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In an email sent to all faculty and staff Tuesday afternoon, USC clarified changes to the Tuition Assistance Benefits (TAB) program after faculty and staff expressed “frustration.”
The email from the Office of the Provost confirmed the TAB program will remain unchanged for anyone currently enrolled, and the 15-year-letter benefit will remain for “eligible employees.”
The email said changes to the TAB program include lessening tuition assistance for spouses and partners, no longer covering tuition for dependents pursuing graduate degrees and no longer covering graduate certificates for faculty or staff.
In the past, USC awarded faculty and staff who worked at USC for 15 years uninterrupted, allowing their dependents to use the TAB program even after the employee left. Under the new policy, dependents of staff and faculty will not be able to use the TAB program if their provider is no longer employed under USC. Dependents currently enrolled in the TAB program will be unaffected.
The university announced on Tuesday morning that some changes will be made to the TAB program, leading to dozens of USC faculty and staff members expressing concern on LinkedIn. The Tuesday afternoon email said the information circulating online was different from what the university sent out.
“There were some rumors going around that [the 15-year-letter] was going to be taken away,” Seta Kenady, associate director of employer relations, said. “It will remain unchanged at this point.”
Along with existing TAB benefits, the email said the university will still offer 100% tuition assistance for full-time faculty and staff, 100% tuition assistance for eligible, dependent children and Tuition Exchange benefits.
The Tuition Exchange (TE) program allows dependents of full-time USC employees to receive a scholarship that will cover up to eight semesters of tuition for an undergraduate degree at over 700 universities other than USC.
Kenady called the university’s decision to take graduate degree tuition coverage away “disappointing.”
The email said three paid days would be added to Winter Recess, effective this December.
“The university continues to have a robust set of benefits, placing USC among the leaders in our peer group,” the email said. “While there will be several changes to our TAB program, this benefit remains a priority, and we will continue to invest in it.”