Pursuing higher education in more ways than one

The Staff Educational Assistance Plan, which has existed for more than a decade, assists University staff and faculty members with paying for their undergraduate and graduate educations. The plan currently provides an 85 percent reimbursement of tuition and mandatory educational fees for courses taken either in pursuit of a degree or to enhance professional skills.

The plan allows staff and faculty to take up to two courses per term and six courses per fiscal year and covers costs up to $5,250 per fiscal year. Participating employees must complete their courses with at least a C grade or a grade of pass, said Alison Nelson, director of benefits in the University’s Office of Human Resources. Courses may only be taken at an institution accredited by the American Council on Education and may not be taken at Princeton, explained Sheryl Farah, an administrative assistant in the human resources office.

Farah noted that while few faculty members take advantage of the plan, “People from Building Services [workers] to Dining Services [workers] to administrators to managers” have taken advantage of the option. Most employees using the plan work toward a degree, while some are in certificate programs, Nelson explained.

Nelson added that the plan serves employees from “all walks of life.”

The number of employees who use the program “varies constantly,” Farah added, in part because people may stay with or leave the program based on their financial situations.

Human resources processes roughly 75 to 100 reimbursements monthly, a few dozen each week, Nelson said.

Employees benefiting from the program have provided considerable feedback to human resources, Nelson added. “They’d love to see us increase the reimbursement level. I’m not sure now is the time,” she said, adding that she anticipated this would be emphasized in the future.

Nelson explained that the cap of $5,250 per fiscal year represents a recent change in policy.

“In 2000, the plan only paid up to a cap of $3,000,” Nelson, who took charge of the program in that year, said. “We pushed to get that up to $5,250, the federal nontaxable staff reimbursement level.”

The University has also taken steps to ensure that workers will not be spread too thin between work and academics by limiting the number of courses University employees can get reimbursed by the program, Nelson said. The number of courses that can be taken was limited because it “could be a burden” for employees to take a full load of classes in addition to fulfilling their work obligations, she explained, adding that the University requires employees to work one year before they are eligible for the plan, she added.

Nelson said she believes the plan offers an opportunity for employees to achieve a higher level of education than they might otherwise be able to reach. “It makes what might feel unattainable attainable,” Nelson said.