State-supported colleges or universities and state-supported post-high school vocational or technical colleges are authorized to provide assistance for educational expenses, including the payment, reimbursement, or remission of tuition or fees, to its permanent faculty and staff. The assistance authorized by this section is not considered a perquisite of office or employment. Permanent faculty and staff are not entitled to assistance provided in this section for more than four credit hours a semester. The credit hours generated by individuals receiving assistance under this section may not be used in computing the higher education funding formula and may not have an impact on the level of funding an institution receives.