His leave commences on Monday, with a university spokeswoman confirming the sabbatical was agreed to prior to the virus outbreak.

"This period of leave and sabbatical is paid in accordance with the vice chancellor's employment contract," the spokeswoman said.

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Prof Vann was contracted to head CSU until December 2021, however, the university has revealed it advertised last month for a new vice chancellor.

"The recruitment process commenced in February and the role was advertised in May. As with most recruitment processes, providing an exact timeline isn't possible," a CSU spokeswoman said.

The CSU spokeswoman would not confirm if Prof Vann would return to the university following his sabbatical or whether he was using the time for research or study.

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Professor John Germov has been appointed acting vice Chancellor (academic) of the university.

Since taking over the reins from Prof Ian Goulter in 2011, Professor Vann has overseen the expansion of CSU to include a new campus in Port Macquarie, the start of a new School of Engineering at the Bathurst campus and a move to "carbon neutrality" across all campuses.

In early 2017, CSU announced that Prof Vann had signed on for a second term to remain at the helm of the university until December 2021.

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