In light of our mission, Rockhurst University encourages its employees to live out service to others. The purpose of the Mission Leave Policy is to allow employees to voluntarily participate, with pay, in University-sponsored spiritual retreats or in approved mission-related or service-related activities that occur during regularly scheduled work hours. To the extent employees voluntarily participate in similar activities outside regularly scheduled working hours, such time will not be compensated. This policy is designed to support the objectives of increasing voluntary service and encouraging reflection as an integral part of our University’s mission. To be eligible for mission leave with pay, an employee must be employed in a regular full-time or part-time position equivalent to at least half-time.
MLP Application (Intranet - requires login)
The University recognizes the following types of activities as Mission Leave:
- University-sponsored or endorsed spiritual retreats or Mission and Ministry (M&M) programs – include any retreat sponsored, endorsed, or conducted by M&M or Campus Ministry.
- Mission or service-related activities – includes community service in connection with a legally sanctioned non-profit organization that engages in activities that are consistent with the University’s mission.
Qualified mission or community service related activities must involve acts of service that help others in an immediate personal way and that make a tangible difference in the daily struggle for justice, dignity, or human rights, or involve acts of service that provide humanitarian aid or relief in situations of community crises or human tragedy, or are directly related to service to the economically poor, the disabled, the disadvantaged, or the socially oppressed members of society; or involve work with formulation of social policy to transform conditions of social oppression.
Examples of approved activities include but are not limited to serving at a soup kitchen, building a house for Habitat for Humanity, volunteering to tutor a grade school student, donating blood at a non-profit blood bank, etc.
Examples of activities that would be denied include attending a child’s athletic events, political activity, fundraising, and being paid for donating plasma at a for-profit blood center.
The VP of M&M is responsible for determining if the Mission Leave request qualifies under this policy. The department chair or supervisor is responsible for approving the time off. The chair or supervisor has the right not to grant Mission Leave if doing so would create staffing problems.
Full-time employees are eligible for a maximum of three working days (or equivalent working hours) per calendar year. If part-time, the faculty member or employee will be given leave on a pro-rated basis in accordance with their part-time status. Extended periods of paid leave may be granted for activities during regular working hours, for specific University-sponsored retreats, or on a case-by-case basis. The VP of M&M must be consulted and approve of any exceptions to this policy.
To request Mission Leave, the employee must:
- Print, complete, and submit the Mission Leave Application Form - including her/his supervisor’s signature - to the VP of M&M for approval. If the VP of M&M approves the application, she/he will sign and submit the form to Human Resources and provide a copy of the signed form to the employee.
- Once the employee has received the signed form with the VP of M&M’s approval, she/he will submit the hours as a time-off request in Paycom, selecting "Mission Leave" as the type.
- The employee's supervisor or chair will reiterate her/his approval in Paycom by approving the request.
Mission Leave is not paid out to departing employees who do not use their entire eligible amount, nor can it be carried over from one year to the next.