Dear Colleagues,

Since the start of the pandemic, our faculty and staff have continuously risen above challenging circumstances to provide the highest standard of service excellence to our campus community. We recognize the sacrifices made by our incredible colleagues during extended times of uncertainty. Despite the challenges of the previous two years, we continue to excel and receive recognition as a top university. Without the sustained and collaborative efforts of our talented faculty and staff, none of this would be possible. However, after long sustained effort, there must come a time to take pause and recharge.

In recognition of our employees’ dedication and hard work, President McCullough has added additional days to the Winter Break Holiday Schedule. Winter Break will begin on Monday, December 20, 2021, and the University will resume normal business operations on Monday, January 3, 2022. The President is pleased to provide these additional days in support of our extraordinarily hard-working faculty and staff. We hope that our colleagues will benefit from extra rest and time spent with friends and family.

Generally speaking, the University will be closed from December 20 – January 2, 2022. However, services that are essential to the University (as determined by department heads) must continue. Therefore, any employee (A&P, USPS, or 12-month Faculty) required by the department head to work during the Winter Break days may be eligible to earn compensatory leave.

An upcoming communication from the Office of Human Resources will provide further procedural information regarding the appropriate use of leave and the notice of unions.

Thank you for all that you do. We look forward to returning in 2022, refreshed and reinvigorated for another productive year.

Renisha Gibbs
Associate Vice President for Human Resources
Finance & Administration Chief of Staff