Sabbaticals in the Parks Program

Information for Parks

How the Program Works
The Sabbatical in the Parks Program maintains a sabbatical clearinghouse. Research interests and expertise of university professors in the biological, physical, social, and cultural sciences are matched with research and educational needs and technical support of individual NPS units. The clearinghouse depends on the work of the system-wide program coordinator and a designated sabbatical liaison in each interested and participating NPS unit.

All faculty submissions are reviewed by the Sabbatical in the Parks Program Coordinator, Diane Breeding, and entered into the clearinghouse database. Faculty research interests are aligned with the needs of individual park units.

Interested faculty members are put in direct contact with a representative of a park unit. If discussion confirms that a good match exists, an agreement can be negotiated by the park liaison and the faculty member, with assistance from the program coordinator, as requested. Upon completion of a sabbatical, the faculty member and park superintendent submit brief evaluations to the clearinghouse.

Typical Park Support & Faculty Obligation

Each national park unit has different levels of support available to scientists during their sabbaticals. Examples of support may include housing, travel costs, and limited research funds. In all cases, modest administrative support (i.e. telephone, desk, office space, etc.) should be provided to faculty. Ultimately, support is negotiable between the NPS unit and the faculty member and will vary with each sabbatical.

Park Participation

In order to participate, a park contact must fill out the Park Interest Form and submit it to the Program Coordinator, Diane Breeding. The Program Coordinator will then work to match park needs with faculty interests and put the appropriate parks and faculty members in connection with one another.

Criteria for Park Participation
Each national park unit which elects to participate in the Sabbatical in the Parks Program must designate a sabbatical liaison. Smaller parks may share a single liaison or enlist the help of a field support office. The sabbatical liaison need not be the person that a scientist works with once he or she arrives in the park. However, the liaison performs several important functions, including:

• compiling and reporting park needs for research, technical assistance and education, and available park resources and facilities,
• serving as the point of contact and broker of negotiations with faculty members interested in taking a sabbatical,
• preparing a sabbatical agreement letter for signature by the park superintendent and faculty member,
• ensuring that any agreed-upon support, including housing, clerical assistance, computer equipment, and office and laboratory space is available when the faculty member arrives, and,
• coordinating sabbatical evaluations through the park superintendent or other executive.

The collateral work required of the park sabbatical liaisons will be reasonable. Much of it will be done with the assistance of the program coordinator. The Sabbatical in the Parks Program will provide park sabbatical liaisons with sample letters of agreement and other guidance as requested.