Holidays

Holiday Leave Policy

The University observes fifteen days of staff holiday and two floating holidays 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 and do not apply to weekend dates: typically December 24th through December 31st)
  • Two Floating Holidays (to be used within the calendar year). Floating holidays are first effective on 7/1/25, with two days granted to be used by 12/31/25.   Effective 1/1/26, employees will receive two floating holidays each calendar year.

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 floating holidays and 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 and part-time employees regularly scheduled to work over 1,000 hours per year are eligible for holiday pay. Full-time employees who work less than 12 months will not receive holidays during their time away. 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 an observed holiday will be credited toward overtime calculations.

 

To qualify for holiday pay, an employee must be in an approved pay status the scheduled day before and the scheduled 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.

 

Holiday hours will be paid based on scheduled total weekly hours divided by 5. No holiday pay is granted when a holiday occurs during leave without pay, during an unpaid leave of absence, parental leave, while on layoff status, or on a suspension. While an employee is receiving Short Term Disability (STD) payments, the payment of the holiday will be paid at 66 2/3% consistent with STD payments.  

 

An employee’s last day of employment must be an active workday and not a holiday.

 

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. In such instances, if required to work on an official University holiday a non-exempt staff member will be paid regular hours for the time worked and whichever is greater- the holiday hours that equal the time worked or the employees eligible holiday hours (scheduled weekly hours/5). When operationally feasible, a non-exempt/hourly employee who is required to work during a holiday will be granted an additional paid day off during the same work week.

 

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 for a total of 120 hours per year. This group of employees will continue to be paid only regular time for any holidays worked. Holiday hours must be used in half day increments and  used within each calendar year and cannot be carried over.

 

Floating Holidays:

Effective 7/1/25 the University will provide two (2) floating holidays to be used by 12/31/2025. Effective 1/1/26, employees will receive two floating holidays each calendar year. All policies above apply to floating holidays in addition to the following.

 

Floating holidays must be:

  • Used in full- or half-day increments
  • Used by December 31st each year. They will not carry over to the following year
  • Paid based on regularly scheduled hours
  • Approved by the employee’s supervisor
  • Used on a regularly scheduled work day

Eligible new hires will receive:

  • 2 floating holidays’ if hired prior to July 1st
  • 1 floating holiday if hired between July 1 and October 31st

View the Holiday Leave Policy .