Employees of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are now eligible for assistance in earning an online associate's degree from North Dakota University System schools.

Leann Bertsch, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said high employee turnover led to a climate study in the department's division of adult services. The study showed the turnover may not be solely tied to dissatisfaction with wages: employees wanted to feel appreciated and see a career path at the department.

Many entry-level employees at the department do not have college degrees, Bertsch said. A degree could allow them to attain higher or different positions within the department of corrections.

"Our highest turnover rates are within our correctional-officer categories," she said.

The DOCR will pay 100 percent of an employee's first three credits and 65 percent of all remaining credits to earn an associate's degree, which usually takes around 60 credits.

Warren Emmer, director of the division of adult services, said 35 employees, out of the department's nearly 800, have expressed interest in the program so far.

Bertsch said employees will have no contractual obligations to remain at the DOCR after finishing a degree, but she thinks they'll stick around and have a career in the department.

"I really believe they'll see this as our investment in them," she said.

Emmer said each degree is expected to cost the department about $4,500, and the DOCR expects to spend $30,000 to $40,000 on the program through June 30, 2009.

Bertsch said the cost of replacing and training employees in entry level positions can get costly, often nearing the cost of a job's annual salary. The department expects to save money by offering employees an incentive to stay, she said.

"I think we will more than have a return on our investment," Bertsch said.

Bertsch said employees are not constrained to specific fields of study. The department has many areas which may interest people, including corrections, social work, addiction counseling and others.

North Dakota University System Chancellor William Goetz said the employees can decide on a "home school" to earn a degree out of, but they can take classes out of any university system school. He hopes the DOCR program can serve as a pilot for other state agencies.

Bank of North Dakota President Eric Hardmeyer said the bank will assist the employees, as it does other North Dakota students, with finding grants, loans, scholarships or alternative funding.

Hardmeyer said the program illustrates "all that's good in government."

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)