Professional Development Leave

Professional Development Leave (PDL) - otherwise known as a sabbatical leave - is an opportunity for full-time faculty to take a break from instructional duties to pursue some form of higher academic endeavor, such as completing coursework towards an advanced degree, conducting research, or authoring a textbook.

The term "sabbatical" derives from the Biblical "sabbath" or day of rest that occurs once a week, or every seven days. In a similar fashion, full-time faculty are entitled to request a sabbatical leave every seventh year of instruction. I have completed thirteen years of instruction at De Anza College, so I have applied for and received approval for sabbatical leave for the 2012-2013 academic year (my fourteenth year at De Anza).

I will not be teaching any courses during the Fall 2012, Winter 2013, or Spring 2013 quarters. I will be teaching during the Summer 2013 quarter, however the chemistry department has not yet determined assignments for the Summer 2013 quarter.


If you are a former student and need to contact me for grade- or course-related matters

Please note I will not be checking my voicemail while I am on sabbatical leave. However, I will periodically check my official District e-mail, especially in the week after the completion of the Summer 2012 quarter. If you have a concern that you need to have addressed immediately, please contact the Physical Sciences, Math, and Engineering division office at (408) 864-5695 or at dapsme@deanza.edu.

For students who were enrolled in my Summer 2012 course, if you have any immediate grade- or course-related concerns, please contact me as soon as possible, as I will be travelling beginning the second week after the end of the Summer 2012 quarter and may not have access to e-mail until I return.


If you are a former student and need to contact me for a letter of recommendation

I will accept requests for letters of recommendation while I am on leave. However, there may be times that I will be travelling and will not have access to e-mail. You should allow a minimum of two weeks for completion of a letter of recommendation.


If you need to contact the chemistry department coordinator for any course- or department-related matters

Dr. Ram Subramaniam will be substituting as chemistry department coordinator while I am away on leave. I will not be responding to any messages regarding the scheduling or staffing of any courses and will instead forward those messages to Dr. Subramaniam. You may contact Dr. Subramaniam at (408) 864-8517 or at subramaniamram@deanza.edu.


I will return to instruction on July 1, 2013.