The original letter

ean ****,

A few months ago you made a very generous offer to me of a year terminal sabbatical. At the time, with the recession and the lack of any prospects, accepting the offer did not seem to provide me with sufficient time and resources to establish myself on another path. Neither the economy’s or my own situation has changed much since that time. But for reasons I will briefly sketch out, my thinking on the offer has shifted somewhat. Let me explain.

In preparation for starting a program in another country, Peace Corps is selecting a small number of highly qualified volunteers to work with the Indonesian Education Ministry at establishing a teacher evaluation program. It is a short term, eight month program for returned volunteers only that starts in November. The success of this pilot program is a crucial piece of the Peace Corps ultimately establishing a full-fledged program in Indonesia. I have appended a description of the position below.

I have been offered one of the volunteer slots and am very interested in accepting it. It seems an excellent chance to put my talent and credentials to use for a good cause. I also think it would help me transition into a new direction. But I would only consider accepting the offer if I were granted the year terminal sabbatical we discussed. Conversely, if the terminal sabbatical is no longer a possibility, I would immediately tell the Peace Corps I cannot accept their position.
Providing the terminal sabbatical at this time seems to provide an opportunity to close things off in a way to cause the least disruption for the department—a goal I have kept in mind throughout this process. Hopefully, there still remains time to hire someone for the fall semester. Indeed, as I understand it, Richard and Bob already have someone in mind.

I apologize for this being rather late in the process. But having only recently received the offer, I pass it along as soon as possible If you could let me know your decision at your earliest convenience, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for consideration of this request