News
Many media outlets covered the nancial report and quoted President Rolando,
including Bloomberg, the Federal News Network, Federal Times, Givernment Execu-
tive, Press Associates Inc. and Barron’s.
PR
T
he benets available to NALC
members through the Union Plus
program add up to a long list. Did
you know that they include free col-
lege courses?
Union Plus, a non-prot consumer
benets organization created by the
AFL-CIO for members of its constitu-
ent unions, oers college courses in
dozens of study areas at no charge.
Students can even earn an associate
degree.
The Free College program is oered
through Union Plus academic partner
Eastern Gateway Community College
(EGCC). EGCC is an accredited, non-
prot public institution that is part of
the University System of Ohio. Students
enroll in the distance-learning program
and take classes online, so they can
attend no matter where they live. Stu-
dents with previous college credits may
be able to transfer them to EGCC.
Students who apply to EGCC must
have completed high school or a GED
program. Students must apply for
and use available federal student aid
grants—a process the Free College pro-
gram will help them navigate. To cover
any tuition or other costs not covered
by grants, the Free College program
provides a “last dollar” scholarship.
Advising and tutoring services are
available. Students can work at their
own pace and do not have to take a full
course load each term.
The Free College program is avail-
able to NALC members and retirees, as
well as their spouses, children (or step-
children) and grandchildren (or step-
grandchildren), domestic partners
and nancial dependents. Thousands
of union members and their family
members have taken advantage of this
special program, including 95 NALC
members or family members to date.
René Armer of Reno, NV Branch
709 is working toward an accounting
degree through the Union Plus Free
College program. The 22-year NALC
member was about to start at a dif-
ferent college when she heard about
the Free College program at an Oce
of Workers’ Compensation Programs
training session.
“I was going to pay $900 or more a
credit,” she said. “I was ready to pay
and pick classes.”
Instead, she enrolled in the Free
College program. “It was just so easy,
so smooth, the whole process,” Armer
said. “On the way back from the train-
ing, I was signing up for college on my
phone.”
Armer estimates that she saved
$10,000 with the program. With her
associate degree in accounting, Armer
plans to work as a tax accountant aer
she retires from the Postal Service.
The Free College benet program of-
fers several associate degree programs
along with two certicate programs.
The degree programs are:
• Accounting
• Associate of Arts
• Business Management—with op-
tional concentrations in: Advertis-
ing; Cyber Security; Data Science;
Digital and Social Media; Entre-
preneurship; Environmental and
Conservation Studies; Finance;
Hospitality: Food and Beverage
Management or Hotel and Event
Management; Human Resources;
Information Systems/IT Help Desk;
Labor Studies; Marketing; Program-
ming and Development
• Criminal Justice
• Teacher Education (Associate of
Arts)
• Healthcare Administration
• Individualized Study
• Paralegal
• Professional Oce Management
• Social Work
The two certicate programs are
in business management, with an
optional concentration in accounting,
and patient navigation.
For more information and to apply,
go to unionplus.org/freecollege.
The program also oers a low-cost
way to complete a bachelor’s degree
in certain areas of study. The Bachelor
Completion program is a complement
to the Union Plus Free College associ-
ate degree program. When combined
with the free associate degree pro-
gram, the Bachelor Completion pro-
gram means that members can earn a
four-year bachelor’s degree for $9,000
or less.
Eligible students who have an as-
sociate degree or who have earned 60
or more transferable credits can apply
to attend at a highly discounted cost.
Eligible students will receive a grant
that will reduce their out-of-pocket
cost to no more than $4,500 per year
for full-time students (and no more
than $4,000 for students who reside in
Ohio).
During the pandemic, however,
Union Plus is oering the Bachelor
Completion program for free.
For information and to apply for the
Bachelor Completion program, go to
bachelorsdegree.unionplus.org.
PR
Union Plus offers free online college program
20 The Postal Record
October 2020
