April 26, 2023

Dear colleagues: 

We are pleased to announce that additional paid days off again will be provided during the December/January holidays, a small token that we hope conveys just how much we appreciate everything you do to uphold the standards of excellence across the University of Illinois System. 

Employees who are eligible for leave benefits will receive three paid gift days for this year’s Reduced Service Days on Dec. 22, 28 and 29. Combined with holidays, other paid time off and weekends, it will extend the year-end break from Friday, Dec. 22, through Monday, Jan. 1. Before the program began in 2016, employees had been required to draw from their annual pool of paid time off to be paid for the three Reduced Service Days. 

Our universities, hospital and clinics, and system offices will follow up with more details, including how to report the gift days and how they can be used on different days by essential employees who must work on those three dates. For employees in union-represented bargaining units, paid time off for the holidays is addressed through the collective bargaining process. 

The additional paid time off is part of our ongoing recognition of how much we appreciate your hard work, resiliency, and commitment. You make possible the life-changing education and high-impact research we provide.

Thank you for continuing to build upon a legacy that extends back more than 150 years. We hope you enjoy a spectacular year leading up to a holiday season of renewed joy and time to relax and reflect with family and friends.

Sincerely,

Tim Killeen, President, U of I System
Nick Jones, Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs, U of I System
Robert J. Jones, Chancellor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Javier Reyes, Interim Chancellor, University of Illinois Chicago
Janet L. Gooch, Chancellor, University of Illinois Springfield