Winter Holiday Closing Schedule Announced

President Walter Harrison sent the following email to faculty and staff on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Dear Colleagues,

As an extension of the University’s paid time off (PTO) policy that was put into place in July 2009, the University will close from Christmas to New Year’s Day. This holiday season, since Christmas Eve falls on a Monday, the University will recognize December 24th as a holiday. The holiday break this year will begin on Saturday, December 22, 2012, and end with our return to work on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

The University hopes to reduce our carbon footprint and realize significant energy savings by keeping a majority of the buildings closed at reduced temperatures. Last year, we were able to save over $100,000 in energy costs during the closing. To help us achieve these objectives, no employees will be allowed to enter closed buildings or their respective work spaces unless the University concluded that there was a business need for those units to stay open.

To continue to reduce costs, as we did during the last two years, we have cut back on our holiday party schedule, and I strongly advise departments and programs that finance holiday events through University funds to do the same thing. We now have only one University-wide holiday party, which is sponsored by Aramark. It will be held on Thursday, December 13, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Gengras Student Union Cafeteria. As always, I am grateful to everyone at Aramark and the Office of the Treasurer for organizing this wonderful community event, and I hope to see many of you there.

My best wishes for a happy and fulfilling holiday season. I know that this fall has brought a great deal of stress to many of us, but I hope the added holiday and a long break will allow us all to reflect on and celebrate the essential values of family, friends, and colleagues.

Sincerely,

Walter Harrison
President