University of Nebraska System President Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, and leadership of the four NU campuses sent this message on Tuesday, July 1, to NU colleagues.
Dear colleagues,
As we begin the new fiscal year, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for all that you do to make our university such an extraordinary place. Your dedication, hard work and unwavering commitment to our mission this past year have been remarkable, and we know you will continue to bring that same excellence to the year ahead.
While we are all disappointed that our budget constraints did not allow us to implement a system-wide, merit-based salary plan this year, we remain committed to recognizing and supporting you in meaningful ways. We have received several suggestions as to the best ways to express our gratitude and continue to work hard to implement as many of them as possible.
As a gesture of appreciation, and in recognition of the importance of taking care of our University of Nebraska family, we are granting all leave-eligible employees two additional paid leave days in the coming fiscal year. The first additional paid leave day will be observed on Thursday, July 3, 2025, just before our national Independence Day holiday, and the second on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. These days will be automatically designated in Firefly as paid leave, so no action is needed on your part to receive this benefit. If you have any questions or have already taken a vacation day for July 3, please work directly with your campus HR office on next steps.
We recognize that some employees, such as campus public safety officers and health care professionals, may be required to work on these days to maintain essential operations. Those individuals will receive banked paid leave days to use at a later time, and chancellors and their leadership teams will communicate directly with employees designated as “essential” during these dates.
Our goal is for the University of Nebraska to continue to be an employer of choice — a place where talented people come to build meaningful careers and where they feel valued not only for their work, but for who they are as individuals and colleagues. We hope these additional leave days provide you with time to rest, recharge, and enjoy special moments with your loved ones. Please know they are given with deep gratitude for all that you do.
Thank you again for your outstanding contributions to our university. We wish you and your families a safe, happy, and restorative Independence Day holiday.
With appreciation,
Jeffrey P. Gold, MD
President, University of Nebraska System
Neal Schnoor, PhD
Chancellor, University of Nebraska at Kearney
Rodney D. Bennett, EdD
Chancellor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
H. Dele Davies, MD
Interim Chancellor, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Joanne Li, PhD, CFA
Chancellor, University of Nebraska at Omaha