Announcing Volunteer Time Off (VTO) Pilot Program
A Community Engagement and Outreach Steering Committee was established to develop a framework for community engagement at the university in support of Vision 2015. Employee volunteerism is a critical component of community engagement. Research shows that benefits gained through volunteering include new skill development (e.g. networking, experience working with different constituencies, fundraising), increased retention and job performance, and enhanced employee recruiting.
To support employee volunteer efforts, the University will be testing a Volunteer Time Off (VTO) Program & Policy as a six-month pilot project, encouraging employees to volunteer their time and efforts to help our local and global communities thrive. If the pilot is successful, the intent is for the VTO Policy to become an official employee benefit beginning FY 2013-14.
The pilot will begin Monday, January 14, 2013 and will run until June 30, 2013. Since the pilot is for six months, employees will be allotted half of the VTO hours stated in the policies, which equals 1.5 days for full-time employees. See the attached FAQs for additional information.
All regular employees (faculty, FT and PT) in good standing are eligible to participate, with no minimum service requirement. Employees can request approval from their upline supervisor to volunteer at a community organization of their choice in support of the University’s vision and mission and framed in the principles and values of the DU Definition of Community Engagement.
Employees will be required to complete an online VTO Request Form OrgSync (see FAQs for instructions) and submit them to their supervisor two weeks in advance of the VTO requested for approval. You will receive an email from your supervisor confirming or denying your request.
Volunteer paid time off will be in addition to the University Paid Time Off Policy, and will be paid in accordance with this policy. Use of VTO or lack thereof, does not affect PTO usage. Release time for volunteer activities will not count toward the calculation of overtime and shall not result in the need for overtime to accommodate requests. In addition, no VTO will be granted for any partisan political activity as prohibited by federal law for Davenport University, a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit organization.
For further information and clarification about this new program, please review the VTO Policy, FAQs and University Community Engagement Definition. Contact your supervisor with any questions and concerns.
DU Recognized in Chronicle of Higher Education's "2012 Great Colleges to Work For"
Davenport University was recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The recognition appears in The Chronicle’s fifth annual report on The Academic Workplace, based largely on a survey of more than 46,000 employees at 294 colleges and universities. In all, 103 of the 294 institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. Results are reported for small, medium, and large institutions, with Davenport University included among the large universities with 10,000 or more students.
Davenport University won honors in two categories this year:
- Compensation & Benefits
- Supervisor/Department Chair Relationship
The results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.
Top Workplace In Michigan
Davenport University was recognized as a “Top Workplace in Michigan” by the Detroit Free Press, as part of its annual competition based on employee surveys.
Recognition as a Top Workplace helps improve awareness and understanding of Davenport as an ethical, caring employer with solid leadership and development opportunities for its staff and faculty. Also, this designation helps DU recruit and retain the best faculty and staff while reinforcing our strong commitment to helping students “Get Where the World is Going.”
A number of Michigan employers were honored in the 2011 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces competition, which recognizes organizations from across the state in large, midsize and small categories. The rankings and these awards are based solely on employee feedback.
