The University closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, November 23, and Friday, November 24. The University reopened on Monday, November 27, 2023. Students will end their formal classroom instruction on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.

The University will then close for the 2023-2024 Winter Break beginning on Monday, December 18, 2023. To assist employees with planning during the Winter Break, the Office of Human Resources would like to provide the University-designated Winter Break days, holidays, leave instructions (administrative, annual, and leave without pay (LWOP), and additional information exclusive to essential employees and bargaining unit employees. Full details regarding each closure are as follows:  

IMPORTANT: 
All eligible full-time employees will automatically have their leave entered into Workday by the Payroll Office. Staff will not have to manually enter leave in Workday for winter and spring breaks.

Essential employees:
Staff members required to work during the Winter closure should notify and coordinate with their supervisor to document their time worked and report those hours to the Payroll Office on or before January 2, 2024. The Payroll Office will need ample time to adjust the annual leave balance of essential employees before the payrolls for the pay periods that include Winter Break are processed.

NOTE: Howard University does not allow leave-eligible employees to carry over more than eighty (80) hours of annual leave into the next leave fiscal year, which commences on July 1, 2024. Therefore, it is important for supervisors to encourage and allow essential employees to use their annual leave prior to June 30, 2024.

Bargaining unit employees are expected to follow this guidance unless it conflicts with the terms of an applicable collective bargaining agreement. In such case(s), the terms of the collective bargaining agreement shall govern.

If you have questions regarding the Winter or Spring Break campus closures, please contact the Office of Human Resources by calling 202-806-1280 or via email humanresources@howard.edu.

Non-essential employees will be required to use thirty-two (32) hours of annual leave for the Spring Break Limited Campus Closure, in addition to the forty-eight (48) hours of annual leave for the Winter Break Full Campus Closure. In total, eighty (80) hours of annual leave will be used for both Winter and Spring Break Campus Closures. You can view the schedule here.

In Truth and Service,

Warren Petty, Ed.D.
Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer