Published on Dec. 7, 2017

Updated on Dec. 21, 2017

Dec. 7, 2017

Dear Colleagues,

As President Choi shared today, the University of Missouri Board of Curators approved several changes to our Collected Rules and Regulations that will expand our leave and educational assistance opportunities for benefit-eligible faculty and staff.

To summarize the changes:

• Winter Break Reduced Operations: MU will now have reduced operations between the Christmas Day holiday (or the day it is observed) through the day before New Year’s Day (or the day it is observed). This means that eligible employees will receive paid time off which can be used only during this specified winter break time frame. This only applies to MU campus employees and excludes MU Health Care. Employees required to work will receive an equivalent time off that must be used by Nov. 30 of the following year. Please note: if you are unsure whether you are required to work, please check with your supervisor. In some cases, your status may depend upon current circumstances. As with our winter weather policy, we encourage each department to designate which positions are or could be required to work in advance of these dates.
• Shared Leave Program: The UM System will work to establish a shared leave program allowing anyone who accrues vacation to donate accrued vacation time to a shared pool. I or the UM System will share updates with you as the shared leave program is developed.
• Tuition Assistance Benefits: The service time required to be eligible for tuition assistance for spouses and dependent has been reduced from five years to one year of benefit-eligible service with the University prior to the deadline for registration. Additionally, tuition assistance benefits will be extended up to a maximum of 140 hours for employee spouses and dependents enrolled in a course of study and the sponsoring employee retires or passes away.

For more information about the changes announced today, please visit UM System News Releases.

Documents related to the new Winter Break Reduced Operations CRR, Leave Processing and Q&A will be distributed by Human Resources and made available on our website in the near future.

Our faculty and staff are our most valuable assets, and I am pleased that we can offer these expanded benefits. While we continue to face challenging budget times, I hope that these changes help express our appreciation for everything you do for Mizzou.

Sincerely,

Alexander N. Cartwright, PhD
Chancellor