The University of Kansas

Staff uses program to fund studies

By Andrea Albright
Kevin Halgren, began graduate school in 1999 while working full time for LAN Support Services with a wife and 1-year-old son at home. Three years later, his title has changed to assistant director in Engineering Computing Services, he has added two children to his family, purchased a new home and earned a master’s degree in business administration.
Halgren said going back to school was tough to do but that KU’s tuition assistance program alleviated some of the financial strain, and his sacrifices finally have paid off.
“There was at least one time I had to ask to take vacation time in order to manage all of my projects, papers and family duties,” he said. “Managing it all was difficult, but I figured it wouldn’t be any easier for me to work on my degree for at least another 16 to 18 years, so I figured I might as well just get it done.
“Despite the hardships, the benefits in the end are worth the struggle, not to mention the sense of accomplishment one gets when it’s all done.”
Halgren, who received his degree in May, is among a growing number of KU staff members who are taking advantage of KU’s tuition assistance program. Although it was established in the 1980s as a benefit of KU employment, over time it has evolved from a little-used perk doled out on a first-come-first-served basis into a widely used means of self-improvement.
“We’ve gotten to the point where we have over 100 people a semester, “ Associate Provost Lindy Eakin said. “We’ve said if they come, we’ll fund them.”
This summer, 41 KU employees are taking classes funded by the tuition assistance program. But Eakin said the program didn’t start out with that kind of participation.
In the early 1990s, the program had a set amount of money allotted for staff, Eakin said. That set amount usually limited the awards to one class each for about 30 applicants each fall and spring semester. Summers usually saw about 10 participants.
According to Eakin, Chancellor Robert Hemenway pushed to expand the program, and today it serves about 100 staffers each fall and spring and about 40 each summer.
Eakin said the program was a wonderful way to reward employees while also improving job performance at the university.
“It’s one little way you can give somebody something,” Eakin said. “And the benefit goes back to the institution.”
Mon Yin Lung, the public services librarian at the KU law school for almost 20 years, agreed.
She said her recent juris doctor degree would help her understand the needs of the students she helps.
“Attending law school enabled me to fully comprehend the process the law students go through, the pressure they are under, the rationale behind the legal research conducted by our law faculty and the Kansas legal community,” Lung said. “Since I started my career as a law student, I have been able to appreciate the reasoning behind each reference question that comes my way and have been able to provide a better response.”
Cynthia Davis, an administrative specialist in Army ROTC, said she was pleased to know that the tuition assistance program recently had opened up to all part- and full-time staffers who have worked at KU for six months.
Davis said she felt as though she had benefited from the program through her courses and from her interaction with students.
“The mental exercise is a welcome diversion each semester, keeping me alert and, therefore, a more productive employee,” she said. “I feel that taking classes with all of the 20-somethings strengthens my involvement and brings me closer into the KU community.”
The tuition assistance program is available to KU staff members interested in taking structured courses that meet on a scheduled basis with times published in the timetable of classes. Applications are available online, and more information may be found at www.ku.edu/%7Ekuhr/faculty_staff/tuition/index.shtml. Deadline for this fall is July19.
Davis, who earned her bachelor’s degree in theatre and film last month, said she would recommend the program to any staff member considering going back to college.
“Take advantage of tuition assistance because time is so valuable,” she said. “The rewards of participation, completion and progressing on to the next level are too great to allow to pass by.”