculty member is on sabbatical, can they accept other work and be paid for it?

Answer: If it is a full-year, half-paid, sabbatical, possibly. The total amount received from all sources for salary cannot exceed one's base IU salary; travel and other expenses can also be accepted from external sources. Someone who has IU-managed external funding for salary can receive 100% of their salary if it covers the 50% that IU does not cover.

Generally, no, if it is a fully-paid one-semester sabbatical.

Being on sabbatical does not mean “being off work”. Faculty are expected to devote themselves full time to the research/sabbatical project that was described in their application.

If the external work is not more than 20% of their effort or salary, then they can do it according to the policy on outside professional activities, just as they would do it if they were not on sabbatical.
IU Policy UA-17 Conflicts of Interest and Commitment, section B.1.a.

“Full-time tenure-track faculty shall be permitted to spend, on average, one non-weekend day each week during the period of appointment, not including official university holidays, on Outside Professional Activities.”

EXCEPT:

They cannot consume IU resources.

AND,

“Academic appointees should avoid conflicts of commitment which arise either when an appointee undertakes outside professional activities that interfere with fulfilling the obligations of the individual’s academic appointment, or when an appointee undertakes, on behalf of another organization, activities that would ordinarily be performed on behalf of Indiana University.”

This provision means that a faculty member cannot teach for another university, online or in person, nor conduct research that is not routed through IU.

For questions about sabbatical plans, contact the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at ude[dot]ui[at]aacvas; for questions about funding and coding, contact Faculty Affairs at ude[dot]ui[at]rhdaca.

Reviewed and revised: 7/2022.