Dear Colleagues,
Over the years, many members of the Carleton community have expressed concerns about distinctions between different categories of employees at the College. One notable example has been the non-Carleton tuition benefit for dependents of employees, a tuition reimbursement for dependents who attend colleges other than Carleton that is currently available only to faculty and exempt staff. I heard concerns about this differentiation from Staff At Carleton (SAC) members and others when I first arrived, and these feelings were further reflected during the development of our Community Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, and in the results of the recent Staff Experience Survey, which was conducted last spring.
Today I am delighted to announce that, following careful analysis by colleagues in Human Resources and Finance, input from the Budget Committee and the Board of Trustees, and thoughtful consideration by Cabinet, the tuition benefit program will expand to include all benefits-eligible, non-union employees, as well as union employees for the remainder of the current contract. The dependent tuition benefit will be available beginning in fall 2023 to those newly eligible.
Additionally, we intend to join the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Tuition Remission Exchange Program, which will provide qualified dependents of Carleton faculty and staff an 80% discount at ACM schools. Carleton is currently the only ACM institution that does not participate in the program, and as we considered options to expand our own tuition benefit program, we thought it was the right time to review the ACM program, as well.
For more detailed information on the Carleton and ACM tuition benefit programs, visit the Human Resources Webpage.
At a time when we are focused on access and affordability for students applying to Carleton, we believe it is appropriate that we extend these important educational benefits to employees at all salary levels. We are grateful to our colleagues for their hard work on this, and to the Board for its support.
Alison Byerly, President
Tommy Bonner, Vice President for External Relations
Helen Clarke, Associate Vice President for Communications
Elise Eslinger, Vice President and Chief of Staff
Dev Gupta, Professor of Political Science and President of the Faculty
Carolyn Livingston, Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students
Michelle Mattson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor of German
Art Rodriguez, Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Eric Runestad, Vice President and Treasurer