Dr. Rosemary Kovach Wallace, McMurry-Dyess Air Force Base Program Director
Resident Program Purpose And Administration
Since the fall of 1960, McMurry University has operated an on-base program of classes at Dyess Air Force Base located approximately seven miles from the main campus. The educational program provided for military personnel is designed to assure an opportunity to attend resident college classes conducted by McMurry University at Dyess Air Force Base and on the main campus. The program is suited not only to military members, but also to adult learners and civilian students alike in that subterm courses tend to be offered in the evening and/or in condensed semesters. Online and full semester courses are available through the main campus. Offerings include the academic courses toward completion of the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) associate degree and the general education courses toward the baccalaureate. McMurry professors and instructors (full time and adjunct) comprise the faculty, with each department Chair responsible for assigning faculty and overseeing individual course offerings. The Director works in liaison with the various departments, colleges, and schools of the University to ensure academic standards and procedures are maintained between campus and base. Students are eligible to take course work at either site - main campus or on base, and online. The program is administered by the Director with an office on base and at the main campus.
Admission
Regular admission procedures apply. That is, admission requirements include submission of a completed application form, requested transcripts, and possibly entrance scores. See section on Admissions and Procedures for details. With special permission, a student may take one semester as a non-degree seeking student without providing transcripts of high school or college work. Information for non-degree seeking candidates is available from the Director of the McMurry- Dyess AFB Program in the Education Center on base. If any student desires to enroll in more coursework upon completion of one semester at McMurry, he or she must meet the requirements of regular admission, including the submission of all requested transcripts. Credit for courses taken at McMurry after completion of one semester at McMurry cannot be granted until the required transcripts and/or entrance exam scores are received and processed by the Admission and Registrar offices at McMurry. Military service school courses are evaluated and may be accepted for credit by McMurry University according to the recommendations of the American Council of Education’s Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services (ACE Evaluation Guide), current edition. Anyone in the military services may request an unofficial evaluation of service credits from the Director. The Registrar will determine the applicability of the credit toward a degree program at McMurry University. Credit will be awarded upon successful completion of appropriate CLEP or subject examinations.
Any credits that are to be awarded by evaluation, CLEP, or examination will not be officially recognized by McMurry University until a minimum of 12 semester hours in residence at the main campus or McMurry-Dyess Air Force Base Program have been successfully completed. Requirements for the baccalaureate degree may not be met exclusively by the application of credits earned in this manner.
Academic/Tuition Deployment Policies
McMurry is proud of its over half century partnership with Dyess Air Force Base. Through the years, a scholarship has been awarded to active duty members to assist with the cost of higher education. Military members attending college classes have, as their first priority, military responsibilities. These may include a short tour of duty (TDY), an unplanned deployment, or a transfer/change of station (PCS) before the semester ends. In recognition of this, below are policies which guide the University and the Dyess AFB Education Center when these duties interface with coursework. Military members, as students, are encouraged to identify themselves to the instructors on the first day of class and explain that there may be times that require their absence. This is particularly important if students know in advance of an upcoming military commitment. This gives both the instructor and student the opportunity to “work something out” if possible. Members who need to be out of class for a week or more are encouraged to speak with the instructors to make up the coursework. At times it may be feasible to do assignments in advance.
When a longer TDY or deployment is involved, the preferred choice is to finish the course, if at all possible. The logistics are between the instructor and student, and in some cases, involve the Director of the Program and/or a distant Education Center. Email, faxes, internet connection, mail to a Test Proctor, and the like are ways in which the coursework can be completed. Incomplete grades may be issued with the understanding that the remaining requirements be completed. When it is not feasible to continue or complete the course before departure, the aim is to preserve the grade point average (GPA) and to rectify any monetary issues. Both of these matters can become problematic if proper procedures are not followed.
Established dates for dropping a class for the semester are listed in the current catalog and are followed accordingly. These include the grade assignment of a Withdraw (W), Withdraw Passing (WP), and Withdraw Failing (WF). Also listed in the current catalog are the Withdrawal from the University and Refund Policies which are used as the guideline. A copy of orders, if possible, and/or a memo signed by the First Sergeant or Commanding Officer citing the need for the withdrawal is required along with the correct form (drop or withdrawal) in order to be processed. The Program Director is the first point of contact, being most familiar with the policies. The Registrar is contacted in the absence of the Director. McMurry University is grateful for our military students’ service and is committed to assisting them in their academic endeavors.
Tuition Assistance Program
Tuition for active military personnel enrolled under the Armed Forces Tuition Assistance program will be as published in the Financial Assistance section of this catalog. Each student eligible for and utilizing tuition assistance (TA) from any of the military forces must submit an Air Force form 1227 or its equivalent form with each application for enrollment. TA Funds for eligible recipients are not released until 45 days prior to start date of classes.
Add/Drop Policy:
Adding and dropping classes is allowed until the Official Enrollment Date of each semester at no financial penalty. However, the student must have changes approved by the Military Education Center, the Director of the McMurry - Dyess Program and/or Registrar’s office when using TA. After the Official Enrollment Date of each semester, there will be no refund for any dropped classes while the student is still enrolled in other classes.
Withdrawal Policy:
You must provide your reason for withdrawal to the Director of the McMurry - Dyess Program in writing. A withdrawal is when all classes for the semester are dropped. Billing for TA is processed after the University’s refund period; therefore, students who withdraw within our refund period will be billed according to the current refund schedule.
Return of Tuition Assistance
If you are using TA to pay for your education and withdraw from a class prior to completing 60 percent of the class, the Department of Defense (DoD) requires that McMurry University return any unearned TA funds directly to the Military Service based on how much of the course you completed. You may owe a portion of your tuition to McMurry University and a portion to your Military branch.
If you withdraw, the amount of earned TA funds is calculated from the date of your official withdrawal. Your TA eligibility is determined based on the following formula:
Calendar days completed in the period
Total calendar days in the period = Percent of TA Earned
2021-2022 Official Enrollment Dates
Fall Semester - September 1, 2021
Subterm 1 - August 27, 2021
Subterm 2 - October 22, 2021
Spring Semester - January 27, 2022
Subterm 1 - January 24, 2022
Subterm 2 - March 25, 2022
May Term - May 17, 2022
Summer I - June 8, 2022
Summer II - July 13, 2022
Special Military Rate For Active Duty Members Using tuition Assistance (TA)
See the Financial Assistance section of current catalog.
Attendance Policies
Normal attendance policies apply - please see Class Attendance section of this catalog. Absences should be kept to an absolute minimum. When unavoidable absences occur, particularly when related to military duties, it is the responsibility of the student to arrange for make-up work and communicate circumstances to faculty. The Director should be contacted if there are any difficulties. Faculty are requested to be cooperative and understanding in such situations.
Emergency Deployment - see section on Academic Programs/ Withdrawal process from the University.
Library
The campus Library is available to McMurry-Dyess students. An enrolled student is encouraged to obtain an official university identification card for use in the Library, Academic Enrichment Center (AEC), and for cultural, athletic events, and various other campus facilities, and services.
Blue Streak
The Blue Streak program is designed to assist active duty members to complete the general education courses component of Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) quickly. The five to seven academic general education courses are offered on base in an abbreviated 8 week format each full semester (Fall, Spring). A few classes are offered during the summer sessions. Classes (3 credit hours) which satisfy CCAF General Education requirements include:
By offering the required classes each semester, a student can register at any point and take what is needed to complete the degree. To make the admission process easier students are designated as NON-DEGREE STUDENTS which allows them to take only the above classes. No school transcripts or test scores are required under this category. (Should a student choose to take additional coursework with McMurry University, formal admission procedures apply.)
Tuition Assistance (TA) will cover the tuition of the class. The student is responsible for the cost of the textbooks and supplies. The McMurry-Dyess AFB Program Director administers the program.
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