To recognize employees for their hard work during the pandemic, the University will award one-time $3,000 bonuses to faculty and staff as an end-of-year thank you. President Michael Roth ’78, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicole Stanton, and Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer and Treasurer Andrew Tanaka ’00 announced the bonuses in an email sent to employees on Thursday, Dec. 2. Eligible employees will receive the bonuses on Thursday, Dec. 16.

All benefit-eligible staff and faculty who began employment at the University before July 1, 2021 and who are still employed on Dec. 16 are eligible for the bonuses, including temporary staff members and those on sabbatical. The president and senior vice presidents are excluded from the bonuses.

According to Roth, senior administrators have worked through the logistics of the bonus, made possible through one-time reserve funds.

“As we near the end of 2021, we are grateful that the University is on solid financial footing despite significant investments in testing, isolation space, cleaning, and classroom technology, among others,” Roth, Stanton, and Tanaka wrote in their joint email to employees. “The University’s economic situation has also benefited from strong fundraising and effective cost containment. And while a remarkably strong endowment performance has little impact on the immediate budgetary situation, it does give us additional confidence about the future.”

Roth highlighted how integral the University’s employees have been in getting the community through the pandemic.

“Over the past two years, Wesleyan’s faculty and staff have worked hard through an unprecedented time in our history,” Roth wrote in an email to The Argus. “They’ve been resolute in their belief in the importance of an in-person liberal education and have endeavored to keep our students and their fellow community members safe. We believe that it is important to show that we value our employees’ contributions, especially in extraordinary moments like these. So many talented people work in the classrooms and offices of Wesleyan and we are extremely grateful for their good work.” 

More information about the end-of-year bonuses can be found in the FAQ file.

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@wesleyan.edu.