March 15, 2006
MEMORANDUM DDC#19/05-06
TO: Deans, Directors and Chairpersons
FROM: Robert F. Banks,
Associate Provost and Associate Vice President
for Academic Human Resources
SUBJECT: Course Fee Courtesy Program for Faculty and Academic Staff
The Course Fee Courtesy Program provides one-half of the applicable resident undergraduate course fees as financial aid for eligible students who are dependent children and spouses of eligible faculty and staff. Eligible students are those who are enrolled at MSU in a curriculum leading to the first baccalaureate degree or to a certificate in the Agricultural Technology Program. Faculty and staff eligible under the course fee courtesy policy are as follows: full-time tenure system faculty, full-time librarians in the continuous employment system, full-time specialists in the continuing appointment system, individuals appointed full-time in the MSU Extension continuing appointment system, individuals appointed full-time in the Continuing Faculty Appointment System for the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, individuals appointed full-time in executive management positions and other continuing positions (appointments without end dates) in the Academic Personnel System, full-time Health Programs faculty members upon the commencement of the first additional appointment, full-time fixed term faculty and academic staff with at least 60 Full-Time-Equivalent (FTE) service months, and those who have access to the program by virtue of a labor contract.
Dependent children are defined as (a) all legally dependent children of eligible faculty or staff; and (b) such children who have eligible faculty or staff as their legal guardians. Dependent spouse is defined as the legally recognized spouse or an MSU recognized domestic partner (contact the Benefits Office for information) of an eligible faculty or staff member.
Course Fee Courtesy application materials for Fall semester, 2006 are available. It is necessary to submit a separate application for each student who is newly admitted or readmitted to MSU. Once the Course Fee Courtesy has been approved for a student, it will remain in place from year to year until the student reaches the maximum allowable attempted credits (120 semester credits). However, if a student takes a break which is long enough to require her/him to be readmitted to MSU, a new Course Fee Courtesy application must be made at the time of readmission.
The Financial Aid Office will send a notice of the number of attempted credits to Course Fee Courtesy students, to enable them to monitor their eligibility. Students will receive the first notice of attempted credits in the semester during which they reach 90 attempted credits. Students will then receive a notice each semester until the final notice. The final notice will indicate the student has reached 120 attempted credits and that she/he will not be eligible for the Course Fee Courtesy in following semesters.
Applications may be downloaded from the web at: /HRsite/Documents/Faculty/Policies/CfcFacProc.htm, requested in person from the Office of Academic Human Resources, 312 Administration Building or by telephone at 355-1529.
Completed applications are to be returned to the Office of Academic Human Resources. Applications received by June 1 for Fall semester, by October 1 for Spring semester or by March 1 for Summer semester will have the Course Fee Courtesy credit appear on the student's bill as a credit. Applications approved after the student has already registered will result in a credit of the appropriate Course Fee Courtesy award to the student's account. Notices of approval of applications will be sent out after the Financial Aid Office has finished processing the applications.
Please inform the faculty and academic staff members in your unit of these procedures. The Course Fee Courtesy Policy, which is included in the Faculty Handbook and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at
/HRsite/Documents/Faculty/Policies/CfcFacProc.htm
Announcements will be included in the Faculty and Staff News Bulletin.