Policy Title

WINTHROP UNIVERSITY

EMPLOYEE EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EEAP)

THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT A CONTRACT BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND WINTHROP UNIVERSITY, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CREATE ANY CONTRACTUAL RIGHTS OR ENTITLEMENTS. WINTHROP UNIVERSITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE THE CONTENT OF THIS DOCUMENT, IN WHOLE OR IN PART. NO PROMISES OR ASSURANCES, WHETHER WRITTEN OR ORAL, WHICH ARE CONTRARY TO OR INCONSISTENT WITH THE TERMS OF THIS PARAGRAPH CREATE ANY CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT.

The Winthrop University Employee Educational Assistance Program was approved on June 19, 1990, by the Winthrop University Board of Trustees as a tuition assistance program for permanent staff employees. On November 14, 1990, the Board of Trustees amended the program guidelines to extend tuition assistance to permanent faculty. Program guidelines were further amended on July 9, 1996, to comply with SC State Budget and Control Board guidelines, as directed by the SC Attorney General’s Office.

The EEAP was designed to improve recruitment, retention, development and education of Winthrop employees.

Guidelines

Eligibility

Staff

·    Staff employees must be assigned to FTE positions or to temporary grant or temporary time-limited positions; AND

·    must have completed at least 12 months of Winthrop service in the FTE, temporary grant or temporary time-limited position; AND

·    must work at least 30 hours per week.

Faculty

·    Faculty employees must be assigned to FTE positions or to temporary grant or temporary time-limited positions; AND

·    must have completed one academic year of Winthrop service in the FTE, temporary grant or temporary time-limited position; AND

·    must work at least three-quarter time during the academic year to be eligible for the program.

Admission

Employees must apply for admission to Winthrop and fulfill all requirements of the admission policy.

Employee Student Status

Employees will be enrolled as degree-seeking undergraduate students, degree-seeking graduate students or as special students, according to their particular academic circumstances. Courses must be taken for academic credit but do not have to be taken toward the completion of a degree.

Note: Faculty and staff taking courses through EEAP do not pay student fees, and therefore, are not eligible to use Health & Counseling Services, a department funded by student fees. Faculty and staff taking courses through EEAP also are not eligible to use the Lois Rhame West Center recreational facilities (beyond participating in a registered course) unless they purchase a membership.

Academic Requirements

Employees enrolled at Winthrop are subject to all rules and regulations of Winthrop governing academic requirements and eligibility for degree-and non-degree-seeking students. Employees may take any credit course offered by Winthrop under the program if they qualify academically.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition is waived for a maximum of six credit hours per semester. Tuition is waived for a maximum of six credit hours for all summer terms combined.

For credit hours above the maximum of six, regular tuition fees will be assessed. Employees who reside out-of-state may request an exemption for out-of-state tuition fees by completing the “Application for Classification as a South Carolina Resident for Fee and Tuition Purposes,” available in the Office of Records and Registration.

If an employee is receiving other assistance that does not require repayment, i.e. scholarships, tuition assistance is available for eligible costs incurred while participating in the program as long as the reimbursement and other funds received does not exceed the total cost of the course(s) taken. If the employee is receiving other assistance that must be repaid, i.e. student loans, tuition assistance is available for a maximum of six credit hours per semester.

As defined in section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code, employees can receive up to $5,250.00 for educational assistance during a calendar year. Any amount of educational assistance above $5,250.00 is considered to be income and is subject to payroll tax withholdings which includes social security related taxes as well as federal and state taxes. Once an employee’s educational assistance exceeds $5,250.00 and all drop/add deadlines have passed, the Payroll Office will notify employees of their tax liability and when the tax liability will be applied to their paychecks. Faculty and staff should contact their tax preparer for guidance.

Enrollment Process

Employees will enroll in classes following the same process for all admitted students. Employees seeking to register for online courses as part of an online graduate program will be enrolled only after the enrollment reaches ten students and only when space allows.

Request for EEAP Form

The EEAP request form is available on the Office of Human Resources website. Employees may also request the form at HRHelp@winthrop.edu, or at 323-2273.

Time Away from Work

Specific time away from work to attend class must be approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor (and other administrators in the approval line) and will be accounted for by using compensatory time or annual leave. The supervisor (or other administrator in the approval line) has the right to deny the employee time away from work to attend class if the employee’s absence would interfere with the academic or business needs of the department, division or university.

Approval

All requests for participation in this program will be reviewed by the appropriate department head before forwarding to the divisional Vice President for final approval.

Upon Termination

Employees enrolled in classes under the EEAP, and who leave employment with Winthrop University for any reason prior to completion of EEAP coursework, may be required to reimburse the university for a portion or all of the waived tuition. This determination will be made by the President (or designee) on a case-by-case basis.