The fall semester has finished. Graduation has happened (so proud of all of my #FrebergAlums!). The holiday break has begun! This year, as I head to spend the holidays with my family, is a little different. I am going on a new adventure – something I have never done before.
I am going on an adventure!
Well, it’s not going to be quite like the Hobbit, where I will be traveling with dwarfs and battling dragons.
I am going on a sabbatical.
Okay, what is a sabbatical? I get this question a lot of times from my friends in the industry – there are some companies (like Adobe) that do offer sabbaticals for their employees (so cool!).
However, in academia, it’s a little bit different. A sabbatical is a time where a professor is able to take off from teaching to work on a substantial project. Professors have to report back to their department and university what they have been able to accomplish and do during this time off. In essence, you have to provide evidence that is substantial for your time off. This will determine whether or not you will be able to do a sabbatical again in the future.
Sabbaticals are for research and professional development opportunities that are not necessarily available during the semester. Professional development opportunities can include working directly on a fellowship with an organization, conducting interviews for research project, and learning from professionals.
What do you have to do to get a sabbatical? First, you have to write up a proposal for what you want to accomplish during this time off. You can take either 1) a semester off or 2) a year off. The difference is whether or not you want to get paid in full (semester) or take a reduction in your pay (full academic year). Anything more than a year is a leave of absence.
This sabbatical is coming at a great time for me in my career. Sabbaticals are usually done during your seventh year, and it allows you to take some time to learn, grow, and contribute to the field. What’s great too is the fact that it will give me some time as well to reflect on this past fall semester.
This fall semester was PACKED. This was by far the busiest I have been as a #SMprof. I joke with my friends and colleagues on how I tried to cram in pretty much a full academic year into four months with the amount of research + professional projects, conferences, travel, collaborations, and work I was doing.
What am I going to be doing for my sabbatical?
As I have shared w/ my friends and colleagues, I am still going to be busy working on various projects on the teaching and research side, but also professional development.
Teaching and Research abroad. I will be spending a month in Australia, where I will be teaching and speaking at various classes, workshops, and even do a few keynote presentations. I am truly honored to have the chance to work with Karen Sutherland (she’s truly an amazing researcher and professor!) down in Australia. Karen is one of the best and she is launching a new social media program down at USC (University of the Sunshine Coast) and I am truly excited to work with her on research, but also have the chance to teach abroad.
This was my #1 goal for my sabbatical since this was one of my professional bucket list items to do. I have always wanted to do this, and to have the chance to be able to meet colleagues and students down in Australia is going to be amazing!
In fact, I am super excited to announce that USC has given me a title of Associate Adjunct Professor while I am down in Australia!!! This was such a surprise and honor.
I will also be spending time at QUT with talks and workshops, and will be doing an invited talk on crisis communication and social media down in Wellington in New Zealand.
Professional Development. Along with teaching and research down in Australia, I will be doing some professional development activities and working on a variety of presentations and sessions.
The Cannes Lions Educator Summit will be in June, but there will still be a lot of things to work on for the next six months. I also have a few speaking engagements lined up for the spring and summer, so it will be a busy yet fun time to network and collaborate with professionals.
Projects. Even though I will not be in the physical classroom teaching, there will be projects to work on. Conference papers, manuscripts, and presentations will all be part of my daily routine for the next few months. With sabbaticals, you have to showcase what you have been able to do and produce during your time “off” from teaching.
This is something you can negotiate with your program and universities, because it does range from program to program. Some want to have a published manuscript at the end of the sabbatical, and others want to have perhaps more of a reflective presentation of your overall experience. It really all depends.
Summary
I am excited for this new adventure and journey – I know there will be a lot of things to work on and do, but I am thrilled to be able to have the experience to be able to learn, grow, travel, and network throughout all of these different experiences.
It’s going to be a busy next few months. The next time I am going to be back in a physical classroom will be in August 2019.
I’ll be documenting and sharing my lessons, experiences, and takeaways here and on my social media channels using #FrebergSabbatical.
Let me know if you have any questions about sabbaticals, etc! Would be more than happy to answer them!
Have a great day!
Best Wishes,
