May 10, 2004

PROPOSED STAFF SCHOLARSHIP POLICIES TO BE REVIEWED

University of Houston staff members have waited patiently for a scholarship system that would help them pay for UH courses. The wait may soon be over.

On Thursday, UH’s Staff Council discussed proposed policies concerning the Staff Tuition Scholarship Program.

Cathy Murphy, chair of Staff Council’s Staff Affairs Committee and associate director for academic advising presented copies of the policy to the council. If approved, these guidelines will become part of the UH Manual of Administrative Policies and Procedures (MAPP).

One of the projected principles states that the scholarship program is “designed to support and encourage employee development through formal education, with a priority on the attainment of baccalaureate degrees and beyond at the University of Houston.”

It also states that those eligible for the program must be full-time, benefits eligible employees and that courses taken “shall be either related to the employee’s job, related to a degree program in which the employee is enrolled, or provide for career development at the university.” The maximum amount of each scholarship awarded will be $750 per semester.

The proposed policies were sent to the Office of Policies and Procedures on April 28. Since then, they have been forwarded to division administrators and college deans, who must submit any revisions or suggestions by May 26. From there, the policies are submitted to UH President Jay Gogue and his cabinet for review and approval.

If approved, staff members will have the opportunity to apply for scholarships that can be applied to classes taken this fall. They must, however, already be accepted in a UH academic program.

Staff tuition waivers at UH have long been a priority for Staff Council. The topic had been discussed with Gogue and his cabinet at the council’s Fall Forum. In March, Gogue informed staff members at the council’s Spring Forum that $300,000 would be set aside for staff scholarships.

“I would especially like to thank President Gogue for helping this come true,” Murphy said. “This is one of the issues we discussed with him on his first day at UH. We had been working toward a program like this for some time. It’s something that the staff has needed, so I am pleased to see this so close to being finalized.”

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu