“Principles of Excellence”- EO 13607
Background
On April 27, 2012, President Obama signed Executive Order 13607, establishing “Principles of Excellence” for educational institutions servicing service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members. The published Executive Order is available. This Executive Order addresses key areas related to Federal military and veterans educational benefits programs.
Participating institutions are expected to comply with the Executive Order’s Principles by the end of the 2012-2013 academic year to continue participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans and Tuition Assistance Programs for active duty service members and are also strongly encouraged to comply with the Principles if they are participating in the Post-9/11 GI Bill® program.
The following is an outline of how Portland State University is complying with Section 2, paragraphs (a) through (h) of EO 13607.
Standardized Cost Form (a)
Portland State University has implemented a personalized and standardized cost form in the “Shopping Sheet” format developed by the Department of Education (for use beginning with the 2013-2014 award year). This “shopping sheet” provides personalized award information to all admitted students, including veterans, service members and family members. It is provided electronically via a link on the student’s myPSU account under Financial Aid and is aid year specific.
Because the “shopping sheet” is accessible to students on their myPSU account, we will not be emailing the form to them directly. However, we will include language in our emails to all students when we make an initial request for outstanding requirements and/or send an initial award notification. This language will inform them of their ability to access the “shopping sheet” via their myPSU account and how it can best be utilized. Access to the myPSU “shopping sheet” will be turned on for individual students when their budget group is established. Budget groups are batch-created when we receive a FAFSA for a student who is admitted or has applied for admission. Budget groups are also manually created for students who have not submitted a FAFSA but have scholarship or Americorps awards that need to be posted. If a student has not submitted a FAFSA and has no scholarships/Americorps funds to post, then their “shopping sheet” access WILL NOT be turned on as it would contain no relevant budget or award information for the student.
Federal Aid Information (b)
Portland State University provides informational links about student aid programs and DVA & DOD education benefit programs on its public website.
State Authorization/Recruiting (c)
Portland State University fully complies with the ED regulations (34 C.F.R. 668.71-888.75 and 668.14) related to program integrity issues, including restrictions on recruitment, misrepresentation, and payment of incentive compensation.
Accreditation (d)
Portland State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the official accrediting agency for the region. Find information about specific accredited programs and departments in the PSU Bulletin. Portland State follows all “substantive change” requirements of our accrediting agency and any special agencies associated with the various schools and departments within the University.
Readmission/ Refund (e & f)
Readmission of Service Members
Portland State University complies with DOD/EO expectations to promptly readmit a service member into the same academic status he or she had when last attended or accepted for admission, when program attendance was interrupted due to service obligations.
Current Tuition Refund Process for Withdrawal due to Service Obligations
Portland State University follows the Oregon University System refund policy which generally provides for full refund of dropped or withdrawn courses resulting from being called to active duty in military service. For a full refund, the student must make a written request to the Office of the Registrar within thirty days of withdrawal. Documentation of military orders is required. [Link]
Individual Educational Plans (g)
Portland State University supports student educational planning with an array of academic advising and evaluation tools that provide clear information detailing how students will fulfill all the requirements necessary to graduate and the expected timeline of completion. These tools are provided to all students, including individuals using Federal military and veteran’s educational benefits.
- Portland State University Bulletin: Annual publication which includes a comprehensive listing of all degree, major, and certificate requirements necessary for graduation.
- Transfer Course Evaluations: Detailed transfer evaluations are provided for all previous coursework from other accredited institutions at the time of admission. The student’s individualized transfer evaluation indicates how many transfer credits will be awarded and how they will be applied to the student’s educational program.
- Credit for Military Training: PSU awards appropriate credit for military training following ACE recommendations.
- Degree Audits: Individualized degree audit evaluations are provided for undergraduates through an online, automated degree audit system (DARS). The DARS audit details the comprehensive list of requirements, including total hours, general education, degree, major, GPA, residence credit, etc., and evaluates those requirements against the student’s transfer credits and PSU credits.
- Graduate Degree Requirements: In addition to the annual PSU Bulletin, graduate degree requirements are communicated to students in a variety of ways depending on different departmental strategies, including departmentally tailored web pages, orientation, advising, advising materials, student handbooks, etc.
- Degree Maps: Detailed term-by-term course plans are available for each undergraduate major which provide guidance in planning and registering for courses to stay on track for degree completion.
- Mandatory Academic Advising: All new undergraduate students are required to meet with an academic advisor during their first year of enrollment. Veteran students seeking certification of VA benefits must see an advisor and submit an advisor approved schedule each term to ensure that all courses are degree applicable.
Veterans Services Point of Contact (h)
Portland State University has recently funded a staff member position for its Veterans Resource Center (VRC), effective July 1, 2013. The VRC Coordinator will be the main point of contact for students who are veterans, military service members or family members of such.
The VRC Coordinator will be trained on answering basic questions regarding educational benefits and federal financial aid, as well as general University policies and procedures. The Coordinator will refer students (as needed) to colleagues in the Veterans Certification office, the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships, and University Financial Services offices (cashier’s, student accounts, student collections, etc.) Academic advising questions will be referred to the appropriate professional academic adviser(s).
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Website.