HUMAN RESOURCES
1. Purpose
2. Policy
Contingent upon budgetary resources and pursuant to
policies and procedures of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), the
College may provide support for employees to take classes that are directly
related to job responsibilities and/or courses required to complete a
degree. This support will include
payment of educational costs associated with approved registration, laboratory,
and tuition fees.
1. Be full-time
teaching faculty or full-time administrative faculty under contract for a
minimum of one (1) academic year prior to the period for which aid is
requested. Adjunct faculty are normally
not eligible for educational aid.
2. Be full-time
staff and employed by the College for a minimum of one (1) calendar year (i.e.,
completion of the probationary period) prior to the period for which aid is
requested.
3. Be part-time staff and continuously employed by the College for a
minimum of one (1) calendar year prior to the period for which aid is requested
and in a wage position projected for continuation for at least one year
following the period for which aid is requested. Educational aid for part-time staff will be pro-rated, and based
on the number of authorized work hours per week.
4. Receive a rating of at least Good (Faculty) or Contributor (Staff) on
their most recent performance evaluation.
5. Continue to meet all obligations related to the application, receipt,
notification and/or repayment of educational aid set forth in this policy.
b. Coursework and Time Limitations. Subject to approval in advance by their supervisor, full-time
employees may take a course during work hours.
The following conditions apply:
1. The maximum time away from
one’s workstation will be limited to three (3) hours per week.
2. If the
employee needs additional time for travel, the time may be deducted from an
appropriate leave balance.
3. Employees
will be limited to one (1) course per term during scheduled work hours.
4. Approval of
requests to take courses during work hours will be contingent upon meeting the
needs and requirements of a particular workstation. Priority will be given to ensure that absence of an individual
will not negatively affect the functions in a given area. Supervisors will have final authority for
approval or disapproval of requests to take courses during work hours.
1. Supervisory approval
2. Documentation of an employee’s
acceptance into a degree program (if applicable)
3. The degree or certificate
program’s curriculum (if applicable)
4. The course description.
In an effort to
ensure fairness to all Germanna employees in this process, the following
procedures for requesting both educational aid options have been established.
d. Application
Process - Tuition Reimbursement. Faculty
and staff members should submit a request and related documentation to their
supervisor for initial approval. (NOTE: Educational Aid Requests (Form
VCCS-16) are available at the Human Resources Office web page (see the
“Information for Active Employees” Folder).
Immediate supervisors should review requests
carefully for eligibility and for appropriateness of the particular
request.
The supervisor
will forward the request and related documentation to the appropriate member of
President’s Council who will review and if approved will forward to the Human
Resource Office.
The Human
Resource Office will review each request and related documentation to determine
that minimum eligibility policy requirements are satisfied. Those not
eligible will be returned directly to the employee with the reason for not
meeting eligibility stated in writing directly on the form. Requests
meeting minimum eligibility requirements will be summarized in a composite
format (including a financial total and the balance remaining in the aid
account). The requests and the summary will be forwarded to the President
who will make final approvals, based on recommendations of the supervisor and the
eligibility criteria and the priorities cited below.
The President
will make a final decision on each request, based on recommendation of the
supervisor, the eligibility criteria and the priorities cited below.
Upon
disposition, the original of each request and related documentation will be
returned to the employee. Copies will
be maintained in the employee's personnel file.
Deadlines for submission of
requests to the Human Resource Office are as follows:
SEMESTER DEADLINE
Spring Third Friday in November
Requests received by the Human Resource Office after the aforementioned
deadlines will not be processed. These requests
will be returned to the employee.
Every effort
will be made to advise employees of the status of their educational aid
requests prior to the beginning of the course.
However, at times, due to budget conditions, this may not always be
possible. Employees who elect to proceed with a course prior to receiving
confirmation of approval in writing accept personal responsibility for the
costs, in the event the request should not be approved.
e. Application
Process - Tuition Advancement. Faculty
and staff members should submit an Education Aid Request (Form VCCS-16) and
related documentation to their supervisor for initial approval.
(See submission deadlines above)
The supervisor
will forward the request and related documentation to the Human Resource Office. After confirmation of eligibility, the
request and related documentation will be submitted to the President for final
approval.
The approved
request will be returned to the Business Office, who will invoice the
development fund and issue a payment for the amount approved).
All payments will be made directly to the institution/organization
responsible for providing the course/training session. Copies of approval and disapproved requests,
as well as related documentation, will be provided to the employee.
The employee
must submit their final grade or training certification to the Human Resource
Office within 30 calendar days of the end of term. Failure to submit a final
grade or proof of training to the Human Resource Office may result in loss of
future educational aid eligibility. The
Human Resource Office will then inform the Business Office that the requirement
has been satisfied.
The employee
must inform the Human Resource Office if they fail to complete the course(s) or
meet the minimum grade requirement. The
Human Resource Office will then inform the Business Office. The Business Office will then establish a
receivable, credit the expense account(s) of the development fund, and, in
conjunction with the employee, coordinate tuition repayment. Failure to inform the Human
Resource Office of these events may result in loss of future educational aid
eligibility.
Educational aid will be awarded
on a reimbursement basis, subject to:
1. The
employee's satisfactory completion of the course;
2. Submission of
the grade report; and
3. A paid
receipt verifying the cost to the employee.
Satisfactory
completion requires a grade of "C" or higher for undergraduate
courses and a grade of "B" or higher for graduate (or the minimum
specified by the university for graduate credit). In the event that a letter grade is not awarded for an
undergraduate or graduate credit course, the designation of “Passed” is
sufficient.
Education
aid will be awarded as a tuition advance if the following criteria apply:
1. The request for advance tuition payment is noted on the original
Educational Aid Request (Form VCCS-16);
2. The employee meets the standard educational aid eligibility
requirements outlined below;
3. The course(s) taken are directly job related to the employee’s position
at Germanna; or
4. The course(s) taken are in accordance with the employee’s Individual
Professional Development Plan (Faculty) or Employee Work Profile on file in the
Office of Human Resources.
h. Prioritization of
Requests. When educational aid
requests exceed available funding for this purpose, the following criteria will
be used to determine priority for competitive selection and approval of
requests. Preference will be given to:
1. Full-time
faculty and staff employees;
2. Faculty and
staff who have an approved professional development plan on file;
3. Courses or
training directly related to the employee’s job responsibilities;
4. Courses or
training critical to the needs of the College;
5. Distribution
of previously awarded educational aid (in order to balance support among
employees and departments); and
6. Commitment of
employee to share the costs for the courses or training.
4.
References
Virginia Community
College System’s Educational Aid Request:
Form VCCS-16 (Revised 5/88).
Virginia Community
College System’s Promissory Note: Form
VCCS-16, 2nd page (Revised 3/94).
5.
Definitions
Educational
Aid - full or partial reimbursement of costs for continuing educational
pursuits.
6.
Point of Contact
7.
Approval and Revision Dates
7.1 Approved by
President Council……………………
7.2 Approved by President Council………………………
7.3 Revised by Alicia Roberts……………………………
7.4 Approved by President Council………………………
7.5 Effective Date………………………………………..
7.6 Approved by President Council………………………