Public Education Matters

Various student voices 0:08
Public education matters. Public education matters. Public education matters.

Scott DiMauro 0:15
This is Public Education Matters, brought to you by the Ohio Education Association.

Katie Olmsted 0:26
Thanks for joining us for this episode of public Education Matters. I'm your host, Katie Olmsted, and I'm part of the communications team for the Ohio Education Association and its nearly 120,000 members statewide. Now we all know there is a lot of value in union membership, it protects our voice, for our students, improves our daily lives. It allows us to make the best learning conditions possible for our students. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the value of union membership, we also know union membership can be extra valuable when you take advantage of things like NEA Member Benefits and the advanced program's college benefits for NEA members, which can literally save you and your family members 1000s of dollars on online college and certificate courses. And the next program start dates are coming up in May. So now is the time to really look into how you can take advantage of what advance has to offer. We sat down with Ashley Kaufman, the director of channel management for advance, to learn more about this relatively new benefit for OEA members.

Let's start with that 30,000 foot question, what is the NEA college benefit?

Ashley Kaufman 1:48
Well, thank you so much for allowing me to be here and share information about the NEA college benefit with listeners. We are Edvance, and we help bring affordable college to members and their family. We are not advanced. Is not a school, but we actually help advocate for members and help them find the right program within our education network of schools and programs.

Katie Olmsted 2:18
So how does it all work and who can take advantage of it?

Ashley Kaufman 2:21
Great question. So any NEA member in good standing as well as their family, can take advantage of this benefit. That's fam. It's massive. And you know, a lot of times when we think about going back to school, we think about ourselves first. But what about our children or our spouse, who might be looking to further their professional career or just get into a different field or have a competitive edge. This benefit includes family, so a spouse or domestic partner, children or dependents and grandchildren can take advantage of this program in addition to the member themselves.

Katie Olmsted 2:58
So what kind of programs are there? What kind of degrees are we talking about?

Ashley Kaufman 3:03
Everything from associates and bachelor's degrees to certificates and master's programs. We even have doctorates. So if someone is interested in accounting or business organizational leadership, we have all of these degrees and programs, 100% online to cater towards the working adult. We also have master's programs and doctorates with Masters of Education in early childhood. We also have Masters of Education in psychological studies. Those are some of our newer degrees that we're excited to bring to the college benefit as a whole.

Katie Olmsted 3:38
But as you mentioned, Edvance is not the school, it's it's the conduit to getting affordable higher education. How does that happen? How do you make this more affordable for any members and families?

Ashley Kaufman 3:51
So what Edvance does? And you hit the nail on the head. We are not the school, but we help advocate for members and their families. We currently have six partner schools that are part of our network, and we'll go, just like members union will we actually go and negotiate tuition rates with our partners to best serve members and their family. Then within our network of school, what someone would do if they were interested in this program. We'll also talk about, I'm sure, how to get there too. But we make it very simple by going and filling out a three step form that provides a member a based on the program of interest that they have, as well as when they're interested in starting school, a program recommendation and school best fit match. Our three step match. It provides regional choice so someone can take advantage of any state or federal financial aid that may be available to them, in addition to the eligible tuition discount we provide so people can take advantage of a great discounted tuition rate just for being in their union. So it's as simple as you are a member, you are eligible to take advantage of up to 50% off tuition depending on the program that you choose and the school that you end up going to. We do offer a wide variety of discounted tuition options. Again, it's all variable based on where you attend and then how you choose to pay for the remaining balance outside of the tuition discount that we offer at advance is going to be up to you. So you can take advantage of scholarships. You can take advantage of federal financial aid by filling out your FAFSA. You can take advantage of Pell Grants. Anything that you may individually be able to access is on the table for you to consider and help pay from the remaining balance of your your education.

Katie Olmsted 5:45
And you've mentioned these are, these are online courses that you're able to take advantage of through these huge discounts. You up to 50% off is a very big savings. As a parent of two kids who I'm, I mean, they're young kids, so I'm looking down the horizon for saving for college and going holy guacamole, college has gotten very expensive. How is this different than other online programs, though?

Ashley Kaufman 6:10
So the program as a whole, the NEA college benefit, isn't any one school, and it's not any one program. Edvance brings a network to individual members and their family to be able to pick the right school and program that fits their needs, budget and lifestyle. So everything from we talked about some degrees and programs like certificates and masters and Associates, you can choose any one of that that's part of this program. But how is it different overall? They're 100% online. You don't have to go to class, and you have the Edvance student success coordinators, as well as variety of other resources to help you be successful in this program as a whole. You're never alone when you enroll for a program leveraging Edvance. That's something that's uniquely different than just going and finding a school on your own, which, of course, you're allowed and entitled to do, but we try and make it easy and help people who are trying to go back to school, but maybe it's been some time where you need some general assistance. Also, one big component that I didn't mention just yet is there is no cost to inquire, and there is no application cost when it comes to leveraging the NEA college benefit program. Those are some advantages. So the risk and barrier to entry is relatively low, even if you're just curious. We also have multiple starts a year, at least six. So it's not just your standard August time frame, which people would call fall, and it's not your standard time frame in spring, like January, multiple starts a year. It in all seasons.

Katie Olmsted 7:49
Really sounds like it's about making it accessible for people with real lives and real other commitments, you know, educators who are already working full time, right?

Ashley Kaufman 8:00
Absolutely. You mentioned having children, and that is a full time job in addition to the full time job that many people have. So as you think about helping yourself grow, or maybe your family member has a job, a part time job, or they have other responsibilities that they're trying to attain, an education to set them self apart in the workspace or grow towards a passion of theirs as they educate themselves. It is 100% online, exceptionally flexible, and a majority of classes don't require you to log in at a certain time, which is also a differentiator. It is, of course, program dependent, but when Edvance partners with an academic institution, we are ensuring that they meet all of these criteria to make it easy and accessible for a working adult to take the education that they've either always dreamed of or really want.

Katie Olmsted 8:55
I want to go back to something you did touch on there about the supports for people who are enrolled in these programs. You mentioned that you have a person to help you, and you have other supports. How do those supports help? And honestly, like, what are you hearing from people about the challenges that they have to overcome as they're re-enrolling or enrolling for the first time? I know for myself, the idea of of of going back to college feels very daunting.

Ashley Kaufman 9:23
Absolutely well, the first and foremost is, how do I find a school that's going to fit my lifestyle when going back to school in general, especially as someone who may have been out of the game for a little bit advancement.

Katie Olmsted 9:39
You know. I think we know it's been a long time.

Ashley Kaufman 9:41
Yeah, the last time we sat in the classroom as a student. So I think that there is an element of most people. Maybe they'll finish high school around 17, 18, sometimes they go into college straight out of high school. Maybe they take a little bit of gap. But I'm sure we could all collectively agree that by mid 20s, most people have at least some college under their belt, if that was their path. So when I say it's been a little bit of time, it's been a little bit of time since people have been in the classroom, taking a course, so getting back into the groove of how do I put myself in the shoes of a student to figure out, how do I enroll? How do I navigate getting transcripts from prior institutions that could have been class? You know, your last class could have been 10-15, years ago. Now, that's not the case overall. But how do we figure out how to do that? Well, Edvance is here to help support members and their family through this process. Again, while we're not a school, we provide access to our partner institutions, and we can help be that champion for a union member and their family in navigating what this looks like to actually enroll.

Katie Olmsted 10:58
So do you think many NEA members know about this? Do, I feel like you're just there's a lot of people who are just leaving this on the table because they aren't aware that they have this opportunity.

Ashley Kaufman 11:10
Well, this program is newer to NEA, and we're excited to be able to bring it to OEA and NEA as a whole, so members and their family interested in learning more can visit neamb.com/college benefit, and that's neamb.com/college benefit to learn more about the program and how it can best support you tell your friends that are in the union as well, and if they're not in the union, this is also a great way, if you were considering joining your local union, this is a great benefit that once you do join, you have access to so that is something to write home about and tell your friends who were you've been trying to get involved in joining your local union, you get access to up to 50% off tuition with support along the way.

Katie Olmsted 12:06
And as you've mentioned, it's pretty simple to get that information and to get started, very short process.

Ashley Kaufman 12:14
Absolutely, it's a three step form. After you visit neamb.com/college benefit, you'll actually learn a little bit about the program, and then you'll click the learn more here and fill out a three step form where it asks you some basic information, including the program that you're interested in, as well as when you're intending to start. We have multiple starts a year. You'll get a program and school recommendation based on those inputs, and then you know, if you don't like that, recommendation Edvance opens it up to our entire marketplace, where you're able to toggle and select either different degree levels or fields of study to find a program that you are interested in, and there is no cost to inquire and no application fees as part of this process as well.

Katie Olmsted 13:01
So really, the financial aspect of it comes in once you're starting to enroll and sign up, right?

Ashley Kaufman 13:08
That's pretty accurate. Okay. There's also one other component that is really important for members and families to understand, is in order to be part of the advanced network our schools and programs, we look for schools to join the network that also offer OERs and low costs when it comes to additional fees and materials. So the price that you see per credit hour is more reflective than maybe you would find in other programs, we try and be as upfront as possible when negotiating rates, so that members and family understand what those costs are to them. So online resources is really important. If there are free online books that can be leveraged in programs, that's also something that we advocate for where relevant. Of course material needs to align with what the course is, and if there's any fees, we ask for those to be communicated up front when students are getting the evaluation for their transfer credits and they get their cost breakdown. So transfer credit, credit, transfer friendly credits are also something that are really important. That transfer evaluation for members as they look to go back to school how much can they get for that.

Katie Olmsted 14:31
And you mentioned this is new for well, newish for NEA members. Have you worked with other unions, other groups like us, that you've been able to see what this does for people's lives?

Ashley Kaufman 14:43
Absolutely. So while it may be new for NEA, we also work with SEIU. We also work with a variety of AFL, CIO unions, USW, AFGE. Asks me a wide variety of different unions that have been able to take advantage of this benefit and are already seeing some graduates from their respective programs and moving on and obtaining their bachelor degree and now moving on and earning a Master's lifelong learners, which is great, and figuring out different ways to professionally excel and get those credentials that they're looking to set them apart in their field of study.

Katie Olmsted 15:28
Sure, and you know, having advanced degrees moves you up on the salary schedule. So it's the the investment is in yourself and in your future, for for educators, right?

Ashley Kaufman 15:40
Absolutely, anything that you can do to continue to learn and apply to your your field is always going to set you apart, be cutting edge. And who knows, you know, you could take your education and transform it to something else. You know, maybe you get maybe you are an educator, but you want a degree in business and you start your own tutoring business that could be something that supports members and family and gives back so.

Katie Olmsted 16:10
Well, thank you for giving us this time to learn more about Edvance and this really important opportunity for all NEA members their families, when you're talking about children, grandchildren. There's a lot of people who could really save a lot of money on a lot of different courses through this program.

Ashley Kaufman 16:30
Absolutely, happy to be here and again. If there's anything that Edvance can do to help provide insight and information, whether you're a member or a leader, visit neamb.com/college benefit and fill out the form. Once you get to the Edvance landing pages, we'd be happy to help your local individually or help a member specifically receive additional insight about the program as a whole.

Katie Olmsted 17:01
Now Ashley mentioned that this college benefit is one of the ways you can help make the case for the value of union membership. As you're talking to other educators who are considering joining your local association, there's a link in the show notes for this episode to a leader page on the advance website with all sorts of resources to help you have those conversations. And of course, you'll find a link to learn more about how you can enroll in courses through this Edvance benefit right there in the show notes too. New episodes of this podcast continue to drop every Thursday this school year, so we'll see you back here again next week for another conversation about the issues and the opportunities in public education in our state, because in Ohio, public education matters.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai