June 2024

Volume 6, Issue 11

• Academic Affairs

  Video: Spring 2024 Commencement Highlights
  This video shares highlights from our Spring 2024 commencement ceremonies. More than 1,130 students, including 14 doctoral graduates, were awarded degrees across three ceremonies May 10-11.

  Earn a Coursera Certificate this Summer
  Your student could earn a certificate for free over the summer that will help prepare them for the job market after graduation. KU has partnered with Coursera to offer students courses that prepare for in-demand job roles including cybersecurity, social media marketer and project manager. To view the catalog, go to the Extended Learning website. 

  Career Development Center
  Summer break is a great time for students to work on their career development. Job shadowing, informational interviews and working to gain related experiences can happen during this time. Encourage your student to think about what they can do to prepare themselves for a career they love. We host student appointments during the summer, so encourage your student to schedule one today. Appointments are made through Handshake, available through the Career Development Center website. 

  Center for Student Success and Academic Excellence
  Is your student taking a summer class? The Center for Student Success and Academic Excellence can provide valuable support as students navigate their coursework. The Center offers one-on-one consultations on study skills, time management, note-taking and learning strategies to enhance success inside and outside the classroom. Student Success staff can also connect students to other campus resources. For more information, visit the Center for Student Success and Academic Excellence website. 

  First-Year Experience Success Coordinator
  If you have a first-year student at Kutztown University who could benefit from assistance, please refer them to the Student Success Center to schedule a meeting with Alyssa Oakley, coordinator for Student Success and First-Year Experience. Alyssa offers personalized one-on-one meetings to help students identify the most effective strategies for success. Students can reach out to her directly via email at alyoakley@kutztown.edu to schedule an appointment.

  Tutoring Services
  Tutoring Services is recruiting peer tutors, lab assistants and academic peer mentors for Fall 2024. If your student is interested in this employment opportunity, please have them complete the Tutoring Services Employment Application. Contact tutor@kutztown.edu with questions. 

  Transfer Student Success Coordinator
  Did you know that there is a dedicated staff member at KU to support students with transfer credit? The coordinator for Student Success and Transfer Engagement, Briana Zdradzinski, is available for individual meetings to assist students with transfer credits, including test credit and dual enrollment credits, with transitioning and acclimating to KU. Prospective and current transfer students can contact Briana to schedule an appointment and learn more via the Transfer Student Engagement website. 

  Kutztown University Writing Center – Fall 2024
  As you think ahead to the fall semester, please note the KU Writing Center offers assistance and writing sessions for papers for any subject or discipline. The Center has in-person and online sessions available. Call 610-683-4733 or email to set up an in-person appointment as early as Tuesday, Sept. 3. To register and schedule an online session, your student can visit the Writing Center Online. Please see the Writing Center website for additional helpful instructions and screenshots. Direct any questions to wrcenter@kutztown.edu or pytleski@kutztown.edu.

• Finance and Facilities

  Spring 2024 Balances in MyKU Legacy
  Some students still owe money from the Spring 2024 semester, either from ID replacement fees, forgotten parking fines, residence hall damages or other items. While small, these balances may still be assessed a late fee and result in a hold on the account based on the age of the debt. Please check MyKU today to ensure all Spring (and Summer) charges are paid. Fall aid cannot pay Spring or Summer charges. Legacy MyKU > KU Financial Account tile > Payment Dashboard. Housing Residence Hall damages have been assessed to all students. If there are questions on this charge, please reach out to Housing directly – the Student Accounts office is unable to accept appeals. The charges are due Saturday, June 15.

  Fall 2024 Tuition, Fees, Housing and Meals Billing
  Tuition rates have not been set for the upcoming year. This will likely not occur until mid-July. In the meantime, we do have an estimating tool worksheet on our Guide for First Time Students that all students can use to estimate their costs outside of their aid package. This page is a great resource to determine if you want or need the payment plan or if you need to apply for additional loans such as Parent PLUS loans or Alternative loans. Note: charges will fluctuate as professors select or adjust their inclusive access items – you will want to watch the account periodically for any additional charges that show up as to avoid late fees or notices. These can occur through the second week of the semester.

  Fall 2024 Billing Due Date – Friday, Aug. 9 (Revised)
  Billing will occur mid-July with a new due date of Friday, Aug. 9. The due date has been extended one week based on the delays from this year’s FAFSA. Online bills will include tuition, required fees, on-campus housing and meals based on the student’s enrollment/selection as of that day (changes can affect charges and aid). Remember, only pending aid will reduce the amount due on the bill. Aid that is not in pending status (i.e., awarded aid or loans not yet certified) may require action and will not be considered as a valid payment type reducing charges due. Undergraduate students having 12-18 credits of enrollment will see the same tuition line item, although required fees may change based on course selections and the method of instruction. Billing help is found here.

  Locating Bills Online When Available – New MyKU Mid-July
  New MyKU > Student Account card > Fall 2024 payment plan is the only current plan, which will eventually say “New Payment Dashboard.” Email notifications for the bills will be sent to the student and any authorized users they have set up on the New Payment Dashboard. Once the bills are prepared, the student will have the chance to determine if they want or need to adjust any payment plans previously set up with estimated costs.

  Fall 2024 Payment Plans
  Payment plans remain open for the Fall 2024 semester charges. The four-payment plan ends Thursday, July 4 (this is a down payment with three additional payments). The plan then becomes a three-payment plan Sunday, Aug. 4. Take advantage now if you can. A student can sign up for a plan now and adjust the plan later once the actual bills are prepared. There is no fee to increase or decrease the plans as needed, should a surprise scholarship show up or the bill increase due to a housing change, for example. New MyKU > Student Account card > Fall 2024 payment plans

  Authorized Users – Third-Party Dashboard Access
  Students can grant their parents (or other third parties) their own access to the New Payment Dashboard, including getting the billing emails and even billing texts, as to not solely rely on the students to share their notice. Students go to New MyKU > Student Account card > click on the Fall 2024 payment plan to open the NEW Payment Dashboard (this is different from FERPA access). “Authorized Users” is on the right side.

  Additional Funding Options – Apply in June
  Many students will need additional funding after their awarded aid package from the FAFSA completion. Some will pay the difference, some will use a payment plan (see below) and some will use additional loans. Additional loans should be applied for now so that Financial Aid Services will have time to certify the loan and allow it to show on the Fall bills, thereby reducing the charges due. Don’t wait to apply on the due date, as it can take up to two weeks for a loan to be certified.

  • Alternative Loans are loans in a student’s name with a credit worthy co-signer (some even have a parent option). These can take up to two weeks to show as pending aid in MyKU.
  • Parent PLUS loans are loans in a parent’s name they take to help a student. Approvals and denials (parent denials may offer students some additional Stafford Loans). These can take up to two weeks to show as pending on the account. These loans do not apply to students who have lost federal aid eligibility.

  Interest does not start until the funds are disbursed (i.e., September and February). Apply for the full school year now (loan period August 2024 to May 2025) and Financial Aid will split the loan in half for you. You can easily reduce the loans later by completing a loan change form once the actual charges are on the account and you see all of the figures in one place. For more information on additional funding options, click here. You can also get more information by calling Financial Aid Services at 610-683-4077.

  Aid Eligibility/Progress
  If a student has lost their access to federal aid due to not meeting the minimum requirements, the student will only have the option to look at Alternative loans – parent plus loans are federal aid. The minimum requirements for federal aid are a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and a completion rate of 66.67%. Questions on this matter can be directed to Financial Aid Services at 610-683-4077.

  Pending vs. Awarded Aid
  Once the FAFSA is completed, an aid package is prepared for a student by Financial Aid Services. This is awarded aid. This aid will not reduce charges on a bill at this point. To move from awarded aid to pending aid, students must complete all requirements, such as verification if selected, Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling (if not already completed at KU), submitted their final high school transcript, be enrolled in courses, the student must be eligible for aid (financial aid progress) and lastly, the student must accept the loans or decline them. Only aid that is shown as pending, or anticipated, will be considered as payment toward the charges due. Financial Aid will make outreach and show items needed on the New MyKU, or they can be contacted at 610-683-4077.

  Guide for First-Time Students (Freshman, Transfer and Graduate)
  We have a webpage dedicated to new students covering finances, bills, aid and more. There is a video that details orientation like items including a lesson on how aid works. Anyone can benefit from this 15-minute video. There are also wonderful handouts you will find helpful. Take a few minutes and check it out.

  Parking Permits
  Student vehicle registration will open in early August for the upcoming school year.

• Enrollment Management and Student Affairs

  Virtual Summer Series for Incoming Students New to Campus
  Throughout the summer, the Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services office is hosting informational sessions (including live Q&A) on various topics to help answer your questions about meal plans, residence hall policies, move-in day and more. There will be four Zoom-based “What’s Up Wednesday” presentations on select Wednesdays at 7 p.m., starting Wednesday, June 12; three of which will be followed by Instagram Live sessions on the same topic the next day (Thursdays) at noon. Incoming students and their families are invited to attend both the Zoom presentations and the Instagram Live sessions, or whichever is more convenient for them. The full schedule for these summer sessions can be found here.

  Fall 2024 Room Selection
  For information and the timeline for the Fall 2024 Room Selection Process, please follow this link: Fall 2024 Room Selection.

  Required Form to Use Military Benefits in Fall 2024
  Students planning to use their military benefits (e.g., VA GI Bill, TA, EAP, MFEP) in the Fall 2024 semester must submit their KU Veterans Services Enrollment Certification form after they enroll for fall semester classes. Benefits may be delayed if this form is not submitted early. Continuing Students: access the Enrollment Certification form from the “Brochures, Publications, and Forms” section of our website, www.kutztown.edu/veterans. New/Incoming Students: send a request to the Military and Veterans Services Office, veterans@kutztown.edu to obtain the form.

  Students Receiving Chapter 35 VA GI Bill Benefits May Qualify for Additional Funding
  PA Educational Gratuity program provides financial assistance to children of honorably discharged veterans who have service-connected disabilities and served during a period of war or armed conflict, or children of veterans who die or died in service during a period of war or armed conflict. Payment will not exceed $500 per semester per qualified child. Educational gratuity payments are paid directly to the educational institution and may not be made for longer than four scholastic years. The application process is simple. Visit Educational Gratuity Program (pa.gov) for details. Contact veterans@kutztown.edu if you have questions.

  Veterans Affairs Work Study Opportunity for Fall 2024
  Students enrolled for at least nine credits and using VA GI Bill military benefits may also be eligible with work-study benefits. This benefit is in addition to their VA benefits. The VA will pay students a stipend ($7.25/hour, non-taxable). VA Work Study students support the Military and Veterans Services Office. Questions about open positions can be sent to veterans@kutztown.edu.

• Equity, Compliance and Legal Affairs

  Disability Services Office
  Accommodation Letters for Summer Session I are ready to send to summer course professors. Please encourage your students to check their KU email for instructions on how to send electronic Accommodation Letters to summer course professors.

  Now is the time for students to start the Accommodation Request Process. Please visit www.kutztown.edu/DSO and select “Requesting Accommodations” to review the process for request accommodations. If you have any questions or concerns, please email DSO@kutztown.edu or call the DSO at 610-683-4108.

  Bystander Intervention Training Coming to Kutztown University
  The Social Equity Office is teaming up with Alteristic to bring the Green Dot Training Program to Kutztown University. The Green Dot Prevention Strategy for Colleges is a research-supported strategy shown to reduce interpersonal violence, including sexual assault, dating/domestic violence and stalking on college campuses by equipping students and university employees with the skills needed to intervene in high-risk situations and model behaviors that create and strengthen healthy campus norms. Students will be able to register for Green Dot Workshops starting in the Fall 2024 semester. Specific dates and time for the Green Dot Workshops will be posted on Engage after the start of the Fall semester. If you have any questions or would like more information on the Green Dot Training Program, please contact Bradley Davis, Title IX Coordinator, at brdavis@kutztown.edu.

• University Relations and Athletics

  Women's Basketball Scholarship Golf Outing
  Please consider joining us for the KU Women's Basketball Scholarship Golf Outing. This amazing and important fundraiser is a scramble tournament featuring great food, prizes, contests and more. The outing will be Friday, June 14, Macoby Run Golf Course. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $500 per foursome and limited space is available. To sign up, please click the link to register today. This event does sell out annually, so we hope to see you out on the course. Thank you from the KU women's basketball team.

• KU Campus Store

  Inclusive Access – Course Materials
  Inclusive Access is a collaboration between your professor, KU Campus Store, the Office of Student Accounts and publishers to provide required course materials at a significantly reduced cost. When a professor makes the decision to participate in this program, all students registered for the class automatically receive access to these materials digitally, on the first day of class. For your convenience, you will be billed for your materials on your MyKU account. For more information, visit our website.

• KU Foundation

  Celebrate Your KU Student’s Experience with a Year-End Gift
  Last month, the Class of 2024 crossed the academic finish line and received their diplomas at commencement. KU graduates are walking into the world prepared and confident – and many would not have had the opportunity to attend college without the support of generous donors. We are grateful to the thousands of individuals who supported scholarships, enrichment, athletics, emergency funds and more. As this fiscal year comes to a close, we ask you to consider making a gift to the KU Annual Fund, Helping Paws Emergency Fund, or an area most meaningful to you. Thank you for leading with generosity and creating a culture of philanthropy at KU. Your support makes a difference.

• Dates to Know

  KU Central Calendar
  A full listing of upcoming events and academic deadlines can be found on KU's central calendar.

  40% Refund Period Ends (SSI)	Thursday, June 6
  Summer I Graduation Application Deadline	Friday, June 7
  First Day No Reduction in Charges Refund (SSI)	Friday, June 7
  60% Refund Period Ends (SS10wk)	Monday, June 10
  50% Refund Period Ends (SS10wk)	Thursday, June 13
  Juneteenth Holiday - University Closed	Wednesday, June 19
  40% Refund Period Ends (SS10wk)	Thursday, June 20
  Grade Rosters Created SSI 2023	Friday, June 21
  First Day No Reduction in Charges Refund (SS10wk)	Friday, June 21
  Deadline to Withdraw "W" from a SSI course	Monday, June 24
  Summer Session I Ends	Friday, June 28
  Residence halls close 6 p.m. for SSI	Friday, June 28
  SSI Grades Due from Faculty by 3 p.m.	Wednesday, July 3
  SSI Grades Available in MyKU by 8 p.m.	Wednesday, July 3
  Independence Day – University Closed	Thursday, July 4
  Final Decision on Cancelling Classes - Summer II 2024	Friday, July 5