This committee is charged with researching and providing recommendations to inform recommendations about a Board of Governors (BOG) policy on parental leave.
Background
Aspirational Goal 2 of Fairmont State University’s Strategic Vision 2025-2035 is to “Become the premier higher education employer in West Virginia for full-time, part-time, and student employees.” Priority 2.2 of the Strategic Vision is to “Offer exceptional benefits and quality of life enhancements that attract, retain, and raise the morale of all employees.”
The West Virginia Parental Leave Act (W. Va. Code § 21-5D) establishes a baseline entitlement for state employees who “have worked for at least 12 consecutive months” of “12 weeks of unpaid family leave, following the exhaustion of all his or her annual and personal leave, during any 12-month period” under certain circumstances. These circumstances include the birth of a child of the employee and the placement of a child with the employee for adoption. The Act also expressly preserves employers’ discretion to provide more generous benefits.
The 2025 Faculty Welfare Survey asked respondents’ opinion about parental leave related to these failed bills. The Faculty Welfare Committee reported that 88% (n=76) of respondents indicated the University should independently “provide 12 weeks of paid leave for faculty/staff who have worked at a state agency for at least 12 consecutive months.” They also noted that 12% (n=10) of respondents indicated “no need for more parental leave benefits.”
