Holidays

Holiday Leave Policy

The University observes fifteen days of staff holiday annually:

  • New Year’s Day (or Monday after)
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Juneteenth
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Friday after Thanksgiving Day
  • Six days of Winter Break (dates vary: typically December 24th through December 31st)

The University will make reasonable accommodations to employees who wish to observe religious holidays not included in the holiday list above by allowing employees to take the day off. The University’s vacation leave allotments are designed to allow employees some flexibility to take time off at their discretion (with supervisory approval) for such instances.

Regular full-time employees are eligible for holiday pay when a holiday falls on one of their regularly scheduled work days. Part-time employees regularly scheduled to work over 1,000 hours per year are eligible for holiday pay based on a pro-rated basis.  Only hours worked on a holiday will be credited toward overtime calculations.

To qualify for holiday pay, an employee must be in an approved pay status the day before and the day after the holiday. In addition, the employee must meet (or be officially excused from) their last assigned work shift prior to the holiday and meet (or be officially excused from) the next assigned work shift following the holiday.

No holiday pay is granted when a holiday occurs during leave without pay, during an unpaid leave of absence, while on layoff status, or on a suspension.

Working on a holiday:

If a University-observed holiday falls on a day when classes are in session or students are on campus or when the University has work of an essential nature, employees may be required to work during a scheduled holiday. Department supervisors will decide if a department must provide services on holidays and/or if an individual employee needs to work on the holiday, not the employee. In such instances, non-exempt/hourly paid employees required to work on an official University holiday will be paid for the time worked and the holiday. 

Employees Working 12 hour Rotating Shifts in Departments with 365-day Staffing

Because non-exempt employees who work twelve (12) hour rotating shifts, in departments required to provide seven days per week, 365 days per year service are required to work as many as eight (8) holidays each year, these employees will be paid twelve (12) hours of holiday pay for all University holidays.

Grandfathered Employees

Police Officers hired prior to July 1, 2012 who work twelve (12) hour shifts may continue to schedule their University holidays throughout the year, with approval from their supervisor, at the rate of eight hours (8) per University holiday. This group of employees will continue to be paid only regular time for any holidays worked. Holiday hours must be used within each calendar year and cannot be carried over.

View the Holiday Leave Policy .