Rappahannock Community College is committed to the professional development of its employees and encourages employees to take advantage of professional development opportunities offered by the college. This plan is reviewed annually by the financial and administrative affairs committee. This policy is designed to best utilize our available resources and to simplify the process for allocating professional development funds. Please remember, the utilization of individual development plans (IDPs) is mandatory for all employees.

The professional development funding available and rate of reimbursement will be distributed annually to all college faculty and staff. Funding is divided into four categories as listed below:

Category 1 – Tuition Reimbursement

Budget: State E&G budget – determined annually.

Purpose: To provide funds for credit courses (not CEU) and required fees. All requests must be for courses that are job-related or are part of a degree program and be related to the employee’s IDP. IDPs must be on file by November 1 of each year to support tuition reimbursement requests. Any employee wishing to be reimbursed for credit instruction must submit a VCCS 16 (revised 09/07) form (with a copy of their approved IDP) to their supervisor for approval each semester. All requests must be approved and submitted to the human resources department by April 27 for summer classes, by August 1 for fall classes, and by December 4 for spring classes. All approved requests are based on available funding and will be prioritized by executive staff as follows:

Associate Degree – support all regardless of degree
Baccalaureate Degree – support those benefiting the college
Master’s Degree – support first priority to faculty earning additional hours in high need disciplines, and then support job-related requests
Doctoral Degree – support those providing leadership benefiting the college

The employee will be notified regarding final approval or denial.

Eligibility: All college employees are eligible to receive educational assistance for tuition and mandatory fees. If the class is part of a degree requirement, the employee must submit documentation of acceptance to a degree granting program that is regionally accredited. For classes not part of a degree program, the course must be job related as determined by the supervisor. For courses taken during normal work hours, classified exempt employees are required to adjust their work schedule to fulfill their normal work hours per week as approved by their supervisor. Adjustments may take the form of annual, compensatory, or personal leave (VSDP participants) or adjusted work schedule. For classified non-exempt employees, class time is work time and no leave is required. Release time is limited to one class per semester. Faculty are required to ensure that courses do not conflict with teaching and college responsibilities.

Benefit: The employee can be reimbursed up to the ODU per credit hour in-state rate for undergraduate courses and graduate courses (500 level and above). Each employee can be reimbursed for up to three courses per year (maximum two per semester). The individual pays for the course and then is reimbursed after the grade and payment receipt are received in the human resources office. The course must be completed satisfactorily with a grade of “C” or better. Please note the college does not reimburse expenses for required books and materials. Employees may receive up-front educational assistance for the courses enrolled at RCC. A Promissory Note (HUMR-03) is required for the total amount of the tuition and fees to be paid by the State. If an employee fails to compete a class or receives an  unsatisfactory final grade repayment provisions will be initiated immediately. Employees will be required to work at RCC a minimum of an additional six months for assistance received. Reimbursement would be on a pro-rata basis.

Detailed procedures for Educational Assistance are available in Section 3.10 of the VCCS Policy Manual For eligible employees enrolled in an approved graduate program, tuition reimbursement is for successful completion of the number of credits specified by the program curriculum, to include required dissertation research credits (not to exceed 9 credits). Credits used for continuous enrollment beyond those required by the curriculum will not be reimbursed. The College will limit the amount of time allotted for tuition reimbursement of required dissertation research credits to a maximum of two years.