Winter Break and Holiday Luncheon

To faculty and staff,

I am writing to share some important updates regarding our winter break schedule and the annual holiday luncheon for faculty and staff.

Extended Winter Break

I am very pleased to announce that the College’s winter break, which was originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday, December 24, has been extended to include Monday, December 23. The College will now be closed December 23, 2024, through Sunday, January 5, 2025. Standard pay practices for holiday work will, of course, apply to those employees who are scheduled to work on the 23rd.

Annual Holiday Luncheon for Faculty and Staff

I am also writing to let you know that we are shifting the date of the annual luncheon for faculty and staff from its traditional date in late December to Monday, November 25.

I recognize that this is a change to a longstanding and much-loved event, so I wanted to explain the reasoning behind it. Because our dining services colleagues can only prepare this holiday meal when students are not in residence, and because the fall semester exams end on Saturday, December 21, the only date available in December was December 23. Scheduling the lunch then would require dining service staff to work on December 24 in order to prepare the kitchens for break. Shifting the luncheon to the Monday before Thanksgiving, while students are on the extended Thanksgiving break, also allows our exceptional dining service staff the opportunity to enjoy more time away with family and friends in December.

The date is the only change to this tradition: it will, as always, include delicious food and a wonderful opportunity for us to be together. I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at what has quickly become one of my favorite events of the year.

I hope this information will help with your planning and that you will mark your calendars for the November 25 luncheon (11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.).

With my gratitude for all you do for Bowdoin,

Safa