eCornell

Limited Time Tuition Reduction on Human Resources Certificates from Cornell’s ILR School

eCornell has announced tuition savings on four certificate programs in Human Resources until December 9, 2009 making this the perfect time to improve your HR skills. Adding an HR certificate from Cornell’s ILR School will improve your marketability and advance your HR career.

Enroll in one of the following certificate programs and take your first course before December 9, 2009 to take advantage of the following savings:

 

Human Resources Studies – save $500 – now only $5,250

Strategic Human Resources Management – save $300 – now only $3075

Selection and Staffing – save $250 – now only $2,805

Foundations of Employee Relations - save $250 – now only $2,805

*offer valid for new enrollments for pre-paid certificate programs and monthly payment plans only

 

Contact an Enrollment Counselor at info@ecornell.com for more information or to enroll.

eCornell and the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Program

At eCornell we understand and appreciate the sacrifices the spouses and dependents of our brave men and women in uniform make to support those who serve.  Accordingly, we are proud to join the Department of Defense (DoD) in a new financial aid program designed just for military spouses.  We are a participating school in the DoD’s recently established Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program, offering our online certificate programs to eligible participants.

The MyCAA program provides up to $6,000 of financial assistance for military spouses who are pursuing degree programs, licenses, certificates, or credentials leading to employment in Portable Career Fields.  Portable careers are those that are likely to provide job opportunities in most locations where military service members are stationed, and many of eCornell’s 21 certificate programs meet the MyCAA portability requirements.  To be eligible, you must be either the spouse of an active duty member (excluding the U.S. Coast Guard), or the spouse of a federally activated member of the National Guard or Reserve Components.   The MyCAA program uses the Defense Eligibility and Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) to determine if a spouse is eligible.

An Ivy League Credential at Little or No Cost
At eCornell, we know that spouses serve, too.  You and your family pack up and move at a moment’s notice whenever your sponsor receives PCS orders.  You take care of the household when your sponsor deploys or goes TDY.  You are all too familiar with the routine of changing schools, finding affordable housing, and sacrificing your own careers to support your military spouse as you move around the world.  In recognition of this dedication and hardship, eCornell has designed certificate programs to help you enhance your current career field or find a new one.  In partnership with the DoD’s MyCAA program, we stand ready to make your career and education goals an affordable reality.

The Enrollment Counselors at eCornell are eager to assist the spouses of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who may be interested in one of our MyCAA eligible certificate programs.  Since the list of Portable Career Fields is constantly undergoing updates, we recommend you contact us to determine which of our 21 certificate programs have been approved for MyCAA funding.  Our counselors may be reached by phone at 1-866-eCornell or by email at info@ecornell.com.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you use your MyCAA benefits to secure an Ivy League credential at little or no cost to you.  And again, thank you for your support to the men and women who keep us free.

What Costs MyCAA Does and Does Not Cover
The MyCAA program pays for education and training programs, tuition, and licensing/ credentialing fees. This includes the fees for certificate programs. Since eCornell programs do not require any additional books, supplies, or equipment, the MyCAA will cover the entire cost of an eligible certificate program up to the program limits.

How MyCAA Financial Assistance Works
Interested spouses must first establish a MyCAA account, and can do so by visiting the MyCAA website: https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa.  Once a spouse provides profile information, MyCAA will verify DEERS eligibility.  If verified as eligible, a military spouse will be allowed to create a Career and Training Plan and request financial assistance when they are within 90 days of course start dates.  A Career and Training Plan includes the spouse’s Portable Career Field, name of school, and course information (course titles, codes, costs and start/end dates).

Getting Additional Information About MyCAA
There are some excellent sources of additional information about the MyCAA program.  Military OneSource has a detailed, downloadable MyCAA FAQ Guide.  Additionally, Military OneSource Career and Education Consultants can help spouses explore career interests, evaluate school options, and compare programs of study.  Their toll free number is 800-342-9647.

Cornell Launches New Online Graduate Certificate in HR Management

ILR School’s new e-learning program provides nine Cornell credit hours.

eCornell and Cornell’s ILR School are pleased to announce the launch of the Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management. This new online certificate program is the first of its kind by the ILR School offering nine graduate credits towards a Cornell Master of Industrial and Labor Relations or Master of Professional Studies from ILR.

The new program is designed for human resources professionals seeking to develop executive-level HR and management skills. The program can be completed entirely online in as little as nine months. The curriculum can be customized to allow students to tailor their course options to meet individual learning objectives and offer unprecedented access to ILR faculty through an innovative combination of:

• Interactive online HR courses.
• An immersive leadership experience.
• Live and recorded webcasts with expert ILR faculty.
• A Portfolio project in which students apply the coursework directly back into the workplace.

The Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management includes courses written by ILR Dean Harry C. Katz; Samuel B. Bacharach, McKelvey-Grant Professor; Christopher J.  Collins, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Human Resources Studies; Patrick M. Wright; William J. Conaty, GE Professor of Strategic HR; and Ronald L. Seeber, Professor and Associate Dean, ILR School and Cornell University Vice Provost for Land Grant Affairs.

Learn more about the Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management or read the news release announcing the Certificate.

American Council on Education Recommended Credits

The question of college credit comes up for a variety of reasons; some companies require it for tuition reimbursement, some students would like to be able to apply their certificate courses towards a degree program, etc.

Our certificate programs by themselves are not credit-bearing, however, many of them have had recommended credits assigned to them by the  American Council on Education (or ACE). 

ACE is the major coordinating body for higher education institutions providing reliable course equivalency information to facilitate credit award decisions. They evaluated the eCornell programs and assigned credit hour equivancies to fifteen certificates including Human Resources Studies, Supervisory Skills, Executive Leadership, Certificate in Foodservice Management and the Master Certificate in the Essentials of Hospitality Management. 

The programs do need to be completed in entirety.  Single courses do not qualify.

There are over 950 schools in the United States who accept these credit recommendations. For additional details about ACE and the schools who participate in the program, please click here.  If you have further questions, please contact eCornell at enroll@ecornell.com or call 1-866-326-7635.

Is the money I spent on my eCornell coursework tax deductible?

As tax season approaches, and the April 15th deadline creeps upon us, it’s a great time to ask the question, “Is the money I spent on my eCornell coursework tax deductible?”

Well, that is a question your accountant can answer for you - however, if you do your own legwork, you might find some great tips that the IRS has available online to get you on your way.  According to the IRS website there are ways to have your eCornell education work in your favor, tax-wise, and deduct it as a work-related educational expense as an itemized deduction on your 1040.

Again, you should consult with your accountant before claiming your eCornell coursework as a work-related educational deduction, but according to the IRS website you are able to use educational expenses as a deductible work-related educational expense when your eCornell courses are used for (1) education that maintains or improves your job performance or (2) serves the purpose of your employer and is required by the employer or by law to keep your salary, status or job, and (3) the education is not part of a program that will qualify you for a new trade or business.

Most of our students that pay for their eCornell education out of pocket, and are using their studies to enrich their own career, could qualify for a legitimate and significant work-related deduction, and who couldn’t use some extra money nowadays?

Please consult with your accountant before making any tax decisions, or visit the IRS website, or call the IRS TeleTax line at 800-829-4477, topic 513, for more information.

Career Advancement Accounts (CAA)

Career Advancement Accounts (CAA) are available to some military spouses to use for education and training that lead to an industry-recognized credential. 

The Career Advancement Account program was designed to help military spouses acquire skills that are portable and will help them find a job if their family gets transferred to another area for military reasons.

There are specific high growth/ high demand career fields that these accounts have to be used for.  eCornell offers certificate programs in two of these fields; Human Resources and Hospitality.  We have had military spouses enroll in both of these programs over the last year.

The amount for a CAA account is $3,000 for one year.  The accounts may be renewed for one additional year, for a total two-year amount of $6000.

Participating States and Installations are:

California

• Camp Pendleton (Marine Corps)
• Naval Base San Diego Metro (Navy),

Florida

• Eglin AFB (Air Force)
• Hurlburt Field (Air Force)
• NAS Jacksonville (Navy)

Georgia

• Fort Benning (Army)

North Carolina

• Fort Bragg (Army)
• Pope AFB (Air Force)

There are eligibility guidelines that must be followed.  Questions about these guidelines should be direct to the military installation's Family Support Center, Voluntary Education Center, or at a One-Stop Career Center

Online Learning a Time Saver

Hello,

My name is Mary Allen and I am an enrollment Counselor with eCornell.  I am often asked how much time does it take to complete a Cornell University Certificate online.  Most courses are 2 or 4 weeks in length and your average weekly time commitment is around 3-6 hours per week.  Very Manageable.  I have earned 3 certificates from Cornell University online.  I gave up TV in the evenings  (Okay I did not give up my Thursday Night TV)  :-)  and I also did the courses on the weekends.  Some students are even allowed to do the courses at work.  How cool is that?   Depending on the number of courses in a certificate program you can earn a certificate in just a few months time.

For more information contact enroll@ecornell.com or visit our course catalog.

Simple and to the Point

My name is Mary Allen I am an enrollment counselor at eCornell.  Please see below feedback from one of our students.

"I have just completed all of the courses in the HR Studies curriculum. 
It was a fabulous program and the very best online experience I have had to date!
Thank you,"

We welcome all feedback from our students.

For more information contact us at enroll@ecornell.com

Plant-Based Nutrition Courses Now Accepting Enrollments

 
We are pleased to announce that eCornell is now accepting enrollments for the 100% online Plant-Based Nutrition program based on T. Colin Campbell's book, The China Study.

Course titles include Nutrition Fundamentals, Diseases of Affluence, and Diet & Our World. Each of the courses are two weeks long and are approximately 6 hours of learning.  The material/videos largely cover studies published in a variety of scientific journals.  The program was created by Dr. Campbell and features six guest lecturers. 

Each individual course is $295, or enroll in all three for $795.

For more information about this program, please click here or feel free to contact one of our enrollment counselors at enroll@ecornell.com

PHR, SPHR, GPHR Recertification

A student asked me today if our courses qualify for recertifying.  The good news is all of our courses in our HR series can count towards that requirement.  Some (such as those in the Strategic Human Resources Management Certificate) have also been approved to count towards the SPHR and GPHR recertifications.  Most of the courses have been approved for six recertification hours however, you can review the individual course descriptions for specific details. Please click here to see a list of all our HR related courses and certificates.