University of Florida Employee Education Program 2001-02

David Colburn, Provost

University of Florida Employee Education Program 2001-02

1. Purpose

The University of Florida deeply values the education of its employees and strongly encourages its staff to pursue educational opportunities for professional growth and development. To this end, the university has adopted the following pilot Employee Education Program (“EEP”) for the 2001-02 fiscal year. The EEP is distinct from the Department of Management Services’ State Employee Education Voucher Program created by the 2001 Florida Legislature. The 2001-02 Appropriation Act prohibits tuition waivers as used in the past. The EEP program is an entirely new and independent opportunity funded from limited existing University resources and is neither a term nor condition of employment but rather a privilege determined solely by the University.

2. Eligibility

Effective August 22, 2001, full-time UF faculty, A&P and USPS employees in good standing who have been employed for at least six (6) months are eligible to apply for enrollment in up to 6 credit hours of instruction per semester at UF. It shall be the sole discretion of the employee’s department chair as to the number of credit hours, up to six, that may be registered for under this program each semester. Participation in the EEP is neither a benefit of employment nor a guaranteed right.

Participating employees must meet academic requirements and be in an established position on the date that fees are due. The University will establish the periods of enrollment each semester for employees registering for courses to be paid for by this program. For the academic year 2001-02 the following registration dates are established:

Fall Semester 2001- August 22-27 2001
Spring Semester 2002- January 8-11 2002
Summer A and C Semester 2002- May 14-15 2002

This program does not permit enrollment in Thesis, Dissertation, Internships, Directed Individual Study, individual performance courses, non-credit courses, and sponsored credit programs, off-book programs, and some distance education course offerings. A participating employee must be admitted to the University as a degree or non-degree seeking student.

3. Exclusions

This program is not available to OPS or part-time personnel or employees assigned to temporary, visiting or probationary appointments. Current University policy provides that courses taken in a non-degree seeking status may not apply to a degree program.

The costs associated with noncredit courses and program offerings otherwise required as an extension of regular employee training are not covered under this program. The University’s fee petition and fee refund policies and procedures are not applicable to courses taken through this program.

No employee may participate in both the Department of Management Services’ State Employee Education Voucher Program and the EEP in the same semester.

4. Scheduling

To the extent possible, class attendance should be scheduled during non-working hours. If any University employee enrolls for a course during working hours, all time taken during that period, including time taken in traveling to and from classes, shall be charged to annual or compensatory leave or leave without pay, unless the work schedule has been adjusted to accommodate the class, subject to approval by the appropriate supervisor or administrator.

5. Approval for participation

The employee must complete the application form, available from University Personnel Services and on the Web, and must secure written approval from his or her department chair and next higher-level supervisor (e.g., college dean or unit director). The employee’s department chair must certify that each course involved is job related, that the employee meets the employment requirements for participation, and that the time used is covered by appropriate leave or schedule adjustment. In this regard, the department chair may view each course individually or as part of an overall degree program meant to improve job skills.

6. Employee Participant’s Responsibilities

As a precondition to approving an employee’s request to participate in this program, the University will require the employee to enter into an agreement that requires the employee to do the following in order to enjoy continued participation in this program:

(a) Achieve a passing grade in all courses taken through this program; and
(b) Complete all courses taken through this program which the employee does not drop/withdraw before the expiration of the regular add/drop period without such withdrawal being a requirement certified by the department chair of workload needs unforeseen at time of registration. Designations such as withdraw (W), withdraw/passing (WP), or withdraw/failing (WF) will not satisfy the requirements of this paragraph.

Unless otherwise required by applicable law or regulation, the value of courses in which the employee has enrolled under the provisions of this program shall not be used to compute the employee’s base rate of pay or regular rate of pay, however certain courses may be subject to taxes as defined by the United States Internal Revenue Service. Employees are responsible for any individual tax liability that may result from participation in this tuition program and should refer any tax questions to their tax advisor.

The employee shall pay any additional fees including, but not limited to:

Application Fees
Out-of-State Tuition and Fees
Photo I.D. Fees
Late Registration Fees
Late Payment Fees
Material and Supply Fees

7. University Responsibilities

The University shall be responsible for the payment of:

Matriculation Fees
Building Fees
Capital Improvement Fees
Student Financial Aid Fees

The University shall waive the following local fees and the employee will not be eligible for services provided by these fees:

Activity and Service Fees
Athletic Fees
Student Health Fees
Transportation Fees

8. Termination of Program and/or Employee Participation

Continuation of this program of instruction is contingent upon the University’s continuing ability to meet workload requirements and meeting the financial obligations of the program. At any time and with 10 days notice, the University may terminate this program. Participation in a course by an employee is contingent upon the department’s continuing ability to meet workload requirements. At any time, with 5 days notice, the University may terminate an individual’s participation in this program.

9. Administration of the Program

University Personnel Services shall be the administrator of this program and shall make available application forms both in their offices and on their web site (http://www.ups.ufl.edu).