Staff Benefits
Admission to college events
- Employees (and 1 guest) admitted free with employee ID. Immediate family members admitted free with their RSC pass.
Admission to Rowenhorst Student Center
- Employee admitted free with employee ID. Immediate family members (dependent ages 3 to 24) admitted free with a pass.
Adoption assistance/leave
- Full-time and three-quarter-time staff eligible after one year of employment
- Northwestern provides reimbursement up to $2,000 per adoption or up to $3,000 for a special-needs adoptee.
- Employees who adopt, whether male or female, can receive 7 days of paid adoption leave.
Bereavement leave
- Up to 4 days of leave with pay may be granted upon the death of an immediate family member, which includes parents, stepparents, husband, wife, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, siblings, stepsiblings and in-laws.
- Up to 2 days of leave with pay may be granted upon the death of grandparents.
Bookstore discount
- 25% discount on non-sale items of clothing and books in stock (except textbooks)
Employee Assistance Program
- Employees who work 1,000 or more hours—and members of their household—are eligible to receive up to 6 confidential pre-paid professional counseling sessions for a wide range of problems.
Facility rentals
- 50% discount on rental rate for campus facilities (excluding housing facilities) when rented for own personal use
Family Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA)
- Unpaid leave for medically required FMLA absences or military exigency
- May use accumulated paid leave (vacation, personal and sick leave) during leave
FLEXible benefits
- Employees can defer pre-tax dollars to pay for unreimbursed medical and childcare expenses.
- Maximum of $3,200 for medical and $5,000 for dependent care
Food Service Flex Dollars
- Purchase $50 in Flex Dollars and receive an additional $10 on your account to be used for purchases at the cafeteria or the Hub.
- Flex Dollars must be used during academic year while food service is in operation.
Group health insurance — High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)
- Single, employee + spouse, employee + children, and family coverage available for full-time and three-quarter-time staff
- Effective the 1st of the month coincident with or following the date of hire
- Employees contribute a portion of the premium cost for their health coverage.
Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Full-time and three-quarter-time employees participating in the High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)
- College contributes monthly amounts to the HSA for the employee.
- Employees can contribute pre-tax dollars up to annual IRS limits to pay for unreimbursed medical expenses.
Holidays
- Full-time and three-quarter-time staff receive 11 paid holidays, plus the days off in between Christmas and New Year’s.
Jury duty
- Regular salary is maintained, minus any amount paid by the court for the employee’s services.
Library services
- Available at no cost to employees
Life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment
- Full-time and three-quarter-time staff are eligible.
- Effective the 1st of the month coincident with or following the date of hire
- Northwestern pays 100% of premium.
- Death benefit is $50,000 and is reduced for employees over age 65.
- Northwestern also provides dependent life coverage of $2,000 for spouse and child.
Long-term disability
- Full-time and three-quarter-time staff are eligible for benefits payable after 180 days of disability as defined until Social Security normal retirement age.
- Amount of monthly disability is 60% of earnings, with a maximum of $7,500 per month.
- Northwestern pays 100% of premium.
Moving assistance
- The college provides reimbursement for moving expenses for full-time staff moving 50 or more miles. Moving policy
- This reimbursement is considered a taxable fringe benefit by the IRS.
- Expenses to be reimbursed include standard truck rental and fuel expense for transporting furniture and household goods to new residence, plus lodging and gas for new employee and family.
- Self-move reimbursed at 100% and commercial moves at 80% up to specified amount based on location from which new staff member is moving
- Half of reimbursement will be repaid to Northwestern if employee leaves after 1 year or less of employment.
Parental leave
- Full-time and three-quarter-time faculty and staff can receive 6 weeks paid leave for recovery from childbirth and/or to care for and bond with a newborn or newly adopted child. This leave runs concurrently with Family Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA).
Retirement plan
- Northwestern contributes 4% of employee’s base salary to a 403(b) plan through TIAA-CREF, provided one’s work schedule exceeds 1,000 hours annually.
- The college will match additional employee contributions of up to 2% of eligible compensation.
- No waiting period
- Part-time employees working less than 1,000 hours annually are eligible to make elective deferrals to the plan but are not eligible for employer contributions.
Short-term disability
- Full-time and three-quarter-time staff are eligible for benefits payable beginning the 90th day of disability to the 180th day of disability.
- Amount of monthly disability is 60% of earnings, with a maximum of $7,500 per month.
- Provided at no cost to employee; self-funded by Northwestern
Sick leave
- Full-time and three-quarter-time staff receive paid sick leave based on their status or work schedule.
Spring Service Partnerships leave
- Staff members are encouraged to serve as advisers for student groups on Spring Service Partnerships.
- Maximum time away from campus is 10 calendar days.
- This time away is considered institutional service. Staff will be paid in accordance with their usual on-campus assignment.
Supplemental insurance
- Employees pay full premium cost for these supplemental products:
Tuition benefits
Graduate education tuition loans (for non-Northwestern programs)
- Forgivable loan program for graduate tuition for full-time and three-quarter-time staff where there is mutual benefit for the college and employee
- Loans are forgiven 25% per year of full-time employment following receipt of tuition funds.
- Assistance limited to 50% of tuition costs up to $5,250 per year and $21,000 lifetime
- Loan approvals are subject to the availability of funds.
Seminary tuition
- Sioux Falls Seminary offers tuition reduction of 25% to college employees only.
- Western Theological Seminary offers tuition waiver to college employees, spouses and their children eligible for the benefit.
Tuition waiver/tuition exchange
- Available to eligible employees, spouses, and dependent children under age 24 for Northwestern College undergraduate programs
- Waiver limited to actual tuition costs. Excludes:
- Room and board
- Private lessons
- Lab fees
- Summer directed study
- Off-campus tuition costs
- Available after 1 year of employment; pro-rated for three-quarter-time staff
- Employees eligible for Northwestern’s tuition waiver program may participate in tuition exchange programs of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) and the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC).
Vacation and personal leave
- Full-time and three-quarter-time staff members earn vacation and personal leave based on their status or work schedule.
