By: Terry Strickland
Published: January 8, 2009
This month, after 17 consecutive years of service, science professor Jeff Wooters of Pensacola Junior College will get a much-needed vacation – a paid vacation in fact — to the sunny coast of the Land Down Under.
This vacation is referred to in the academic community as a “sabbatical,” in which a teacher is granted paid leave by the school to study or otherwise receives “professional benefit” and those insights can then be brought back to benefit the school.
Only a limited number of sabbaticals are awarded annually. Wooters was one of eight faculty members whose proposals were approved this year.
Wooters said that he applied for a sabbatical after deciding that he needed some time away to rejuvenate himself academically and “gain fresh perspectives.” That said, Wooters will not be spending his time sipping martinis on a golden beach.
During his six-month sabbatical he will travel to Milman Islet, off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland in the extreme north of the continent, where he will participate in a scientific study. The study, which will be sponsored by the environmental nonprofit Earthwatch, will assess the health of one of the world’s largest nesting populations of Hawksbill sea turtles.
“Sunny” is not really an accurate term to describe the conditions which Wooters will encounter on the expedition. “Monsoonal” would be more appropriate.
The northern part of Cape Yorke Peninsula, just south of Milman Islet, receives almost eight feet of rainfall a year, nearly all of which falls between November and April. It is during this time that Wooters will be staying in a tent on the uninhabited and densely wooded island, where the nearest hospital is a three-hour boat ride away.
Even with these conditions, Wooters said that taking this trip will fulfill a life-long dream.
After participating in the study, Wooters will spend the remainder of his sabbatical exploring the national park system in Queensland, seeing many of the unusual animals that he has taught about for years but never had the opportunity to see first hand. He hopes to bring these experiences back to the classroom.
Not all recipients of sabbaticals use their time off from work in such an unconventional way. Many pursue advanced degrees. Some develop new courses or work on books. However, at least one other PJC professor has used her sabbatical in an equally adventurous way.
Joyce Kaplan is the director of PJC’s zoo technology program. Last year, after 10 years of teaching at the college, Kaplan took a half-year sabbatical to travel to Africa and develop a new advanced certificate program for graduates of the zoo tech program.
“I really think that it’s important for faculty to be able to get out in their field and to gain more experiences that they can bring back and share with their students,” Kaplan said.
Wooters said that the benefit of sabbaticals is two-fold. It gives professors a much needed break from the daily grind of academic life, while at the same time giving them the opportunity to gain fresh energy and insight to reinvigorate the institution.
“(The sabbatical policy) fights faculty burnout, and provides faculty with opportunities to stay current in their fields and learn new skills that will benefit their students in the future,” he said.