Rules

Stanly Community College (SCC or the “College”) is committed to fostering a learning environment where students, faculty, and staff can reach their fullest potential.  As such, the College may grant tuition assistance to employees engaged in educational activities deemed beneficial to both the employees and the College.  The purpose of the program is to assist employees in developing or improving competencies and skills directly related to their present jobs.  The College budget will determine whether or not funds are available for tuition assistance.  That determination, along with the dollar amount of total funds available for distribution, will be made after the SCC Board of Trustees has approved the college budget for the given fiscal year.  If budget allows, the President is authorized to grant full-time employees assistance for the costs of tuition, registration fees and laboratory fees not to exceed $500.00 per semester or $1000.00 per fiscal year.  Submissions for tuition assistance will be collected and reviewed by the Professional Development Committee, made up of one appointee from the SCC Faculty Senate, one appointee from the SCC Staff Council and other members of full-time faculty and staff members on a rotating appointment basis.  The Human Resources (HR) Officer or a designee will serve as Chair of the committee.

Tuition Assistance Procedures

Tuition assistance refers to the reimbursement of course tuition and fees for full-time faculty and staff, on a funds-available basis.  The following parameters define the scope and eligibility requirement for tuition assistance for coursework completed at regionally accredited institutions other than SCC.

1. Individuals must be employed full-time with SCC for at least one year on a regular contract without a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) or other disciplinary action pending.

2. The course(s) must be directly related to the employee’s current job description or must meet specific needs of the College within an agreed program higher than one level beyond that which is required for an employee’s current job description.

3. The Tuition Assistance Program will pay up to $1,000 per fiscal year for tuition and related fees.All reimbursements under this program are taxable as income to the employee and will be included in the W-2 Form at year-end, unless they pertain to course(s) required by the College.

4. Employees may only receive tuition assistance for up to $5,000 over a maximum of six (6) years.

5. Courses or credit program requirements, such as dissertations or theses, will only be eligible for tuition assistance for up to two years.

6. Priority will be given to employees for courses that fall into the following categories:

7. required to maintain existing licensure or certification required for current job duties

8. update skills/knowledge for current job duties

9. train for a new certification or subject area

10. required for advancement

11. New employees hired with the condition that they complete a minimum required level of education for continued employment, will not be eligible for tuition assistance for those required courses.

12. Employees receiving tuition assistance will be required to reimburse the College if they leave within two years of receipt of funds. The SCC Business Office will require the employee’s signature on a statement to this effect at time of disbursement.

     

Application for tuition assistance includes the following steps:

Prior to Taking the Course

1. Complete the Tuition Assistance Request Form and obtain supervisor and Vice President’s approval verifying that that the course(s) qualifies under the tuition assistance program.

2. Submit the Tuition Assistance Form to the Human Resources Officer by March 31 for assistance with courses to be taken and completed in the subsequent fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).

3. The Professional Development Committee will review the courses for suitability and respond back to each request with notification of conditional approval or denial.Be aware the committee will rank order the requests in the event that the total number of requests exceed the funds available for disbursement. Approval does not guarantee that the funds will be available in the final budget, nor does it guarantee that funds will be available at the time the course is completed and reimbursement is requested.

4. Once approval has been granted for planned course(s), if any changes occur in the employee’s planned coursework (ex: course substitutions), the Professional Development Committee Chair (HR Officer) must be notified so the approval form can be edited and/or reexamined by the committee if applicable.

    

After Completion of the Course

Upon successful completion of the course(s) with grade(s) of C or better or the equivalent, the employee must:

1. Complete the course evaluation form and attach documents as listed below.

2. Obtain approval from the supervisor and Vice President.

3. Submit the following items to the Human Resources Officer by February 1 for courses completed in the summer and fall terms, and by June 1 for courses completed in the spring term.The tuition assistance will be paid in the year budgeted.The Human Resources Officer will forward these items to the Professional Development Committee:

   1. Course completion certificate(s) or grade report(s).

   2. Receipts for eligible tuition and fees.Only the first $1,000 in tuition and fees will be eligible for reimbursement for a given year, however, the total funds available to the committee for disbursement may result in an amount less than $1,000 being paid out per individual.

   3. Completed Course Evaluation Form.

4. Submit copies (if applicable) of any degrees, diplomas, or certificates obtained, along with an official transcript to the Human Resources Department for inclusion in the employee’s personnel file.

5. Depending on the number of approved requests and the total funds available for a given budget year, the Professional Development Committee may prioritize requests into two Tiers for funding.The first tier requests are approved for reimbursement with known budget amounts, and the second tier are designated as alternates should additional budget amounts be allocated.

6. Members of the Professional Development Committee are ineligible to receive tuition assistance while serving on the committee.