After the leave is approved by your Senior Associate Dean, this letter is sent to the faculty member from the Chair/Director.

Dear [ ].

I am pleased to inform you that your request for a [six month, one semester, or two semester][administrative leave, study leave, or sabbatical leave] from [DATE] through [DATE] has been approved. During this time you will continue to receive [full or half]salary and benefits.

This leave will allow you the opportunity to [Include detail as to what the person will be doing while on leave] and strengthen your current research projects at Cornell.

We are pleased that this [administrative, study or sabbatical leave] will provide you with a professional renewal and will benefit your future research and teaching efforts. When you return from leave you should submit to me a one to two page report summarizing the accomplishments achieved during your leave.

Include for sabbatical leave only:Approval is contingent on fulfilling the commitment of one year of post-sabbatic service. If you fail to complete the post-sabbatic service requirement, you must return the sabbatic salary and the benefits expense to the university.

Include if 12-month or two semester leave is proposed at less than 100% salary:Any change to the current plan, including arrangements to supplement your salary, would require approval by the [chair/director] and senior associate dean; changes that involve salary support through grant funding would also need approval by OSP. During periods of reduced salary/effort please be prepared for the following:

  • Semi-monthly cost of your healthcare insurance will remain constant, and is not pro-rated. Review your paystub to identify those costs.
  • Retirement contributions will be reduced proportionately during this period, both the amount you contribute and the amount Cornell/NY State contributes will be reduced proportionately.
  • Review the method you are using for Tax Deferred Annuity contributions. If you have selected a fixed amount semi-monthly, that will remain constant, if you have chosen to use a percentage, then it will be pro-rated.
  • All of the above may be reviewed by contacting or scheduling an appointment with Cornell Benefits Office.]

If you are traveling overseas during this leave,please contact our benefits office () who can provide guidance. Prior to traveling you are encouraged to do the following:

  1. Identify in-network health care facilities you can access during your travels should you need medical care. If you are part of the Empire Plan, to maximize your benefits and minimize your out-of pocket costs for care in a hospital outside of the United States, I encourage you to visit or call 1-800-810-BLUE (1-800-810-2583) and create an account, so that you can locate a BlueCard Worldwide participating facility in the area you will be staying. The registration requires that you use YLS#########, where # is your Empire Plan number to create an account.If you are a member of one of our Healthcare Plans, please contact to seek related services.
  2. Understand and plan for medical costs that may be incurred if you must utilize “out-of-network” providers during your travel. Gaining reimbursement may be more complex and expensive in “out-of-network” facilities, so plan ahead.
  3. Pre-register any travel outside the U.S. with Cornell in theInternational Travel Registry.
  4. Protect yourself and the technology you plan to bring by reading Cornell’s guidance at

Traveling Internationally with Technology. You may request a consultation with your local IT staff prior to your travel by submitting a request at

[Beth Ahner/Amy McCune] and I are fully supportive of the leave and wish you well during this time away.

Sincerely,

Unit Chair/Director

c: HR Generalist