Purdue to thank West Lafayette staff and faculty with $750 appreciation award
Additional information from Human Resources is available.
Purdue President Mitch Daniels announced Wednesday (Nov. 25) that more than 15,000 West Lafayette faculty, staff and graduate student employees will receive a one-time appreciation award in December in celebration of the conclusion of the fall semester and the efforts undertaken to achieve that milestone during an extraordinary year.
“Over time, in a variety of pursuits, I’ve been fortunate to be a part of many large-scale, highly significant endeavors,” Daniels said in a letter to employees, a day after the last day of in-person classes for fall semester. “None of them left me more grateful, or more proud in the association with those who made a given success possible, than I feel today toward the people of Purdue. … I cannot fully express our appreciation for the patience, forbearance, extra effort and sometimes true sacrifices that have gone into this accomplishment. But as a gesture of Purdue’s deep gratitude, and admiration, for your part in making it possible, please accept the $750 Appreciation Award that will appear in December paychecks.”
All West Lafayette faculty, staff and graduate student staff hired on or before Sept. 1, 2020, and with the exception of those in executive level positions, will receive the payment in December. Full-time employees each will receive $750. Those who work less than full time will receive a pro-rated amount. In all, more than 15,000 individuals will receive a payment. Daniels said the university also intends to offer merit raises in 2021 for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Earlier in the fall, Daniels also announced an additional two days of leave during winter break for employees, acknowledging their extra efforts, extra hours and willingness to adapt throughout 2020.
“We’re here, and only because of the collective effort we could only imagine in August,” Daniels said. “Faculty did heroic work reconfiguring instruction and research; staff undertook entirely new ways of supporting our faculty, delivering services, and securing campus spaces. And then there were our students. First, they demonstrated enough confidence in the people above to sign up and show up, not only at adequate levels but in record numbers. The strong revenues that produced, coupled with great staff cooperation in controlling expenses everywhere possible, enabled us to maintain a very stable fiscal position, even while committing tens of millions of dollars to new Protect Purdue expenditures.”
As planned through the Protect Purdue initiative, Purdue ended most in-person classes on Tuesday (Nov. 24) and will conduct virtually the last week of classes and final examinations. The fall semester ends Dec. 12. Spring semester classes begin Jan. 19. Information about returning to campus for spring semester can be found at the Protect Purdue website.