{"217131":{"#nid":"217131","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Take Advantage of Employee Tuition Benefits","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt was during new employee orientation in 1999 that Stephanie Merrick first heard about the tuition benefits that Georgia Tech offered. In 2014 \u2014 and two degrees later \u2014 she plans to finish her Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I heard that Georgia Tech would help me pay for a degree, it was an offer that I couldn\u2019t refuse,\u201d said Merrick, an administrative professional in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. \u201cNow I\u2019m finishing up my Doctor of Philosophy in Management, Leadership, and Organizational Change from Walden University.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERegardless of whether you are looking to earn a degree from a University System of Georgia (USG) institution or a non-USG institution, Tech offers programs that can help you accomplish this at little or no cost.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo apply by the July 15 (for fall semester) and\/or Nov. 15 (for the spring 2014 semester) deadlines, here\u2019s what you need to know.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETuition Assistance Program (TAP)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis USG-sponsored program pays for full tuition (excluding fees and other costs) at USG institutions and is open to faculty and staff members who have worked at Tech in a 100 percent time, benefits-eligible position for at least six months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike Merrick, Megan Hutchins, assistant director in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, has taken advantage of the tuition benefits during her time at Tech. She will earn her Master\u2019s in Higher Education Administration from Georgia Southern University in less than six weeks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s such a great deal!\u201d Hutchins said. \u201cIf you\u2019re thinking about advancing your career by going back to school, you really shouldn\u2019t pass up this opportunity.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne advantage of TAP is that employees don\u2019t have to pay for tuition out of their own pockets and then wait for reimbursement, said BeNedra Williams, work-life specialist in the Office of Human Resources (OHR). Instead, the money is provided in time to pay for tuition at the start of the semester.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEmployees can pursue any degree (except for those in medicine and law) and currently may take up to nine credit hours per semester. They must also maintain a grade of C or better to receive assistance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStaff Tuition Reimbursement Assistance Program (STRAP)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESTRAP is a Tech-sponsored program available to employees who have worked at Tech in a 100 percent time, benefits eligible position for at least 12 months. This option provides partial tuition reimbursement to an eligible employee attending an accredited non-USG institution after coursework is completed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs with TAP, employees can pursue any degree except for those in medicine and law, and must maintain a C or better to receive assistance. However, the credit limit is six hours per semester and dependent on funding. (See the website provided below for the most current reimbursement rates for undergraduate and graduate courses.)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn my experience, getting over the anxiety of taking on grad school while working was the first major hurdle,\u201d Hutchins said. \u201cOnce I got started with my program, I realized just how manageable it was. It\u2019s been well worth my time \u2014 and will be worth yours, too.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information about either program, email Williams at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:benedra.williams@ohr.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebenedra.williams@ohr.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E or click \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/c.gatech.edu\/114eihh\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt was during new employee orientation in 1999 that Stephanie Merrick first heard about the tuition benefits that Georgia Tech offered. In 2014 \u2014 and two degrees later \u2014 she plans to finish her Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"It was during new employee orientation in 1999 that Stephanie Merrick first heard about the tuition benefits that Georgia Tech offered. In 2014 \u2014 and two degrees later \u2014 she plans to finish her Ph.D."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-06-11 09:04:22","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:23","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/c.gatech.edu\/114eihh","title":"Tuition Benefits"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1506","name":"faculty"},{"id":"167018","name":"staff"},{"id":"171275","name":"Staff Tuition Reimbursement Assistance Program"},{"id":"171233","name":"STRAP"},{"id":"6781","name":"tap"},{"id":"67881","name":"Tuition Assistance Program"},{"id":"63061","name":"tuition benefits"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:benedra.williams@ohr.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBenedra Williams\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOffice of Human Resources\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}