Below are the review steps in Interfolio for sabbatical review after candidate submission.
When a case advances from one review step to the next, those at the previous step loose access. Only the Office of the Provost has access after all review steps are complete.
After creating the case, the college case manager receives from the Office of the Provost and uploads to the Interfolio case the confirmation of the candidate’s eligibility for sabbatical, including the candidate’s responses to the Qualtrics survey related to eligibility. The college case manager and the department chair have access to review the candidate's submission for completeness and formatting. This step also allows for all cases to be forwarded to the department personnel committee (DPC) together for review along with any related communications.
The department chair has continued access to the candidate packet at this step. The members of the department personnel committee (DPC) also have access to review the candidate packet.
In consultation with the department chair, the DPC:
In consultation with the DPC, the department chair prepares a cover letter which explains how the rankings were developed and how the criteria were applied. In addition, the chair’s letter should explicitly confirm that sufficient resources are available to reasonably accommodate the absence of all faculty members being forwarded to college council for review.
Differences of opinion between a majority of the personnel committee and the department chair shall be resolved at the department level whenever possible. Otherwise, the chair of the DPC shall upload a separate letter in the Department Review Materials section. The letter should explain how the rankings were developed and how the criteria were applied, resulting in a different recommendation from the chair.
The department chair notifies each applicant, in writing, of the department recommendation(s), including ranking(s).
Any reconsiderations and appeals are handled in the Interfolio system as special cases by the college case manager. After the required timeline for department-level reconsideration and appeal to the college is past, the college case manager forwards cases that the department indicated can be reasonably accommodated to the college council members and the dean for review.
The members of the college council and the dean have access to review the candidate packet, and department-level recommendations from the previous level of review.
The college council, in consultation with the dean, shall evaluate the sabbatical applications from all departments in the college. On a college-wide basis, the committee shall rank applications recommended for approval by the DPCs. The ranking shall respect, insofar as possible, the rankings provided by the departments and shall be based upon the committee's judgment of the relative scholarly (research or artistry) merit of each project.
Any changes in departmental ranking of sabbatical leave applications shall be explained in writing to the affected department and applicants in a timely manner, with specific reason(s) given for the ranking changes. Any reassessments are handled in the Interfolio system as special cases by the college case manager.
The dean shall prepare a cover letter to accompany the college recommendations which explains how the rankings were developed and how the criteria were applied. Where differences between a majority of the college personnel committee and the dean are not resolved at the college level, the chair of the college council shall upload a separate letter in the College Review Materials section explaining how the rankings were developed and how the criteria were applied, resulting in a different recommendation from the dean.
The college dean shall notify each applicant, in writing, concerning the college's recommendation(s).
The Office of the Provost compiles and summarizes details from each case before sharing with the Faculty Senate Personnel Committee (FSPC). Any appeals are handled in the Interfolio system as special cases by the college case manager in consultation with the Office of the Provost.
Taking into account the recommendations of the appropriate committees, the Faculty Senate Personnel Committee (FSPC), in consultation with the provost (or designee), shall evaluate all applications for sabbatical leaves. The committee shall resolve any differences of opinion referred to it. The committee shall combine the rankings of the several colleges, taking care in the process to retain the relative rankings of the applicants from each college. The university rankings shall be based upon the committee's judgment of the relative scholarly merit of each proposal.
Taking into account the number of leaves available and its merit-ranking of proposals, the committee shall assign each application to one of three classes: (1) leaves granted, (2) standby leaves (“alternates”), (3) leaves disapproved.
The provost shall notify each applicant in writing concerning FSPC’s action. Any changes in departmental ranking of sabbatical leave applications shall be explained in writing to the affected department and applicants in a timely manner, with specific reason(s) given for the ranking changes.
Any appeals are handled in the Interfolio system as special cases by the Office of the Provost.
The Faculty Senate Personnel Committee Recommendation Form is submitted by the FSPC Chair or designee. The designee also uploads the Faculty Senate Personnel Committee University-wide Worksheet and Provost Notification Letter to Candidate.
Board of Trustees Summary Form is completed and the sabbatical item submitted to the Board as well as the university-level notification letter sent to candidate after Board of Trustees vote are uploaded.
Note: You must log in using your NIU Account ID and password.
For technical issues with Interfolio, Interfolio Scholar Services provides live support by phone or email Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.– 7:00 p.m. CT.
833-844-2118
interfolio-support@elsevier.com
For questions about NIU polices and procedures related to the preparation and review of promotion and tenure or sabbatical materials, please contact leadership at your department / school, college, or the Office of the Provost. Questions best addressed by the Office of the Provost can be directed to interfolio@niu.edu.