Category: Faculty and Staff Resources

Changes to the Tuition Assistance program have been approved to be effective beginning with spring 2025. Applications are now being accepted through the Online Application Form. Applications for the spring semester must be received by the end of the business day Jan. 6, 2025.

Several changes to the policies for both employee and spouse/dependent assistance have been implemented based on the input received from both the Staff Senate and Faculty Senate as well as feedback from the Campus Climate Survey. Highlights of these changes are:

• All .50 FTE and above benefit-eligible employees, including faculty, are eligible for employee tuition assistance
• All courses that are offered for credit by the university qualify for tuition assistance – including all undergraduate, graduate, badge and certificate programs
• Dependent and spouse tuition assistance is available for first undergraduate and/or first graduate degrees
• Applications may be submitted for the entire academic year (fall, summer, spring) at one time. For spring 2025, applicants will be able to submit for the remainder of the academic year (spring 2025 and/or summer 2025).
• Revised GPA requirements:
  • Employees must maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 for undergraduate programs or an overall GPA of 3.0 for graduate programs. Failure to meet this requirement will make the employee ineligible for tuition assistance until the employee’s overall GPA is greater than 2.0 for undergraduate programs or 3.0 for graduate programs.
  • The Spouse or Dependent Child must maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 as calculated at the end of the term. Failure to meet this requirement will make the spouse or dependent child ineligible for tuition assistance until their overall GPA is greater than 2.0.
• Graduate tuition assistance changes
  • Employees are limited to $5,250 in graduate tuition assistance per calendar year, instead of a per semester credit hour cap.
  • Dependents/spouses are limited to 50% of the cost of the resident graduate tuition up to a maximum of $5,250 in tuition assistance per calendar year.
  • Tuition assistance for graduate courses for an employee’s spouse and dependents shall be included in the employee’s gross income as wages and subject to income tax consistent with federal and state tax laws based on IRS guidelines. Employees are responsible for all tax consequences.

Full program details and more information can be found at wichita.edu/tuitionassistance. Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.

Attend an upcoming come-and-go training session for faculty who want to learn more about Watermark Faculty Success, the new platform for the Faculty Annual Activity Report (FAAR). Learn how to get started or bring your questions to these open labs. All sessions are offered in remote format through Microsoft Teams. If you have questions, contact Rachel Crane at rachel.crane@wichita.edu.

Get started:

• Entering activity data
• Importing citations
• Running reports

Schedule:

• Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m.
• Friday, Oct. 11 at 10 a.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.
• Friday Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.

Attend one of the six upcoming come-and-go training sessions for faculty who want to learn more about Watermark Faculty Success, the new platform for the Faculty Annual Activity Report (FAAR). Learn how to get started or bring your questions to these open labs. All sessions are offered in remote format through Microsoft Teams. If you have questions, contact Rachel Crane at rachel.crane@wichita.edu.

Get started:

• Entering activity data
• Importing citations
• Running reports

Schedule:

• Thursday, Sept. 26 2 p.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m.
• Friday, Oct. 11 at 10 a.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.
• Friday Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.

Faculty Ombudspersons are available to assist faculty in addressing disputes that arise within the university. The Ombuds role is to listen to concerns, provide resources and clarify options to facilitate the settlement of disputes.

To learn more, visit the the Ombuds webpage (wichita.edu/ombuds).

Faculty and staff can visit the Faculty/Staff Acute Care Clinic for minor and acute medical issues only. Appointments are required for the clinic.

The clinic is located in the Student Wellness Center within the Steve Clark YMCA. Most appointments are $30 to $50 for an office visit evaluation by a Student Health Services medical provider, dependent on insurance. The office visit cost does not include the costs for laboratory services, medications or radiology services. Call 316-978-4792 to schedule an appointment.

Co-pays or deductibles are the employee’s responsibility and depend on personal health insurance benefits.

Examples of minor/acute illness/injury acceptable for treatment:

• Cough, cold, fever and flu
• Sore throats and sinus infections
• Bronchitis and pneumonia
• Allergies and asthma
• Sprains and strains that are non-work related
• Headaches and acute migraine
• Urinary tract infections
• Ear and eye infections
• Rashes and skin infections
• Minor procedures, such as ear lavages
• In-house laboratory services – rapid strep, UAs, mono, etc.
• Radiology X-ray services – not ultrasound
• Pharmacy services — with prescriptions written by SHS providers
• Immunizations
• Tuberculosis testing
• Blood pressure checks
• Sexually transmitted infections with symptoms

Injuries and illnesses occurring while on the job at WSU must be reported to your supervisor and follow Human Resources procedures. Student Health Services cannot treat potential workers’ compensation injuries or illnesses.

WSU Student Health employees will provide medical services as licensed medical providers. They are nurse practitioners, physician assistants and registered nurses. The clinic is a Student Health Services clinic.

The faculty Ombuds program assists with conflict resolution at Wichita State. The Ombudspersons listen, guide and facilitate communication to help navigate disputes with fairness. They’re not advocates, but seek equitable solutions.

Visit the Faculty Senate’s website for a list of Ombudspersons and consider reaching out before a concern reaches a crisis point.

Student Conduct & Community Standards (SCCS) is sharing a helpful resource regarding student classroom behavior with faculty and staff on campus. The guide, which can be found on the Student Conduct website, discusses three easy steps to better manage classroom behavior.

• Establish high and positive behavioral expectations
• Reiterate/adjust and communicate those high and positive expectations
• Outline next steps and document the disruption

If you are ever unsure about whether to make a report to the SCCS office or not, you can email SCCS@wichita.edu or call 316-978-6681. If you believe a report needs to be made to SCCS, fill out the conduct incident response form (wichita.edu/reportit).

Tuition assistance applications for fall 2024 are now being accepted through the online application form. The final application window will close Friday, Aug. 2.

Due to the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied with no exceptions.

Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.

Student Health Services is offering current WSU faculty and staff the ability to schedule their HealthQuest physical exam and lab work June 1 through July 31.

If you do not have a primary care provider and currently have private insurance through your employment with WSU, call to schedule your appointment with Student Health providers at 316-978-4792.

As an employee of the state, benefits-eligible employees of Wichita State and their dependents have access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services at no charge. EAP can provide information and connect you with professionals who can help with a wide variety of services, and your use of EAP services is completely confidential.

Some services provided are:

• Connecting with a financial expert for financial related issues and questions
• Legal advice for concerns such as divorce, custody, adoption, real estate, debt, landlord / tenant issues, etc.
• Locating support groups
• Short-term personal counseling services
• Family and parenting questions
• Customized resources and referrals for child and elder care, moving, pet care, home repair, selling a home, college planning and more.

You can find more information here. To check out the EAP services offered, visit the EAP website at www.guidanceresources.com using company ID: SOKEAP or call EAP at 1-888-275-1205 (option 1).