http://www.pennfostercollege.edu/
REGIONAL ACCREDITATION, but if you don't want to take GED class or go to night school, this might be an option for you.
Career ProgramsHigh SchoolHigh School Diploma, Program Overview
Program Overview
Other High School options:
High School with
Health Care Concentration
Penn Foster also offers a Health Care-Focused High School program. Graduates earn their Diploma and study basic health care courses needed to accelerate a career as a Medical Office Assistant, Medical Coding and Billing Administrator, or Medical Transcriptionist.
High School with
Early College Courses
Penn Foster High School with Early College Courses offers students ACE evaluated and recommended college level courses transferable to Penn Foster College.
High School with
Building Technology Concentration
Penn Foster offers a Building Technology Focused High School with elective courses for those interested in a career as a plumber, carpenter, or electrician.
Earn your High School Diploma
at home, at your own pace.
Becoming a High School graduate opens up new opportunities - go to college, start a new career, earn more money. Even if you decide not to go on to college, your High School Diploma can qualify you for new career fields.
Earning your high school diploma at home with Penn Foster is convenient, affordable, and accredited. Since there is no set class schedule, you study when and where it's convenient for you. You work at your own pace. There's no one to rush you or hold you back.
And while you work independently, you're never alone. Expert instructors and support staff - dedicated to helping you complete your coursework – are just a phone call or an email away.
Prepare for your High School Diploma at home with these courses and more:
•Reading Skills, English, and Mathematics
•American and World History
•Biology, Earth Science, and Physical Science
•Career-oriented electives like Auto Repair Technician, Personal Computer Specialist, and more...
•Traditional electives like Chemistry, Spanish, and Music
In as little as nine months for each year of High School you need, you can have your High School Diploma. If you only need a course or two, we offer you the opportunity to take only the courses you need.
Note: You must complete a minimum of 5.5 credits
with Penn Foster to earn our high school diploma.
Don’t Need a Complete Program?
Penn Foster High School offers academic and financial credit for recognized high school courses you have already successfully completed. See the Program Outline for more information.
Respected and Accredited
You'll earn your High School Diploma from Regionally and Nationally Accredited Penn Foster Career School. Penn Foster Career School is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools, the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) and is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.
Career Services Included!
Graduates of the Penn Foster High School Diploma Program can take advantage of Penn Foster Career Services which includes access to information on how to search for and find that great job, tips on interviewing, preparing a cover letter, and we'll even have a Certified Professional Resume Writer help you create your resume.
Home School Requirements
Any student who is of compulsory age must also comply with home school requirements dictated by their school district, or students will be considered truant. You need to check the requirement of your district to ensure the Penn Foster High School program meets the district's home school requirements.
Contact Penn Foster Today.
We'll send you FREE information with absolutely no obligation! Find out more about earning your High School Diploma. Your program includes:
•All the textbooks, lessons, and study guides you need.
•Toll-free instructional support.
•Access to student services by website, phone, and mail.
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Get more information today, contact us or enroll online and you could be working on your first lesson – and toward a new career – in a matter of minutes!
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Support the UNCF
There are 2,500 seniors at our schools who are in good academic standing and who need help to pay off their outstanding balances so they can graduate this spring. After four years of hard work and sacrifice, they are at the doorway to their new lives, but first they must pay off their outstanding costs. These students need your help by the end of March to make sure four years of study lead to that treasured degree.
Please consider supporting our Campaign for Emergency Student Aid (CESA). CESA was established in 2009 to help seniors who run into financial trouble in their final year overcome that last hurdle to graduation. Your support will be a wonderful graduation gift to these deserving seniors.
We are counting down the days to help them and they are waiting to hear from us. Please give generously.
Thanks again for your all your help and all you do, and for believing that "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."®
Sincerely,
Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D.
President & CEO
UNCF - United Negro College Fund
Take 10 seconds to give $10:
1. Pick up your cell phone.
2. Text UNCF to 50555.
3. Press Send.
4. When you receive a text confirming your gift, type in Yes.
You will receive a thank you text for your $10 gift.
You have just helped thousands of students to graduate this spring. You may repeat this process up to three times within each billing cycle of your cell phone bill.
Please consider supporting our Campaign for Emergency Student Aid (CESA). CESA was established in 2009 to help seniors who run into financial trouble in their final year overcome that last hurdle to graduation. Your support will be a wonderful graduation gift to these deserving seniors.
We are counting down the days to help them and they are waiting to hear from us. Please give generously.
Thanks again for your all your help and all you do, and for believing that "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."®
Sincerely,
Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D.
President & CEO
UNCF - United Negro College Fund
Take 10 seconds to give $10:
1. Pick up your cell phone.
2. Text UNCF to 50555.
3. Press Send.
4. When you receive a text confirming your gift, type in Yes.
You will receive a thank you text for your $10 gift.
You have just helped thousands of students to graduate this spring. You may repeat this process up to three times within each billing cycle of your cell phone bill.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Scholarships of High School Seniors
It’s senior year, and your college days are just around the corner. Hopefully, you have begun the college application process, but don’t panic if you haven’t. There is still time, but you’ll have to move quickly. Here are a few steps to remember:
1. Get Recommendations
2. Register For The ACT And/Or SAT (some schools will let you take the exam more than once and accept the highest score)
3. Submit The FAFSA Form
4. Search For Scholarships (if it's a scholarship that requires an essay, have an english teacher look it over before submitting it)
Good recommendations are important, for both college and scholarship applications. Colleges will have your grades, but they will be interested in knowing you personally. To ace this part of the application process, maintain relationships with your teachers, coaches, and volunteer directors. Pick out those who know you best, and ask them for a letter of recommendation. Be sure to give them sufficient time and to thank them when they have finished.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Scholarships.com “You Like Me…You Really Like Me” Facebook Scholarship
The scholarship will go to the Scholarships.com fan that is making the best use of our website’s many resources as determined by comments on our Facebook page. Love our scholarship search? Tell us why! Is our financial aid section really helping you out? Send us an example! Think our college prep section is the best? Give us a shout out! We always love hearing from our users so why not let your voice be heard and potentially earn $1,000 for college in the process.
Starts: February 14th
Ends: March 31st
Number Available: 1
Amount: $1,000 for one first-prize winner; Scholarships.com hats and t-shirts for second- and third-prize winners
Step 1:“Like” Scholarships.com on Facebook.
Step 2: Post on our wall how Scholarships.com is helping you with your scholarship search. Once you do this, you are automatically entered to win a $1,000 scholarship.
Step 3: You may enter as many times as you want but please limit your comments to a reasonable amount per day and don't spam us by posting the same comment 10 times in a row. From there, the Scholarships.com Team will determine which comment best exemplifies what our site is all about and which applicant is using our resources most effectively.
This scholarship competition is offered by Scholarships.com and is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest Information
Eligibility: 12th Graders, College Undergraduates, and Graduate Students
Entry Deadline: September 17, 2011
FIRST PRIZE: $10,000
3 SECOND PRIZES: $2,000
5 THIRD PRIZES: $1,000
25 FINALISTS: $100
50 SEMIFINALISTS: $50
Topics
Select ONE of the following three topics:
What do you think is meant, in Part III of Atlas Shrugged, by the phrase “utopia of greed”?
Why does Francisco D’Anconia, heir to the greatest fortune in the world and a productive genius with boundless ambition,change his course and pose as, of all things, a playboy?
What does the story of Atlas Shrugged have to say about the relative powers of good and evil and the conditions under which one is victorious over the other?.
Judging
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest
The winning applicant will be judged on both style and content. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged. Essay submissions are evaluated in a fair and unbiased four-round judging process. Judges are individually selected by the Ayn Rand Institute based on a demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Ayn Rand’s works. To ensure the anonymity of our participants, essay cover sheets are removed after the first round. Winners’ names are unknown to judges until after essays have been ranked and the contest results finalized. The Ayn Rand Institute checks essays with Ithenticate plagiarism detection software.
Rules
No application is required. The Contest is open to students worldwide, except where void or prohibited by law.
Entrant must be a 12th Grader, College Undergraduate, or Graduate Student. To avoid disqualification, mailed in essays must include a stapled cover sheet with the following information:
your name and address;
your e-mail address (if available);
the name and address of your school;
topic selected (#1, 2 or 3 from list above);
your current grade level; and
(optional) the name of the teacher who assigned the essay, if you are completing it for classroom credit.
Essay must be no fewer than 800 and no more than 1,600 words in length, and double-spaced.
One entry per student. No purchase necessary to win. Essay must be postmarked no later than September 17, 2011, no later than 11:59 PM, Pacific Standard time.The Ayn Rand Institute has the right to provide contest deadline extensions when deemed appropriate.
Essay must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. Essays must not infringe on any third party rights or intellectual property of any person, company, or organization. By submitting an essay to this Contest, the entrant agrees to indemnify the Ayn Rand Institute for any claim, demand, judgment, or other allegation arising from possible violation of someone’s trademark, copyright, or other legally protected interest in any way in the entrant’s essay.
Decisions of the judges are final. Employees of the Ayn Rand Institute, its board of directors and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Past first-place winners are not eligible for this contest.
All entries become the property of the Ayn Rand Institute and will not be returned.
Winners, finalists, semifinalists and all other participants will be notified via e-mail by November 28 2011.
Winners are responsible to provide their mailing addresses and other necessary information under the law in order to receive any prizes. Contest winners agree to allow the Ayn Rand Institute to post their names on any of ARI’s affiliated websites. The winning first place essay may be posted in its entirety on any of these websites with full credit given to the author. Winners will be solely responsible for any federal, state or local taxes.
To Enter
Or mail your essay with stapled cover sheet to:
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest
The Ayn Rand Institute
P.O. Box 57044
Irvine, CA 92619-7044
Please do not submit duplicate essays!
If submitting your essay electronically, you will be sent an email confirming our receipt. If you have not received an e-mail notification within 24 hours, please e-mail info@aynrandnovels.com. If you are submitting by mail, please paperclip a stamped, self-addressed postcard to the your essay and we will return it to you.
To learn more about Atlas Shrugged, go to: http://atlasshrugged.com
Comments or Questions
Comments or questions about the essay contests are welcome. Please write to info@aynrandnovels.com.
Protected by Ithenticate Plagiarism
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
The Fountainhead Essay Contest Information
Eligibility: 11th and 12th Graders
Entry Deadline: April 26, 2011
FIRST PRIZE: $10,000
5 SECOND PRIZES: $2,000
10 THIRD PRIZES: $1,000
45 FINALISTS: $100
175 SEMIFINALISTS: $50
Topics
Select ONE of the following three topics:
After the Stoddard trial, Dominique Francon marries Peter Keating. Given her love for the integrity of Howard Roark's buildings and person, why does she do this? What is she seeking from the marriage? How does her action of marrying Peter relate to her deeper convictions and conflicts?
In dynamiting Cortlandt Homes, Howard Roark breaks the law. What is his moral and philosophical argument for the rectitude of his action?
Choose the scene in The Fountainhead that is most meaningful to you. Analyze that scene in terms of the wider themes in the book.
Judging
Essays will be judged on both style and content. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of The Fountainhead.
Essay submissions are evaluated in a fair and unbiased four-round judging process. Judges are individually selected by the Ayn Rand Institute based on a demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Ayn Rand’s works. To ensure the anonymity of our participants, essay cover sheets are removed after the first round. Winners’ names are unknown to judges until after essays have been ranked and the contest results finalized. The Ayn Rand Institute checks essays with Ithenticate plagiarism detection software.
Rules
No application is required. Contest is open to students worldwide.
Entrant must be in the 11th or 12th grade.
To avoid disqualification, mailed in essays must include a stapled cover sheet with the following information:
your name and address;
your e-mail address (if available);
the name and address of your school;
topic selected (#1, 2 or 3 from list above);
your current grade level; and
(optional) the name of the teacher who assigned the essay, if you are completing it for classroom credit.
Essay must be no fewer than 800 and no more than 1,600 words in length and double-spaced.
One entry per student, please.
Essay must be postmarked no later than April 26, 2011, no later than 11:59 PM, Pacific Standard Time.
The Ayn Rand Institute has the right to provide contest deadline extensions when deemed appropriate.
Essay must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification.
Decisions of the judges are final.
Employees of the Ayn Rand Institute, its board of directors and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Past first-place winners are not eligible for this contest.
All entries become the property of the Ayn Rand Institute and will not be returned.
Winners, finalists, semifinalists and all other participants will be notified via e-mail and/or by mail by July 26, 2011.
Contest winners agree to allow the Ayn Rand Institute to post their names on any of ARI’s affiliated websites. The winning first place essay may be posted in its entirety on any of these websites with full credit given to the author.
Winners will be solely responsible for any federal, state or local taxes.
To Enter
Or mail your essay with stapled cover sheet to:
The Fountainhead Essay Contest
The Ayn Rand Institute
P.O. Box 57044
Irvine, CA 92619-7044
Please do not submit duplicate essays!
If submitting your essay electronically, you will be sent an email confirming our receipt. If you have not received an e-mail notification within 24 hours, please e-mail info@aynrandnovels.com. If you are submitting by mail, please paperclip a stamped, self-addressed postcard to the your essay and we will return it to you.
Comments or Questions
Comments or questions about the essay contests are welcome. Please write to info@aynrandnovels.com.
Protected by Ithenticate Plagiarism Detection Software
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Cavaliers/Majestic Steel Scholarship Program
Presented by Majestic Steel USA
Cavaliers/Majestic Steel Scholarship Program will award four students $2,000.00 scholarships for the manufacturing programs at any one of the three local community colleges (Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College or Lorain Community College). Graduating high school seniors or first year college students already enrolled in the manufacturing programs at anyone of the three community colleges are eligible for the scholarships. Students need to submit a scholarship application, high school transcript (if applicable) and the 2011 FAFSA.
http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/media/2010_11_Majestic_Application.pdf
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Cavaliers/FirstMerit Scholarship Program
Presented by FirstMerit Bank
For the 20th year, the Cavaliers and FirstMerit Bank will award 10 Northeast Ohio high school seniors with $2,000 college scholarships. Graduating seniors must submit a 500-word essay, perform a high level of service in their communities and provide a high school transcript, ACT and/or SAT scores and one letter of recommendation.
http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/media/2010_11_FirstMerit_Application.pdf
1. Get Recommendations
2. Register For The ACT And/Or SAT (some schools will let you take the exam more than once and accept the highest score)
3. Submit The FAFSA Form
4. Search For Scholarships (if it's a scholarship that requires an essay, have an english teacher look it over before submitting it)
Good recommendations are important, for both college and scholarship applications. Colleges will have your grades, but they will be interested in knowing you personally. To ace this part of the application process, maintain relationships with your teachers, coaches, and volunteer directors. Pick out those who know you best, and ask them for a letter of recommendation. Be sure to give them sufficient time and to thank them when they have finished.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Scholarships.com “You Like Me…You Really Like Me” Facebook Scholarship
The scholarship will go to the Scholarships.com fan that is making the best use of our website’s many resources as determined by comments on our Facebook page. Love our scholarship search? Tell us why! Is our financial aid section really helping you out? Send us an example! Think our college prep section is the best? Give us a shout out! We always love hearing from our users so why not let your voice be heard and potentially earn $1,000 for college in the process.
Starts: February 14th
Ends: March 31st
Number Available: 1
Amount: $1,000 for one first-prize winner; Scholarships.com hats and t-shirts for second- and third-prize winners
Step 1:“Like” Scholarships.com on Facebook.
Step 2: Post on our wall how Scholarships.com is helping you with your scholarship search. Once you do this, you are automatically entered to win a $1,000 scholarship.
Step 3: You may enter as many times as you want but please limit your comments to a reasonable amount per day and don't spam us by posting the same comment 10 times in a row. From there, the Scholarships.com Team will determine which comment best exemplifies what our site is all about and which applicant is using our resources most effectively.
This scholarship competition is offered by Scholarships.com and is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest Information
Eligibility: 12th Graders, College Undergraduates, and Graduate Students
Entry Deadline: September 17, 2011
FIRST PRIZE: $10,000
3 SECOND PRIZES: $2,000
5 THIRD PRIZES: $1,000
25 FINALISTS: $100
50 SEMIFINALISTS: $50
Topics
Select ONE of the following three topics:
What do you think is meant, in Part III of Atlas Shrugged, by the phrase “utopia of greed”?
Why does Francisco D’Anconia, heir to the greatest fortune in the world and a productive genius with boundless ambition,change his course and pose as, of all things, a playboy?
What does the story of Atlas Shrugged have to say about the relative powers of good and evil and the conditions under which one is victorious over the other?.
Judging
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest
The winning applicant will be judged on both style and content. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged. Essay submissions are evaluated in a fair and unbiased four-round judging process. Judges are individually selected by the Ayn Rand Institute based on a demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Ayn Rand’s works. To ensure the anonymity of our participants, essay cover sheets are removed after the first round. Winners’ names are unknown to judges until after essays have been ranked and the contest results finalized. The Ayn Rand Institute checks essays with Ithenticate plagiarism detection software.
Rules
No application is required. The Contest is open to students worldwide, except where void or prohibited by law.
Entrant must be a 12th Grader, College Undergraduate, or Graduate Student. To avoid disqualification, mailed in essays must include a stapled cover sheet with the following information:
your name and address;
your e-mail address (if available);
the name and address of your school;
topic selected (#1, 2 or 3 from list above);
your current grade level; and
(optional) the name of the teacher who assigned the essay, if you are completing it for classroom credit.
Essay must be no fewer than 800 and no more than 1,600 words in length, and double-spaced.
One entry per student. No purchase necessary to win. Essay must be postmarked no later than September 17, 2011, no later than 11:59 PM, Pacific Standard time.The Ayn Rand Institute has the right to provide contest deadline extensions when deemed appropriate.
Essay must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. Essays must not infringe on any third party rights or intellectual property of any person, company, or organization. By submitting an essay to this Contest, the entrant agrees to indemnify the Ayn Rand Institute for any claim, demand, judgment, or other allegation arising from possible violation of someone’s trademark, copyright, or other legally protected interest in any way in the entrant’s essay.
Decisions of the judges are final. Employees of the Ayn Rand Institute, its board of directors and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Past first-place winners are not eligible for this contest.
All entries become the property of the Ayn Rand Institute and will not be returned.
Winners, finalists, semifinalists and all other participants will be notified via e-mail by November 28 2011.
Winners are responsible to provide their mailing addresses and other necessary information under the law in order to receive any prizes. Contest winners agree to allow the Ayn Rand Institute to post their names on any of ARI’s affiliated websites. The winning first place essay may be posted in its entirety on any of these websites with full credit given to the author. Winners will be solely responsible for any federal, state or local taxes.
To Enter
Or mail your essay with stapled cover sheet to:
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest
The Ayn Rand Institute
P.O. Box 57044
Irvine, CA 92619-7044
Please do not submit duplicate essays!
If submitting your essay electronically, you will be sent an email confirming our receipt. If you have not received an e-mail notification within 24 hours, please e-mail info@aynrandnovels.com. If you are submitting by mail, please paperclip a stamped, self-addressed postcard to the your essay and we will return it to you.
To learn more about Atlas Shrugged, go to: http://atlasshrugged.com
Comments or Questions
Comments or questions about the essay contests are welcome. Please write to info@aynrandnovels.com.
Protected by Ithenticate Plagiarism
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
The Fountainhead Essay Contest Information
Eligibility: 11th and 12th Graders
Entry Deadline: April 26, 2011
FIRST PRIZE: $10,000
5 SECOND PRIZES: $2,000
10 THIRD PRIZES: $1,000
45 FINALISTS: $100
175 SEMIFINALISTS: $50
Topics
Select ONE of the following three topics:
After the Stoddard trial, Dominique Francon marries Peter Keating. Given her love for the integrity of Howard Roark's buildings and person, why does she do this? What is she seeking from the marriage? How does her action of marrying Peter relate to her deeper convictions and conflicts?
In dynamiting Cortlandt Homes, Howard Roark breaks the law. What is his moral and philosophical argument for the rectitude of his action?
Choose the scene in The Fountainhead that is most meaningful to you. Analyze that scene in terms of the wider themes in the book.
Judging
Essays will be judged on both style and content. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of The Fountainhead.
Essay submissions are evaluated in a fair and unbiased four-round judging process. Judges are individually selected by the Ayn Rand Institute based on a demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Ayn Rand’s works. To ensure the anonymity of our participants, essay cover sheets are removed after the first round. Winners’ names are unknown to judges until after essays have been ranked and the contest results finalized. The Ayn Rand Institute checks essays with Ithenticate plagiarism detection software.
Rules
No application is required. Contest is open to students worldwide.
Entrant must be in the 11th or 12th grade.
To avoid disqualification, mailed in essays must include a stapled cover sheet with the following information:
your name and address;
your e-mail address (if available);
the name and address of your school;
topic selected (#1, 2 or 3 from list above);
your current grade level; and
(optional) the name of the teacher who assigned the essay, if you are completing it for classroom credit.
Essay must be no fewer than 800 and no more than 1,600 words in length and double-spaced.
One entry per student, please.
Essay must be postmarked no later than April 26, 2011, no later than 11:59 PM, Pacific Standard Time.
The Ayn Rand Institute has the right to provide contest deadline extensions when deemed appropriate.
Essay must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification.
Decisions of the judges are final.
Employees of the Ayn Rand Institute, its board of directors and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Past first-place winners are not eligible for this contest.
All entries become the property of the Ayn Rand Institute and will not be returned.
Winners, finalists, semifinalists and all other participants will be notified via e-mail and/or by mail by July 26, 2011.
Contest winners agree to allow the Ayn Rand Institute to post their names on any of ARI’s affiliated websites. The winning first place essay may be posted in its entirety on any of these websites with full credit given to the author.
Winners will be solely responsible for any federal, state or local taxes.
To Enter
Or mail your essay with stapled cover sheet to:
The Fountainhead Essay Contest
The Ayn Rand Institute
P.O. Box 57044
Irvine, CA 92619-7044
Please do not submit duplicate essays!
If submitting your essay electronically, you will be sent an email confirming our receipt. If you have not received an e-mail notification within 24 hours, please e-mail info@aynrandnovels.com. If you are submitting by mail, please paperclip a stamped, self-addressed postcard to the your essay and we will return it to you.
Comments or Questions
Comments or questions about the essay contests are welcome. Please write to info@aynrandnovels.com.
Protected by Ithenticate Plagiarism Detection Software
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Cavaliers/Majestic Steel Scholarship Program
Presented by Majestic Steel USA
Cavaliers/Majestic Steel Scholarship Program will award four students $2,000.00 scholarships for the manufacturing programs at any one of the three local community colleges (Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College or Lorain Community College). Graduating high school seniors or first year college students already enrolled in the manufacturing programs at anyone of the three community colleges are eligible for the scholarships. Students need to submit a scholarship application, high school transcript (if applicable) and the 2011 FAFSA.
http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/media/2010_11_Majestic_Application.pdf
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Cavaliers/FirstMerit Scholarship Program
Presented by FirstMerit Bank
For the 20th year, the Cavaliers and FirstMerit Bank will award 10 Northeast Ohio high school seniors with $2,000 college scholarships. Graduating seniors must submit a 500-word essay, perform a high level of service in their communities and provide a high school transcript, ACT and/or SAT scores and one letter of recommendation.
http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/media/2010_11_FirstMerit_Application.pdf
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A Heavier Load in Ohio
March 22, 2011
A proposal for Ohio’s faculty members to teach more classes has drawn fire -- even though similar plans have been attempted elsewhere successfully.
In his budget address last week, Governor John Kasich unveiled a plan that included a mandate that professors at public institutions teach one additional course every two years. While significant details remain undefined, the plan is meant to apply to all professors while also providing flexibility for administrators and controlling costs, said Connie Wehrkamp, Kasich’s deputy press secretary. She did not specify how much money the plan would save the state.
It would be left to the new chancellor of the University System of Ohio, Jim Petro, and the Board of Regents to work with colleges and universities to figure out the best way to implement the increased load. Wehrkamp noted that current workload levels result in colleges having to hire additional part-time instructors to cover gaps. The result is that universities spend more money to hire adjunct faculty while effectively denying students access to full-time professors, she said. “This change could reduce costs as well as improve students’ academic experiences,” she said in an e-mail.
Faculty members have been wary of (and even hostile to) the idea. David Witt, professor of family and consumer sciences at the University of Akron and past president of the Ohio Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, assailed the plan’s underlying logic and referred to it as “a sequence of non sequiturs.”
Many accused Kasich of hypocrisy. “The governor and others have continuously talked about giving public institutions of higher education more ‘flexibility’ and ‘reliev[ing] them of regulations,' then they try to pass down mandates like this,” said Sara Kaminski, executive director of the Ohio Conference of the AAUP. “It appears that we have a situation on our hands where elected and appointed officials who know very little about the inner workings of higher education are trying to make significant reforms without even consulting the group that the changes primarily affect: professors.”
Tensions between faculty members and the governor and legislature have been especially high since the State Senate passed a bill to strip professors of collective bargaining rights this month (though Kaminski stressed that the AAUP is considering each proposal on its own merits, not opposing it simply because the administration supports the union-killing bill).
Some faculty members expressed concern that Kasich’s teaching load proposal would disproportionately affect junior faculty, who are trying to fulfill teaching, research and service obligations and could find their long-term job security compromised (larger teaching loads might crowd out their research and weaken their bids for tenure). Moreover, faculty members say the elimination of collective bargaining would rob them of their best mechanism to make sure that a plan like Kasich’s would be implemented in the best way possible in each department.
“Having a faculty union is a big help in enforcing faculty development measures,” said Witt. “Without our collective bargaining contract, all that can be swept away as the contract expires.”
It is too soon to tell whether colleges in Ohio would consider lengthening their pre-probationary tenure periods, as some universities and medical schools have done recently. Ohio university and community college officials contacted for this article said they were waiting to see more detail from the governor before rendering an opinion or thinking about changing their policies.
Workloads tend to vary from campus to campus in Ohio, and even from one department to the next. At Miami University, a full teaching load was defined in 2008 as either three courses each semester, or three classes in one semester followed by two the next (both assume a three-credit hour course as the unit of measure). But a resolution reviewed by the University Senate still acknowledges the need for flexibility depending on pedagogical techniques and disciplinary requirements. “Faculty may undertake different mixes of assignments and still be rewarded for helping to fulfill Miami’s mission,” the resolution states, while adding that department chairs, program directors and deans are best equipped to balance faculty and institutional needs. “Faculty time is the university’s most precious resource."
But quantifying how that resource gets allocated, in Ohio and elsewhere, remains a troublesome task. Judging faculty member productivity solely by the number of hours spent directly with students is a common, if flawed, practice -- and can make faculty a tempting target. Linda Chavez, an appointee of President Reagan and a Fox News analyst, recently summed up this strain of conventional wisdom. Citing statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, she described faculty members as overpaid and underworked, spending less than 24 hours per week with students and pulling down close to $80,000.
Those kinds of statistics simply distort the truth, say many professors and others. Several said that face-to-face time with students during class or office hours represents a small piece of what they do. Their jobs might begin with teaching, but often include conducting their own research, advising doctoral or master’s students on their theses, and serving on committees and other duties. Such work cannot neatly be captured on a timesheet, though some institutions, including Kean University, in New Jersey, have tried to make faculty members do so.
Even some in Ohio who have advocated against collective bargaining for faculty have echoed this argument. “As people who are inside higher ed know, professors have different responsibilities,” said Bruce Johnson, president of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, who mentioned community activities and research as other labor-intensive areas of work in which professors are likely to engage. “Getting too focused on classroom hours without understanding the full details is a mistake.”
Johnson, who has said he hatched the legal reasoning that stripped faculty members of their right to collectively bargain, added that he rejected the top-down philosophy embedded in Kasich’s workload proposal. “I don’t think that the legislature or anyone in the governor’s office should be establishing such a specific policy,” he said.
At the same time, proposals to boost the workload of professors are not new. The chancellor of the University System of Maryland, William E. (Brit) Kirwan, garnered kudos nationally for adopting an “Effectiveness and Efficiency Initiative" in 2003 that has led to $130 million in cost reductions, according to the system.
That initiative held down tuition increases, standardized credit requirements for graduation, boosted enrollment and improved academic programs, among other measures. It also streamlined administrative and human resources functions -- which many professors in Ohio would welcome. "Since most of our university presidents seem so keen on gaining additional ‘fiscal flexibility’ at our expense, I would like to see any sort of similar documentation of the substantive contributions made by upper-level university administrators either to our individual universities or to the economic vitality of our state," said Marty Kich, vice president of the AAUP at Wright State University, and a professor of English.
But the Maryland initiative also increased teaching loads by 10 percent -- with the loads measured according to department rather than by individual faculty member, so that different levels of teaching and research could be accommodated. "Even though faculty teaching loads increased 10 percent, faculty largely supported the measure, because it was focused on improving student learning," Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, wrote in Inside Higher Ed in 2007.
That kind of shared purpose has been lacking in Ohio, according to several AAUP representatives. “Part of the problem with the increased teaching load proposal, and other Kasich administration proposals related to higher education, is the fact that faculty have been left out of these discussions completely,” said Kaminski.
“If the governor wants faculty buy-in, he has to be willing to have a conversation with us,” she added. “But the attitude from the beginning has been ‘get on the bus or get run over.’ ”
— Dan Berrett
A proposal for Ohio’s faculty members to teach more classes has drawn fire -- even though similar plans have been attempted elsewhere successfully.
In his budget address last week, Governor John Kasich unveiled a plan that included a mandate that professors at public institutions teach one additional course every two years. While significant details remain undefined, the plan is meant to apply to all professors while also providing flexibility for administrators and controlling costs, said Connie Wehrkamp, Kasich’s deputy press secretary. She did not specify how much money the plan would save the state.
It would be left to the new chancellor of the University System of Ohio, Jim Petro, and the Board of Regents to work with colleges and universities to figure out the best way to implement the increased load. Wehrkamp noted that current workload levels result in colleges having to hire additional part-time instructors to cover gaps. The result is that universities spend more money to hire adjunct faculty while effectively denying students access to full-time professors, she said. “This change could reduce costs as well as improve students’ academic experiences,” she said in an e-mail.
Faculty members have been wary of (and even hostile to) the idea. David Witt, professor of family and consumer sciences at the University of Akron and past president of the Ohio Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, assailed the plan’s underlying logic and referred to it as “a sequence of non sequiturs.”
Many accused Kasich of hypocrisy. “The governor and others have continuously talked about giving public institutions of higher education more ‘flexibility’ and ‘reliev[ing] them of regulations,' then they try to pass down mandates like this,” said Sara Kaminski, executive director of the Ohio Conference of the AAUP. “It appears that we have a situation on our hands where elected and appointed officials who know very little about the inner workings of higher education are trying to make significant reforms without even consulting the group that the changes primarily affect: professors.”
Tensions between faculty members and the governor and legislature have been especially high since the State Senate passed a bill to strip professors of collective bargaining rights this month (though Kaminski stressed that the AAUP is considering each proposal on its own merits, not opposing it simply because the administration supports the union-killing bill).
Some faculty members expressed concern that Kasich’s teaching load proposal would disproportionately affect junior faculty, who are trying to fulfill teaching, research and service obligations and could find their long-term job security compromised (larger teaching loads might crowd out their research and weaken their bids for tenure). Moreover, faculty members say the elimination of collective bargaining would rob them of their best mechanism to make sure that a plan like Kasich’s would be implemented in the best way possible in each department.
“Having a faculty union is a big help in enforcing faculty development measures,” said Witt. “Without our collective bargaining contract, all that can be swept away as the contract expires.”
It is too soon to tell whether colleges in Ohio would consider lengthening their pre-probationary tenure periods, as some universities and medical schools have done recently. Ohio university and community college officials contacted for this article said they were waiting to see more detail from the governor before rendering an opinion or thinking about changing their policies.
Workloads tend to vary from campus to campus in Ohio, and even from one department to the next. At Miami University, a full teaching load was defined in 2008 as either three courses each semester, or three classes in one semester followed by two the next (both assume a three-credit hour course as the unit of measure). But a resolution reviewed by the University Senate still acknowledges the need for flexibility depending on pedagogical techniques and disciplinary requirements. “Faculty may undertake different mixes of assignments and still be rewarded for helping to fulfill Miami’s mission,” the resolution states, while adding that department chairs, program directors and deans are best equipped to balance faculty and institutional needs. “Faculty time is the university’s most precious resource."
But quantifying how that resource gets allocated, in Ohio and elsewhere, remains a troublesome task. Judging faculty member productivity solely by the number of hours spent directly with students is a common, if flawed, practice -- and can make faculty a tempting target. Linda Chavez, an appointee of President Reagan and a Fox News analyst, recently summed up this strain of conventional wisdom. Citing statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, she described faculty members as overpaid and underworked, spending less than 24 hours per week with students and pulling down close to $80,000.
Those kinds of statistics simply distort the truth, say many professors and others. Several said that face-to-face time with students during class or office hours represents a small piece of what they do. Their jobs might begin with teaching, but often include conducting their own research, advising doctoral or master’s students on their theses, and serving on committees and other duties. Such work cannot neatly be captured on a timesheet, though some institutions, including Kean University, in New Jersey, have tried to make faculty members do so.
Even some in Ohio who have advocated against collective bargaining for faculty have echoed this argument. “As people who are inside higher ed know, professors have different responsibilities,” said Bruce Johnson, president of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, who mentioned community activities and research as other labor-intensive areas of work in which professors are likely to engage. “Getting too focused on classroom hours without understanding the full details is a mistake.”
Johnson, who has said he hatched the legal reasoning that stripped faculty members of their right to collectively bargain, added that he rejected the top-down philosophy embedded in Kasich’s workload proposal. “I don’t think that the legislature or anyone in the governor’s office should be establishing such a specific policy,” he said.
At the same time, proposals to boost the workload of professors are not new. The chancellor of the University System of Maryland, William E. (Brit) Kirwan, garnered kudos nationally for adopting an “Effectiveness and Efficiency Initiative" in 2003 that has led to $130 million in cost reductions, according to the system.
That initiative held down tuition increases, standardized credit requirements for graduation, boosted enrollment and improved academic programs, among other measures. It also streamlined administrative and human resources functions -- which many professors in Ohio would welcome. "Since most of our university presidents seem so keen on gaining additional ‘fiscal flexibility’ at our expense, I would like to see any sort of similar documentation of the substantive contributions made by upper-level university administrators either to our individual universities or to the economic vitality of our state," said Marty Kich, vice president of the AAUP at Wright State University, and a professor of English.
But the Maryland initiative also increased teaching loads by 10 percent -- with the loads measured according to department rather than by individual faculty member, so that different levels of teaching and research could be accommodated. "Even though faculty teaching loads increased 10 percent, faculty largely supported the measure, because it was focused on improving student learning," Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, wrote in Inside Higher Ed in 2007.
That kind of shared purpose has been lacking in Ohio, according to several AAUP representatives. “Part of the problem with the increased teaching load proposal, and other Kasich administration proposals related to higher education, is the fact that faculty have been left out of these discussions completely,” said Kaminski.
“If the governor wants faculty buy-in, he has to be willing to have a conversation with us,” she added. “But the attitude from the beginning has been ‘get on the bus or get run over.’ ”
— Dan Berrett
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Higher Ed = Big Busine$$
March 20, 2011
$44-Billion Ought to Buy Some Accountability on Campuses
By Kevin Carey
Left unattended, the Pell Grant program will cost $44-billion next year. You could buy seven aircraft carriers with that much cash.
The Obama administration had to confront that harsh reality when it assembled its budget proposal for the 2012 fiscal year. The Pell program didn't even cross the $20-billion threshold until last year. But Congress made the grants for low-income students more generous just as the economy made a lot more students low-income and sent legions of unemployed workers back to school.
In response, the administration proposed killing a newly created Pell Grant for summer-school students. Along with other changes, that would bring the cost down to a still-record $28-billion. Newly elected Republicans in the House of Representatives, meanwhile, were in a less generous mood, proposing to slash the maximum Pell award by 15 percent—the largest cut in history.
The final disposition of Pell will be one of the most closely watched elements of the Obama vs. Republicans budget showdown. But whatever the short-term outcome, this marks the beginning of a new era of federal financing of higher education.
While the Pell program has had ups and downs since its inception, Congress has provided enough money to keep up with both inflation and a surge of new college students. Yet low-income undergraduates are actually much worse off than equivalent students were 30 years ago. A student without a Pell Grant in 1980 paid less out of pocket to attend a public four-year university than a student with a Pell Grant pays today. That's because between then and now, the cost of higher education has grown far faster than inflation.
As a result, the federal government has gone from bit player to major investor in the educational part of higher education, to the point that it's starting to rival states in the magnitude of support.
Consider that according to the Grapevine Project, Illinois State University's annual survey of state financing of higher education, states will spend $76-billion on higher education this year. Then consider the federal government's $44-billion for Pell, nearly $9-billion for the American Opportunity Tax Credit, plus student-loan interest-rate subsidies, 529-plan subsidies, and billions for the GI Bill, and suddenly the state and federal shares aren't that far apart. And if current state-budget proposals are any indication—Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has proposed cutting his state's allocation for higher education in half—the state-to-federal spending ratio will continue to shrink.
Those numbers have consequences. Lawmakers are predictable people: The bigger the checks they write, the more expansive their ideas about how that money should be spent. When federal subsidies rival state spending, federal lawmakers are going to step into the policy void that state lawmakers are rapidly creating.
This new attitude is most apparent in the continuing "gainful employment" debate surrounding for-profit colleges. The University of Phoenix alone took $1-billion out of the Pell Grant program in 2009, and people noticed. Now the Obama administration wants to take the historic step of making receipt of federal financial aid contingent on colleges' proving that their graduates get sufficient economic value in exchange.
Once the government starts asking such new kinds of questions, it generally doesn't stop asking. And as Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa show in their recent study, Academically Adrift, there are many reasons to question how much value even students at nonprofit colleges receive for their tuition.
Neither party has quite come around to this way of thinking—yet. Republicans continue to favor profit-making enterprises on general principle, while Democrats don't want to admit that simply pouring more money into Pell Grants is like dumping more frankfurters on the plate of four-time world hot-dog-eating champion Joey (Jaws) Chestnut.
Such old ways of thinking can be hard to break. It takes a shock, something un-ignorable. Something like $44-billion.
Fortunately, students could greatly benefit from the inevitable new federal role in higher education. Fractured policy among the 50 states, whose public universities exert outsized influence, has resulted in a kind of nonsystem in which colleges and universities aren't held accountable in any meaningful way for how well they educate their students. As the federal government grows into its role as the public-higher-education-financing body of first resort, it should demand far more transparency about learning results from colleges in exchange.
It should also modernize the Pell program to account for different patterns of student attendance. The summer Pell program was a good, albeit very expensive, idea. Some students move through college faster than the traditional four-year calendar, and some slower. Pell does a poor job of accommodating those differences. The rapid growth of online higher education is rendering the time-based, credit-hour-focused concept of attendance obsolete. Financial aid shouldn't force students to fit into an increasingly archaic mold.
The federal government should also start insisting that institutions that receive public subsidies truly serve the public interest. The hard truth is that the colleges that receive the most Pell money per capita are often those that fail to graduate a large majority of their students—not only because the students are hard to serve, but also because the institutions themselves are mismanaged and mediocre. Colleges that are unwilling or unable to help a reasonable percentage of Pell Grant students earn degrees and learn things worth knowing should be shut out of the program, regardless of their accreditation status or academic reputation.
Such ideas have been heresy in the halls of Congress until recently. But you'd be amazed what you can buy these days with $44-billion and change.
Kevin Carey is policy director of Education Section, an independent think tank in Washington
Thursday, March 17, 2011
BEWARE of Oline GED exams
Truth About GED® Testing Online
From the people who create the GED Tests: GED Testing Service®
The GED Tests cannot be taken online.
If you take a test on the Internet that claims to be the GED Tests, it is not a legitimate program. Some people may find out later that it is an alternative diploma or that it is a diploma mill. Do your research before spending any money, and use the resources below to find out more.
Check Your School or Program for Accreditation
The GED Tests and GED credential have been administered by the Department of Education in each of the 50 U.S. states since 1974.
Accreditation means that an educational program at a school meets certain levels of quality. Each state uses accrediting agencies to review educational programs and determine if the levels are met.
Check your school's accrediting agency and make sure it is on the list of authorized accrediting agencies posted by your state department of education.
Contact Colleges and Employers to Confirm They Will Accept Your Credential
The GED credential is accepted by 98% of colleges and universities and 96% of employers as equivalent to a high school diploma for admissions and hiring.
Call the admissions office of college or university you want to attend and ask if they will accept your credential (certificate or diploma) for admissions. Online programs may test different skills and knowledge than what colleges and universities require.
Contact the employer you want to work for and ask if they will accept your credential (certificate or diploma) for employment.
From the American Council on Education www.acenet.edu
From the people who create the GED Tests: GED Testing Service®
The GED Tests cannot be taken online.
If you take a test on the Internet that claims to be the GED Tests, it is not a legitimate program. Some people may find out later that it is an alternative diploma or that it is a diploma mill. Do your research before spending any money, and use the resources below to find out more.
Check Your School or Program for Accreditation
The GED Tests and GED credential have been administered by the Department of Education in each of the 50 U.S. states since 1974.
Accreditation means that an educational program at a school meets certain levels of quality. Each state uses accrediting agencies to review educational programs and determine if the levels are met.
Check your school's accrediting agency and make sure it is on the list of authorized accrediting agencies posted by your state department of education.
Contact Colleges and Employers to Confirm They Will Accept Your Credential
The GED credential is accepted by 98% of colleges and universities and 96% of employers as equivalent to a high school diploma for admissions and hiring.
Call the admissions office of college or university you want to attend and ask if they will accept your credential (certificate or diploma) for admissions. Online programs may test different skills and knowledge than what colleges and universities require.
Contact the employer you want to work for and ask if they will accept your credential (certificate or diploma) for employment.
From the American Council on Education www.acenet.edu
ADULT STUDENTS
HigherEd Careers
Is the Adult Student the New 'Traditional' Student?
There are many varying definitions of the terms adult learner and non-traditional student. A fact that can be agreed on, however, is that the number of students falling into these categories has been on the rise over the past several years and at most institutions, this demographic outweighs the number of traditional students who enter directly after high school. Are colleges and universities recognizing this change, and what are staff and faculty doing to help adult learners and all students succeed with the increasing pressures of balancing personal and academic lives? In this month's HEC interview, we are fortunate to have Dr. Karen Haley, assistant professor in Adult and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University share her thoughts on the topic of the adult learner.
http://www.higheredjobs.com/HigherEdCareers/interviews.cfm?ID=266
Is the Adult Student the New 'Traditional' Student?
There are many varying definitions of the terms adult learner and non-traditional student. A fact that can be agreed on, however, is that the number of students falling into these categories has been on the rise over the past several years and at most institutions, this demographic outweighs the number of traditional students who enter directly after high school. Are colleges and universities recognizing this change, and what are staff and faculty doing to help adult learners and all students succeed with the increasing pressures of balancing personal and academic lives? In this month's HEC interview, we are fortunate to have Dr. Karen Haley, assistant professor in Adult and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University share her thoughts on the topic of the adult learner.
http://www.higheredjobs.com/HigherEdCareers/interviews.cfm?ID=266
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
PRIVATE SCHOLARSHIPS
If you completed the FAFSA and Pell and loans are not enough, you'll have to put in some work for search for merit-based scholarship. You have to watch the deadlines and you may have to put in some work (like writing an essay) but if you get money for college it's more than worh it.
Here are some links to scholarships for minorities & women
Actuarial Scholarships for Minority Students
Provide scholarships at the undergraduate or graduate level for certain minority students who are interested in pursuing actuarial careers.
www.beanactuary.org/minority/
AICPA Scholarship for Minority Accounting Students
Provides awards to outstanding minority students to encourage their selection of accounting as a major and their ultimate entry into the profession.
www.aicpa.org
Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Scholarship
Created to fill a void in education funding. Its mission is to provide financial support to individuals and organizations engaged in lifelong learning.
www.akaeaf.org
American Political Science Assoc. Minority Fellows Program
Assists minority students in completing their doctorates by concentrating not only on the recruitment of minorities, but also on the retention of these groups within the profession.
www.apsanet.org/section_427.cfm
Caribbean Tourism Organization Scholarship
Provides opportunities for Caribbean nationals to pursue studies in the areas of tourism, hospitality and language training.
www.onecaribbean.org
Development Fund for Black Students in Science/Tech
An endowment fund which provides scholarships to African-American undergraduate students enrolled in scientific or technical fields of study at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
http://dfbsst.dlhjr.com
“Dream Deferred” Essay Contest on Civil Rights
This essay contest takes its title from a 1951 poem by Langston Hughes: What Happens to a Dream Deferred? The poem helped propel the civil rights movement in the United States.
www.hamsaweb.org/essay/
Education is Freedom National Scholarship
Provides college scholarships in the amount of $2,000 to high school seniors that have high GPAs, are active in the community, and have a financial need.
www.educationisfreedom.com
Emma L. Bowen Foundation For Minority Interests In Media
A non-profit organization whose mission is to create career opportunities in the media industry for minority youth through a program that focuses on scholastic achievement, direct work experience and professional development.
www.emmabowenfoundation.com
Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Scholarship
The goal of the enhancement programs is to increase the pool of and opportunities for qualified minority and female candidates in intercollegiate athletics through postgraduate scholarships.
www1.ncaa.org
Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Scholarship Program
Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Award Program is Guardian's annual initiative designed to reward the enterprising spirits of girls ages 12 to 18.
www.guardianlife.com
Go On Girl Book Club Scholarships
$500 scholarship available to women and girls who have a passion for writing. Offers two scholarship including the Unpublished Writer's Award and Aspiring Writers Educational Scholarship.
www.goongirl.org/Events/scholarship
HBCU Study Abroad Scholarships
$2,000 award for a student who attends a black college who's interested in studying in another country through an exchange program.
www.iesabroad.org
Helen T. Carr Fellowship Program
Supports and strengthens Black colleges as a major resource of African-American engineering graduates.
www.asee.org
HIV/AIDS Story Writing Contest
A contest open to all youth between the ages of 14 and 22. Must write a story featuring a character with HIV.
www.hearmeproject.org
Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers
Established by novelist Marita Golden to honor excellence in fiction writing by students of African descent enrolled full time as an undergraduate or graduate student in any college or university in the United States.
www.hurston-wright.org
Jack and Jill of America Foundation Scholarship
This scholarship is for African American high school seniors with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 who will be pursuing a Bachelor's degree at any accredited post-secondary institution in the United States.
www.jackandjillfoundation.org
Jeanette Rankin Foundation Grants For Low-Income Women
A non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for, and awarding scholarships to, low-income women, ages 35 and older.
www.rankinfoundation.org
Luster Products Cosmetology Scholarship
Awards scholarships to cosmetology students and college-bound high school students. Dedicated to providing scholarships and promoting entrepreneurship among the best and brightest African-American college students.
www.lusterproducts.com/scholarships.htm
Mercer’s Diversity Scholarship Program
The purpose of the scholarship is to recognize achievement in scholastics, leadership potential and initiative among minority students.
www.mercerhr.com/diversityscholarship
Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series Business Plan Competition
The award-winning Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series was launched to respond to the needs of adults ages 21 and older seeking to achieve economic empowerment through entrepreneurship.
www.millerurbanentrepreneurs.com
Minority Dental Student Scholarship
Award for minority students who are U.S. citiziens and are interested in pursuing a career as a dentist.
www.ada.org
NAFEO "Writers of Passage" Essay Competition
The Sallie Mae Fund and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) have created the "Writers of Passage" Essay Competition.
www.nafeo.org/wop_2008.php
National Association of Black Accountants Scholarship
Has provided more than $7.1 million in scholarship funds to deserving students preparing to enter various business professions.
www.nabainc.org
National Fellowship of Black College Leaders Scholarship
Strengthens and supports Black student leaders at historically black colleges and universities by fostering and preserving positive relationships through scholarships and mentoring opportunities.
www.nfbcl.org
Nelly's P.I.M.P Scholarship Contest
Scholarship essay contest presented by rapper and Hip-Hop artist Nelly, who owns an energy drink called Pimp Juice.
www.letitloose.com
Paul Zindel First Novel Award
Students must submit an original work of fiction that is between 100 and 240 typewritten pages and is appropriate for an audience of children ages 8 to 12.
www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com
Porter Physiology Fellowships for Minorities
Designed to support the training of talented students entering careers in physiology by providing predoctoral fellowships for underrepresented students.
www.the-aps.org/awards/student.htm
Ron Brown Scholar Program
Administers more than 300 scholarship, fellowship and institutional grants that support students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels.
www.uncf.org
Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship
The scholarships are designed to alleviate the financial burdens associated with higher education, permitting the winners to devote more time both to pursuing their academic goals and advancing their leadership initiatives.
www.thephillipsfoundation.org
Royce Osborn Minority Student Scholarship
The ASRT Education and Research Foundation Royce Osborn Minority Student Scholarship program provides scholarships for academically out-standing, minority students attending an entry-level radiologic sciences program.
www.asrt.org
Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest
Encourages college students and young college professors around the world to study the meaning and significance of economic and personal liberty.
www.independent.org/students/essay
Special Libraries Association Affirmative Action Scholarship
For graduate study in librarianship leading to a master's degree at a recognized school of library or information science.
www.sla.org
Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund
Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund, a program of the Talbots Charitable Foundation, will award $100,000 in scholarships to women determined to finally get that college degree.
www1.talbots.com/about/scholar/
Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund
The premier organization in Black Higher Education that develops and prepares a new generation of leaders by providing resources, opportunities and advocacy to Public Historically Black Colleges & Universities, students and alumni.
www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org
Tri-Delta Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships
The Tri Delta Foundation offers undergraduate and graduate scholarships to collegians and alumnae each year.
www.tridelta.org
William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship For Minorities
Based on academic excellence and need, is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are members of minority groups.
www.apsanet.org/content_11389.cfm
Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship Program
Commitment to the academic success of minority students and to the cultivation and recruitment of qualified minority employees in technical fields.
www.xerox.com
Here are some links to scholarships for minorities & women
Actuarial Scholarships for Minority Students
Provide scholarships at the undergraduate or graduate level for certain minority students who are interested in pursuing actuarial careers.
www.beanactuary.org/minority/
AICPA Scholarship for Minority Accounting Students
Provides awards to outstanding minority students to encourage their selection of accounting as a major and their ultimate entry into the profession.
www.aicpa.org
Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Scholarship
Created to fill a void in education funding. Its mission is to provide financial support to individuals and organizations engaged in lifelong learning.
www.akaeaf.org
American Political Science Assoc. Minority Fellows Program
Assists minority students in completing their doctorates by concentrating not only on the recruitment of minorities, but also on the retention of these groups within the profession.
www.apsanet.org/section_427.cfm
Caribbean Tourism Organization Scholarship
Provides opportunities for Caribbean nationals to pursue studies in the areas of tourism, hospitality and language training.
www.onecaribbean.org
Development Fund for Black Students in Science/Tech
An endowment fund which provides scholarships to African-American undergraduate students enrolled in scientific or technical fields of study at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
http://dfbsst.dlhjr.com
“Dream Deferred” Essay Contest on Civil Rights
This essay contest takes its title from a 1951 poem by Langston Hughes: What Happens to a Dream Deferred? The poem helped propel the civil rights movement in the United States.
www.hamsaweb.org/essay/
Education is Freedom National Scholarship
Provides college scholarships in the amount of $2,000 to high school seniors that have high GPAs, are active in the community, and have a financial need.
www.educationisfreedom.com
Emma L. Bowen Foundation For Minority Interests In Media
A non-profit organization whose mission is to create career opportunities in the media industry for minority youth through a program that focuses on scholastic achievement, direct work experience and professional development.
www.emmabowenfoundation.com
Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Scholarship
The goal of the enhancement programs is to increase the pool of and opportunities for qualified minority and female candidates in intercollegiate athletics through postgraduate scholarships.
www1.ncaa.org
Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Scholarship Program
Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Award Program is Guardian's annual initiative designed to reward the enterprising spirits of girls ages 12 to 18.
www.guardianlife.com
Go On Girl Book Club Scholarships
$500 scholarship available to women and girls who have a passion for writing. Offers two scholarship including the Unpublished Writer's Award and Aspiring Writers Educational Scholarship.
www.goongirl.org/Events/scholarship
HBCU Study Abroad Scholarships
$2,000 award for a student who attends a black college who's interested in studying in another country through an exchange program.
www.iesabroad.org
Helen T. Carr Fellowship Program
Supports and strengthens Black colleges as a major resource of African-American engineering graduates.
www.asee.org
HIV/AIDS Story Writing Contest
A contest open to all youth between the ages of 14 and 22. Must write a story featuring a character with HIV.
www.hearmeproject.org
Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers
Established by novelist Marita Golden to honor excellence in fiction writing by students of African descent enrolled full time as an undergraduate or graduate student in any college or university in the United States.
www.hurston-wright.org
Jack and Jill of America Foundation Scholarship
This scholarship is for African American high school seniors with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 who will be pursuing a Bachelor's degree at any accredited post-secondary institution in the United States.
www.jackandjillfoundation.org
Jeanette Rankin Foundation Grants For Low-Income Women
A non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for, and awarding scholarships to, low-income women, ages 35 and older.
www.rankinfoundation.org
Luster Products Cosmetology Scholarship
Awards scholarships to cosmetology students and college-bound high school students. Dedicated to providing scholarships and promoting entrepreneurship among the best and brightest African-American college students.
www.lusterproducts.com/scholarships.htm
Mercer’s Diversity Scholarship Program
The purpose of the scholarship is to recognize achievement in scholastics, leadership potential and initiative among minority students.
www.mercerhr.com/diversityscholarship
Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series Business Plan Competition
The award-winning Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series was launched to respond to the needs of adults ages 21 and older seeking to achieve economic empowerment through entrepreneurship.
www.millerurbanentrepreneurs.com
Minority Dental Student Scholarship
Award for minority students who are U.S. citiziens and are interested in pursuing a career as a dentist.
www.ada.org
NAFEO "Writers of Passage" Essay Competition
The Sallie Mae Fund and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) have created the "Writers of Passage" Essay Competition.
www.nafeo.org/wop_2008.php
National Association of Black Accountants Scholarship
Has provided more than $7.1 million in scholarship funds to deserving students preparing to enter various business professions.
www.nabainc.org
National Fellowship of Black College Leaders Scholarship
Strengthens and supports Black student leaders at historically black colleges and universities by fostering and preserving positive relationships through scholarships and mentoring opportunities.
www.nfbcl.org
Nelly's P.I.M.P Scholarship Contest
Scholarship essay contest presented by rapper and Hip-Hop artist Nelly, who owns an energy drink called Pimp Juice.
www.letitloose.com
Paul Zindel First Novel Award
Students must submit an original work of fiction that is between 100 and 240 typewritten pages and is appropriate for an audience of children ages 8 to 12.
www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com
Porter Physiology Fellowships for Minorities
Designed to support the training of talented students entering careers in physiology by providing predoctoral fellowships for underrepresented students.
www.the-aps.org/awards/student.htm
Ron Brown Scholar Program
Administers more than 300 scholarship, fellowship and institutional grants that support students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels.
www.uncf.org
Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship
The scholarships are designed to alleviate the financial burdens associated with higher education, permitting the winners to devote more time both to pursuing their academic goals and advancing their leadership initiatives.
www.thephillipsfoundation.org
Royce Osborn Minority Student Scholarship
The ASRT Education and Research Foundation Royce Osborn Minority Student Scholarship program provides scholarships for academically out-standing, minority students attending an entry-level radiologic sciences program.
www.asrt.org
Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest
Encourages college students and young college professors around the world to study the meaning and significance of economic and personal liberty.
www.independent.org/students/essay
Special Libraries Association Affirmative Action Scholarship
For graduate study in librarianship leading to a master's degree at a recognized school of library or information science.
www.sla.org
Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund
Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund, a program of the Talbots Charitable Foundation, will award $100,000 in scholarships to women determined to finally get that college degree.
www1.talbots.com/about/scholar/
Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund
The premier organization in Black Higher Education that develops and prepares a new generation of leaders by providing resources, opportunities and advocacy to Public Historically Black Colleges & Universities, students and alumni.
www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org
Tri-Delta Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships
The Tri Delta Foundation offers undergraduate and graduate scholarships to collegians and alumnae each year.
www.tridelta.org
William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship For Minorities
Based on academic excellence and need, is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are members of minority groups.
www.apsanet.org/content_11389.cfm
Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship Program
Commitment to the academic success of minority students and to the cultivation and recruitment of qualified minority employees in technical fields.
www.xerox.com
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Chancellor University maintains its accreditation
Chancellor University maintains its accreditation
By TIMOTHY MAGAW
8:10 pm, March 8, 2011
After months of uncertainty about its future, Chancellor University in Cleveland announced today it has maintained its accreditation.
The Higher Learning Commission in Chicago — the accrediting body for the for-profit institution — issued Chancellor a “show-cause” order in February 2010, which gave the university almost a year to show it's deserving of continued accreditation. The commission questioned whether Chancellor met accreditation criteria related to board governance, finances and assessment of student learning.
Losing accreditation could have been a potential death knell for the institution formerly known as Myers University, which also had struggled financially and nearly closed on previous occasions. Without accreditation, the university's students couldn't receive federal financial aid.
The Higher Learning Commission instituted a review process that gave the school several months to improve its operations and finances. That process culminated in the decision to remove Chancellor from show-cause status.
In a prepared statement, Chancellor president Robert C. Daugherty said that while the past several months "have been challenging, we have never wavered in our focus on adhering to our values to attain our educational goals."
"Our students, faculty and staff remained committed to and supportive of this historic institution through months of long hours and hard work under uncertain and difficult conditions," Mr. Daugherty said.
The prepared statement did not go into any detail about Chancellor's future plans. However, the school previously has disclosed plans to move from its location at East 40th Street and Chester Avenue in Cleveland's Midtown area to a site with more space and parking.
Chancellor officials haven't signaled where they might relocate, but a source told Crain's in August the college was looking at office buildings in the suburbs near highway interchanges — a popular locale among those in the for-profit education sector. Chancellor is leasing its current home from the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority for $17,179 a month through June, according to Brent Leslie, chief financial officer for the port authority.
A key to Chancellor's success is likely its online graduate business program that launched early last year. The highly publicized degree program is driven by former General Electric Co. CEO Jack Welch, who also invested in the for-profit college. The program was announced in June 2009 but was put on hold when Mr. Welch was admitted to the hospital for a rare spine infection.
The degree program has received a significant amount of media coverage, with Mr. Welch last fall awarding a contestant on the NBC reality show “The Apprentice” with a two-year scholarship to the program.
By TIMOTHY MAGAW
8:10 pm, March 8, 2011
After months of uncertainty about its future, Chancellor University in Cleveland announced today it has maintained its accreditation.
The Higher Learning Commission in Chicago — the accrediting body for the for-profit institution — issued Chancellor a “show-cause” order in February 2010, which gave the university almost a year to show it's deserving of continued accreditation. The commission questioned whether Chancellor met accreditation criteria related to board governance, finances and assessment of student learning.
Losing accreditation could have been a potential death knell for the institution formerly known as Myers University, which also had struggled financially and nearly closed on previous occasions. Without accreditation, the university's students couldn't receive federal financial aid.
The Higher Learning Commission instituted a review process that gave the school several months to improve its operations and finances. That process culminated in the decision to remove Chancellor from show-cause status.
In a prepared statement, Chancellor president Robert C. Daugherty said that while the past several months "have been challenging, we have never wavered in our focus on adhering to our values to attain our educational goals."
"Our students, faculty and staff remained committed to and supportive of this historic institution through months of long hours and hard work under uncertain and difficult conditions," Mr. Daugherty said.
The prepared statement did not go into any detail about Chancellor's future plans. However, the school previously has disclosed plans to move from its location at East 40th Street and Chester Avenue in Cleveland's Midtown area to a site with more space and parking.
Chancellor officials haven't signaled where they might relocate, but a source told Crain's in August the college was looking at office buildings in the suburbs near highway interchanges — a popular locale among those in the for-profit education sector. Chancellor is leasing its current home from the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority for $17,179 a month through June, according to Brent Leslie, chief financial officer for the port authority.
A key to Chancellor's success is likely its online graduate business program that launched early last year. The highly publicized degree program is driven by former General Electric Co. CEO Jack Welch, who also invested in the for-profit college. The program was announced in June 2009 but was put on hold when Mr. Welch was admitted to the hospital for a rare spine infection.
The degree program has received a significant amount of media coverage, with Mr. Welch last fall awarding a contestant on the NBC reality show “The Apprentice” with a two-year scholarship to the program.
Linda Bluso to head Baldwin-Wallace College's division of business administration
By TIMOTHY MAGAW
2:28 pm, March 10, 2011
Linda L. Bluso, partner-in-charge for the Cleveland office of Brouse McDowell, will take over as head of Baldwin-Wallace College's division of business administration — one of the largest programs of its kind in the state.
Ms. Bluso starts at Baldwin-Wallace April 1, but will continue to be of counsel with Brouse McDowell. She has served as partner-in-charge in Cleveland for the last five years. Ms Bluso has specialized in corporate counseling, joint ventures, venture capital, construction, mergers and acquisitions and dispute resolution.
“She is the ideal person to build upon the distinctive combination of high-quality instruction and practical application that marks the student experience here and to help expand our institutional engagement with the business community in Northeast Ohio,” said Mary Lou Higgerson, vice president for academic affairs, in a news release.
Baldwin-Wallace has about 650 undergraduate business majors and 500 MBA students.
“I'm looking forward to using the skills of a lawyer in this new setting,” Ms. Bluso said in the release. “And, I am very excited about the upcoming opportunities to make a difference in the lives of students at this fine college and to help them be more fully engaged with the business community."
Jeffrey Heintz, managing partner at Brouse McDowell, said Joseph Dattilo will take over the role of partner-in-charge at the law firm. Mr. Dattilo has been a partner at the firm for more than 10 years.
2:28 pm, March 10, 2011
Linda L. Bluso, partner-in-charge for the Cleveland office of Brouse McDowell, will take over as head of Baldwin-Wallace College's division of business administration — one of the largest programs of its kind in the state.
Ms. Bluso starts at Baldwin-Wallace April 1, but will continue to be of counsel with Brouse McDowell. She has served as partner-in-charge in Cleveland for the last five years. Ms Bluso has specialized in corporate counseling, joint ventures, venture capital, construction, mergers and acquisitions and dispute resolution.
“She is the ideal person to build upon the distinctive combination of high-quality instruction and practical application that marks the student experience here and to help expand our institutional engagement with the business community in Northeast Ohio,” said Mary Lou Higgerson, vice president for academic affairs, in a news release.
Baldwin-Wallace has about 650 undergraduate business majors and 500 MBA students.
“I'm looking forward to using the skills of a lawyer in this new setting,” Ms. Bluso said in the release. “And, I am very excited about the upcoming opportunities to make a difference in the lives of students at this fine college and to help them be more fully engaged with the business community."
Jeffrey Heintz, managing partner at Brouse McDowell, said Joseph Dattilo will take over the role of partner-in-charge at the law firm. Mr. Dattilo has been a partner at the firm for more than 10 years.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Obama budget sustains Pell Grants, but cuts perks
WASHINGTON — In a 2012 budget blueprint that administration officials portrayed as austere and Republicans derided as profligate, President Obama kept his promise to privilege spending on education and research — though not without some potential pain for programs important to colleges and students.
By Carolyn Kaster, AP
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, left, President Obama and Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew speak at a Parkville, Md., middle school on Monday.
EnlargeCloseBy Carolyn Kaster, AP
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, left, President Obama and Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew speak at a Parkville, Md., middle school on Monday.
Ads by GoogleTop 2011 Online Grants
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In many of its priorities and emphases, the president's proposed budget for 2012 stood in stark contrast to legislation put forward by House Republicans on Friday to fund the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, which ends in September. While the GOP measure would slash the maximum Pell Grant by $845, end funding for several other student aid programs (as well as the AmeriCorps national service program), and slice billions of dollars from agencies that support academic research, the Obama budget for 2012 keeps those and other programs largely intact.
That doesn't mean, however, that the Obama budget would be pain-free for colleges and students. Given the enormous growth of the Pell Grant Program in the last two years, for instance, the program now faces a $20 billion deficit by the end of 2012, and the administration had to make "tough choices" to sustain the maximum grant at $5,550, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a call with reporters Monday.
The department's 2012 budget calls for ending a three-year experiment that allows students to qualify for two Pell Grants in a calendar year, to allow them to attend college year-round, and for eliminating the subsidy in which the government pays the interest on student loans for graduate students while they are in school. (The subsidy for undergraduate students would remain in place.)
"These are painful cuts, make no mistake about it," Duncan said.
INSIDE HIGHER ED: Spending showdown
NEW LEADER: Rep. Foxx heads subcommittee
Inside Higher Ed
For more breaking news, features and commentary from the world of higher education, visit: insidehighered.com.
Higher education leaders and advocates for students typically howl in protest when political leaders of any party or political persuasion threaten programs dear to them, and they did not hide their disappointment with the president's proposed cuts Monday. "It is regrettable that the administration is proposing to maintain Pell by making cuts to other student aid programs that provide much needed funds to students," said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
for the rest of the story go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-02-15-pell-grants-budget_N.htm#
By Carolyn Kaster, AP
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, left, President Obama and Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew speak at a Parkville, Md., middle school on Monday.
EnlargeCloseBy Carolyn Kaster, AP
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, left, President Obama and Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew speak at a Parkville, Md., middle school on Monday.
Ads by GoogleTop 2011 Online Grants
Grant Funding May Be Available
Go Back To School!
www.ClassesUSA.com
2011 Pell Grants - $5550
Free Step-by-Step Guide to Federal
Grants, Loans, Scholarships & More!
Edu.SearchByDegree.com/PellGrants
Pell Grant
Do You Qualify for a Pell Grant?
Use it for College, Get Free Info!
www.CourseAdvisor.com
In many of its priorities and emphases, the president's proposed budget for 2012 stood in stark contrast to legislation put forward by House Republicans on Friday to fund the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, which ends in September. While the GOP measure would slash the maximum Pell Grant by $845, end funding for several other student aid programs (as well as the AmeriCorps national service program), and slice billions of dollars from agencies that support academic research, the Obama budget for 2012 keeps those and other programs largely intact.
That doesn't mean, however, that the Obama budget would be pain-free for colleges and students. Given the enormous growth of the Pell Grant Program in the last two years, for instance, the program now faces a $20 billion deficit by the end of 2012, and the administration had to make "tough choices" to sustain the maximum grant at $5,550, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a call with reporters Monday.
The department's 2012 budget calls for ending a three-year experiment that allows students to qualify for two Pell Grants in a calendar year, to allow them to attend college year-round, and for eliminating the subsidy in which the government pays the interest on student loans for graduate students while they are in school. (The subsidy for undergraduate students would remain in place.)
"These are painful cuts, make no mistake about it," Duncan said.
INSIDE HIGHER ED: Spending showdown
NEW LEADER: Rep. Foxx heads subcommittee
Inside Higher Ed
For more breaking news, features and commentary from the world of higher education, visit: insidehighered.com.
Higher education leaders and advocates for students typically howl in protest when political leaders of any party or political persuasion threaten programs dear to them, and they did not hide their disappointment with the president's proposed cuts Monday. "It is regrettable that the administration is proposing to maintain Pell by making cuts to other student aid programs that provide much needed funds to students," said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
for the rest of the story go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-02-15-pell-grants-budget_N.htm#
Hiram College receives multiple cash gifts for endowment, building updates
From Crain's Cleveland Business:
By TIMOTHY MAGAW
8:56 am, March 4, 2011
Hiram College announced a slew of gifts to support the private college's athletics programs, student services and research endeavors.
A large portion of the money comes in the form of a $1 million gift from the estate of Jim Nelson, a 1942 Hiram graduate and Cleveland-area businessman, and his wife, Marcella. Most of that money will be funneled to the college's endowment.
Some of the Nelsons' gift, along with $700,000 from the estate of E. Bruce Chaney, a food services entrepreneur, and his wife, Virginia, will support the renovation of locker room facilities in the college's gymnasium as well as the installation of artificial turf at the football stadium.
Former Hiram trustee Charles Miller also donated $500,000 through the estate of his parents, Paul C. and Kathryn Miller. That gift will support the renovation of a former dining hall, which will be the new location for the college's student life offices, as well as programs for students returning to school after serving in the military.
Also, a $320,000 grant from the Paul and Maxine Frohring Foundation coupled with $62,512 from the Kent H. Smith Award will go toward staffing and research opportunities at Hiram's James H. Barrow Field Station, which was established in 1960 to allow students to supplement classroom work with hands-on research projects.
Hiram has renovated or built several buildings over the last few years, including a new dining hall, townhouses for students, a residence hall and a recreation and fitness center.
By TIMOTHY MAGAW
8:56 am, March 4, 2011
Hiram College announced a slew of gifts to support the private college's athletics programs, student services and research endeavors.
A large portion of the money comes in the form of a $1 million gift from the estate of Jim Nelson, a 1942 Hiram graduate and Cleveland-area businessman, and his wife, Marcella. Most of that money will be funneled to the college's endowment.
Some of the Nelsons' gift, along with $700,000 from the estate of E. Bruce Chaney, a food services entrepreneur, and his wife, Virginia, will support the renovation of locker room facilities in the college's gymnasium as well as the installation of artificial turf at the football stadium.
Former Hiram trustee Charles Miller also donated $500,000 through the estate of his parents, Paul C. and Kathryn Miller. That gift will support the renovation of a former dining hall, which will be the new location for the college's student life offices, as well as programs for students returning to school after serving in the military.
Also, a $320,000 grant from the Paul and Maxine Frohring Foundation coupled with $62,512 from the Kent H. Smith Award will go toward staffing and research opportunities at Hiram's James H. Barrow Field Station, which was established in 1960 to allow students to supplement classroom work with hands-on research projects.
Hiram has renovated or built several buildings over the last few years, including a new dining hall, townhouses for students, a residence hall and a recreation and fitness center.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Bad news for 'For-Profit" schools
For-profit schools will face major challenges this year
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2011/01/30/20110130for-profit-schools-face-major-challenges-this-year0130.html#ixzz1FY0rjg8R
This year will seem like a long, brutal final exam for many for-profit universities and vocational schools.
Several major Phoenix-based companies, such as Apollo Group, parent of University of Phoenix, will face two major tests: tough new government guidelines that will become final this year and the slow recovery of the U.S. economy, which could reduce its pool of prospective students.
The influence of those issues will ripple across the industry in ways that impact the companies, investors and many of the 644,000 students that attend Arizona-based for-profit schools, according to an industry group. Grand Canyon University and University of Phoenix students account for 577,500 of that total.
The for-profit schools are major Arizona employers. Phoenix-based Apollo Group Inc. is the largest education company in the U.S. and is the fourth-largest private employer in the state with 12,460 workers. Grand Canyon Education Inc., which operates Grand Canyon University, has 2,131 Arizona workers, and Universal Technical Institute has 850. Both Grand Canyon and Universal Technical are based in Phoenix.
There are 173 for-profit post-secondary institutions in Arizona, from cosmetology schools to full-service universities, according to industry group Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities.
When the dust settles, over the long term, the surviving schools with diverse degree offerings and established reputations will be stronger institutions that provide better value to investors and students, experts say.
But in the short run, industry watchers say, expect to hear about some company layoffs, schools with falling enrollments, smaller for-profits that merge or close, programs cuts linked to new federal rules and higher tuition as schools try to recover revenue.
"This has been a difficult year for the industry for a lot of reasons, probably the most difficult that I can remember," said Greg Cappelli, co-CEO of the Apollo Group who has been involved in the for-profit industry for 15 years.
"Yes, it has affected enrollment, it has affected the financials of companies and universities in this space. But I think that a lot of goodwill come out of this as well."
However, for-profit schools continue to be attractive choices because they offer convenience, some students say. Also, for-profits schools often don't have long wait lists for popular programs such as nursing. But those lists are common at community colleges.
Clement Squire, a Grand Canyon University music-education student, was reading fliers at the Phoenix campus' student union this week. He's not worried about the new federal rules or the bleak financial news that he's read about.
"That just a fact of business," said Squire, 31, who has also taken classes at University of Phoenix. He likes the class sizes, "which are a lot smaller. It makes it easier for adults who have been out of school for a while."
Debt vs. salary
The U.S. Department of Education is tightening rules for for-profit schools in two key areas: "gainful employment" and the pay of admission counselors.
The gainful-employment rule, which is expected to be finalized this spring, will restrict students from using federal financial aid to pay for programs that rack up excessive loan debt but train students for occupations with relatively low entry-level salaries. The rule will go into effect July 1, 2012.
Students use federal loans and grants to pay for most tuition expenses. So if a school's degree program fails the gainful-employment rule, it may essentially force the institution to stop offering it.
"Gainful employment I think is going to be a bigger headline event than anything else for the industry," said Peter Wahlstrom, a senior analyst at Morningstar who follows Apollo Group and other major for-profit education companies. "The economy is probably a distant second."
Career Education Corp., the company that operates the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, shuttered its Pittsburgh location in part because of "regulatory uncertainty," a company spokesman said.
"Le Cordon Bleu has no plans to close any of its other 16 campuses in North America," added March Spencer, a spokesman for Career Education Corp.
Once the gainful-employment rules take hold, the industry could see "a pretty dramatic wave of consolidation" as the better-run schools absorb weaker ones, Wahlstrom said.
While the federal rule is well-intentioned, it could have unforeseen consequences, for-profit-school executives say. Some medical and vocational programs with high equipment costs may not comply with the new rule, they say.
Declining enrollment
This year, the Department of Education will close loopholes that allowed some for-profit schools to pay admission counselors based on how many students they signed up. Already, many schools have changed their compensation rules for admission counselors, but some of those changes have led to lower new-student enrollment.
The University of Phoenix saw new-student enrollment plummet 42 percent during the three months that ended Dec. 30. Grand Canyon University saw its overall enrollment grow in the three months that ended Sept. 30, but missed its enrollment target and lowered its future projections.
Universal Technical Institute has not changed its compensation rules, but plans to by the July 1 deadline, the company's president, Kim McWaters, said in a Nov. 30 earnings call. While overall enrollment rose, new-student starts were 5 percent lower in the third quarter of 2010 compared with the same period a year earlier, and the school expects that trend to continue in 2011.
UTI executives declined to comment for this story, citing the "quiet period" before the company's scheduled quarterly earnings announcement on Thursday.
Improving economy
The improving economy also has affected enrollment as prospective students have found jobs, or better jobs. In the early days of the recession, new students flocked to for-profit schools to get degrees and job training to gain an edge in a cutthroat job market.
Will fewer students coming in, some schools have cut costs by laying off admissions counselors and other administrative staff. Many schools have raised tuition to generate more income.
Apollo shed 700 employees last year, mostly admissions counselors. Career Education Corp. and Kaplan Higher Education, a for-profit education company owned by the Washington Post Co., also announced admissions-counselor cuts.
All three Arizona companies have imposed tuition increases: Grand Canyon raised tuition an average of 3.5 percent for online and professional-studies students, Apollo instituted "selective" tuition increases, and in November UTI raised tuition 4 percent.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2011/01/30/20110130for-profit-schools-face-major-challenges-this-year0130.html#ixzz1FY15U2xs
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2011/01/30/20110130for-profit-schools-face-major-challenges-this-year0130.html#ixzz1FY0rjg8R
This year will seem like a long, brutal final exam for many for-profit universities and vocational schools.
Several major Phoenix-based companies, such as Apollo Group, parent of University of Phoenix, will face two major tests: tough new government guidelines that will become final this year and the slow recovery of the U.S. economy, which could reduce its pool of prospective students.
The influence of those issues will ripple across the industry in ways that impact the companies, investors and many of the 644,000 students that attend Arizona-based for-profit schools, according to an industry group. Grand Canyon University and University of Phoenix students account for 577,500 of that total.
The for-profit schools are major Arizona employers. Phoenix-based Apollo Group Inc. is the largest education company in the U.S. and is the fourth-largest private employer in the state with 12,460 workers. Grand Canyon Education Inc., which operates Grand Canyon University, has 2,131 Arizona workers, and Universal Technical Institute has 850. Both Grand Canyon and Universal Technical are based in Phoenix.
There are 173 for-profit post-secondary institutions in Arizona, from cosmetology schools to full-service universities, according to industry group Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities.
When the dust settles, over the long term, the surviving schools with diverse degree offerings and established reputations will be stronger institutions that provide better value to investors and students, experts say.
But in the short run, industry watchers say, expect to hear about some company layoffs, schools with falling enrollments, smaller for-profits that merge or close, programs cuts linked to new federal rules and higher tuition as schools try to recover revenue.
"This has been a difficult year for the industry for a lot of reasons, probably the most difficult that I can remember," said Greg Cappelli, co-CEO of the Apollo Group who has been involved in the for-profit industry for 15 years.
"Yes, it has affected enrollment, it has affected the financials of companies and universities in this space. But I think that a lot of goodwill come out of this as well."
However, for-profit schools continue to be attractive choices because they offer convenience, some students say. Also, for-profits schools often don't have long wait lists for popular programs such as nursing. But those lists are common at community colleges.
Clement Squire, a Grand Canyon University music-education student, was reading fliers at the Phoenix campus' student union this week. He's not worried about the new federal rules or the bleak financial news that he's read about.
"That just a fact of business," said Squire, 31, who has also taken classes at University of Phoenix. He likes the class sizes, "which are a lot smaller. It makes it easier for adults who have been out of school for a while."
Debt vs. salary
The U.S. Department of Education is tightening rules for for-profit schools in two key areas: "gainful employment" and the pay of admission counselors.
The gainful-employment rule, which is expected to be finalized this spring, will restrict students from using federal financial aid to pay for programs that rack up excessive loan debt but train students for occupations with relatively low entry-level salaries. The rule will go into effect July 1, 2012.
Students use federal loans and grants to pay for most tuition expenses. So if a school's degree program fails the gainful-employment rule, it may essentially force the institution to stop offering it.
"Gainful employment I think is going to be a bigger headline event than anything else for the industry," said Peter Wahlstrom, a senior analyst at Morningstar who follows Apollo Group and other major for-profit education companies. "The economy is probably a distant second."
Career Education Corp., the company that operates the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, shuttered its Pittsburgh location in part because of "regulatory uncertainty," a company spokesman said.
"Le Cordon Bleu has no plans to close any of its other 16 campuses in North America," added March Spencer, a spokesman for Career Education Corp.
Once the gainful-employment rules take hold, the industry could see "a pretty dramatic wave of consolidation" as the better-run schools absorb weaker ones, Wahlstrom said.
While the federal rule is well-intentioned, it could have unforeseen consequences, for-profit-school executives say. Some medical and vocational programs with high equipment costs may not comply with the new rule, they say.
Declining enrollment
This year, the Department of Education will close loopholes that allowed some for-profit schools to pay admission counselors based on how many students they signed up. Already, many schools have changed their compensation rules for admission counselors, but some of those changes have led to lower new-student enrollment.
The University of Phoenix saw new-student enrollment plummet 42 percent during the three months that ended Dec. 30. Grand Canyon University saw its overall enrollment grow in the three months that ended Sept. 30, but missed its enrollment target and lowered its future projections.
Universal Technical Institute has not changed its compensation rules, but plans to by the July 1 deadline, the company's president, Kim McWaters, said in a Nov. 30 earnings call. While overall enrollment rose, new-student starts were 5 percent lower in the third quarter of 2010 compared with the same period a year earlier, and the school expects that trend to continue in 2011.
UTI executives declined to comment for this story, citing the "quiet period" before the company's scheduled quarterly earnings announcement on Thursday.
Improving economy
The improving economy also has affected enrollment as prospective students have found jobs, or better jobs. In the early days of the recession, new students flocked to for-profit schools to get degrees and job training to gain an edge in a cutthroat job market.
Will fewer students coming in, some schools have cut costs by laying off admissions counselors and other administrative staff. Many schools have raised tuition to generate more income.
Apollo shed 700 employees last year, mostly admissions counselors. Career Education Corp. and Kaplan Higher Education, a for-profit education company owned by the Washington Post Co., also announced admissions-counselor cuts.
All three Arizona companies have imposed tuition increases: Grand Canyon raised tuition an average of 3.5 percent for online and professional-studies students, Apollo instituted "selective" tuition increases, and in November UTI raised tuition 4 percent.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2011/01/30/20110130for-profit-schools-face-major-challenges-this-year0130.html#ixzz1FY15U2xs
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