Joe's Talent Search Page

A great Plan!

2007-01-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

Tuition aid proposal floated
Community college students would need good grades and to meet income restrictions.

By Albert Raboteau
381-1663

Most of the state's community college students who transfer to four-year schools don't bother to complete an associate degree, but they may soon have a financial reason to do so.

Virginia lawmakers are considering a proposal to allow community college students who graduate with good grades and meet income restrictions to pay community college tuition rates for almost three years of full-time study at a public four-year school within the state.

Students who transfer to a private, in-state school would get the difference between community college tuition and the average public four-year tuition. Virginia community colleges charge no more than half the average tuition at the state's four-year schools.

Proponents say the Community College Transfer Grant would make college more accessible and help the state deal with an expected 21 percent to 25 percent increase in college enrollment by 2012.

It comes as the number of students entering community colleges with an eye toward transferring for a higher degree is increasing. Higher education officials are looking to make that process smoother.

Glen DuBois, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, said the transfer grant would be the first program of its type in the nation.

He predicted the measure "will create an environment where more Virginia families will go to colleges, which is terribly important."

On Wednesday the legislation was still in committee in Richmond. Supporters say they like its chances because the Senate version is sponsored by majority leader Walter Stosch, R-Henrico County, and the House version by Vince Callahan, R-Fairfax County, who chairs the appropriations committee. Neither sponsor could be reached Wednesday.

The measure, which would require a budget amendment, is projected to cost $3.8 million this fiscal year, increasing to $13.9 million in fiscal 2012. Those projections assume 1,754 students would take advantage in 2007-08, increasing to 4,009 students in 2012-13.

To qualify for the program, students would have to finish their associate degree with at least a 3.0 grade-point average, apply for financial aid, and have a family income of no more than 150 percent of the state median.

"Affluent families would be ineligible, but we're targeting more than just those that are on the lower tier of the socioeconomic ladders," said DuBois, the community college chancellor.

Community college officials, students, and the political organization Virginia 21, which focuses on young voters, have been pushing for the bill.

"We need to get more people into higher education who can't afford it," said Adam Sowder, student vice president at Virginia Western Community College. "A lot of people think they can't go on to any more school because they don't have the money."

James Jacobs, associate director of the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College, said the bill sounded well-meaning but because of its requirement that students get a 3.0 GPA, might not address a larger problem of people entering college but failing to complete any degree.

"My suspicion is the real problem isn't the kids who are very smart, who are going on to [four-year] college anyway," he said.

DuBois disagreed with that criticism.

"I think it rewards effort and performance" and will create "an incentive for our students to step it up and reach harder," he said.

Less than one-third of Virginia community college students who transferred to a four-year school in the state last year had completed an associate degree.

SAT test day info

2007-01-25T05:06:00.000-08:00

From the source itself:

http://www.collegeboard.com/prof/counselors/tests/articles/1.html

Virginia Lawmakers Consider Bill to Encourage Students to Start at 2-Year Colleges

2007-01-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

By JOSH KELLER

In an effort to absorb Virginia's growing college-age population, state legislators are considering a bill that would give students who start out at community colleges a financial bonus after they transfer to a public four-year institution.

The grant program, proposed by two leading lawmakers, would allow qualifying transfer students to pay the same tuition and fees at public four-year institutions that they paid at a community college. Each student who transferred to an in-state private college after graduating from a community college would initially receive a voucher worth about $2,150 a year.

The measure is part of a broader effort to encourage more students to start their college careers at two-year colleges, a shift that lawmakers estimate would help accommodate an expected 20-percent to 25-percent increase in college enrollment in the state over the next six years.

Proponents say the legislation could also help attract low-income students to the state's four-year colleges, which recently increased the amount of their financial aid to needy students and guaranteed spots on some campuses to some community-college graduates with good grades.

In the 2005-6 academic year, only 7.6 percent of undergraduates at the flagship University of Virginia received federal Pell Grants -- the lowest proportion among the nation's elite public colleges, according to a Chronicle analysis. Pell Grants typically are awarded to students from families with incomes of $40,000 or less. A university survey found that more than 60 percent of last year's undergraduates came from families with annual incomes of $100,000 or more.

"A lot of students are self-selecting out because they just don't believe it's going to be affordable," said Yvonne B. Hubbard, director of student financial services at the university. "What this does is allow us to say, 'Here's how you can do it, here's how it's going to work.'"

In fact, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Lansdowne, Va., found that in 2002, only 8 percent of all entering students at the nation's most-elite public universities, including the University of Virginia, had started their college educations at two-year institutions. An even smaller share of community-college transfers who enrolled at top colleges were from low-income households, according to the foundation's research.

Income and Grade Requirements

Higher-education officials in Virginia estimate that 1,700 of the state's students would be eligible for the proposed program in its first year, at a cost of $3.8-million. In order to qualify, students would have to graduate from community college with a 3.0 grade-point average or higher and come from families with incomes of less than 150 percent of a state or local median. Depending on where the applicants live, that would put the maximum qualifying income at $75,000 to $135,000 per year.

A nearly identical measure was approved unanimously last year by the State Senate but died in the House of Delegates after becoming entangled in a debate over funds for transportation. College officials say the increased attention being paid to the issues of affordability and ease of transfer have helped the proposal's chances this time around.

"Politically, the planets are lined up," said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of the Virginia Community College system.

The program would also help the state's 23 community colleges retain students who transfer before finishing an associate degree, he said.

"It creates an incentive to perform well and an incentive to stick it out and graduate," Mr. DuBois said. "Most transfer students now leave before graduation, and they would not be eligible. It gives us some more glue."

Given the exclusivity and expense of the state's major institutions, which include Virginia Tech, and the College of William and Mary, community colleges are an ideal "on ramp" for students who might otherwise bow out of higher education altogether, Mr. DuBois said.

"We have a reality in Virginia where at least in three or four of these public institutions, you have to be graduating at the very top of your high-school class," he said. "Now there's another way to get there, guaranteed."

Mixed Responses From One Scholar

Alicia C. Dowd, an assistant professor of education at the University of Southern California who has studied the transfer patterns of community-college students, said she had mixed feelings about the Virginia proposal. While the attention on transfer students' financial aid is welcome, she said, the bill's specifics suggest that the plan may end up ignoring the needs of many poorer and part-time community-college students.

"If it were more inclusive, I would say I was very excited by this legislation," she said.

For example, the bill's grade-point-average requirement, she said, might discourage students from majoring in difficult but important subjects, like physics. And the bill's current language seems to call for students to transfer to four-year colleges immediately after receiving their two-year associate degrees, a requirement at odds with the schedules of the majority of community-college students, who must also deal with the demands of family and work.

"This could be a really progressive piece of legislation," Ms. Dowd said, "or it could be very typical of what's going on today with various strategies to move dollars from low-income students over to middle-income students."

State Del. Vincent F. Callahan Jr., a Republican who is chairman of the Appropriations Committee, is a sponsor of the bill. He said it would serve both groups of students, providing an affordable safety valve for the large number of college-age students coming in the next few years.

Mr. Callahan said he might consider allowing students to delay enrollment at four-year colleges for six months or a year, but not longer.

"The other problem is the students stay in college five, six years before they graduate instead of the normal four years," the lawmaker said. "We would prefer to have them out in four."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher Education

Most states flunk in college affordability

2006-09-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

(AP) -- A new, independent report on higher education flunks most states when it comes to affordability. It gives better but still mixed grades in other areas, such as college participation and completion rates.

The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education evaluates how well higher education is serving the public -- and leaves little doubt where the system is failing. Forty-three states received "F"s for affordability, up from 36 two years ago. The others got "D"s, except Utah and California, both of which eked out a "C."

The report card uses a range of measurements to give states grades, from "A" to "F," on the performance of their public and private colleges. The affordability grade is based on how much of the average family's income it costs to go to college.

Almost everywhere, that figure is up -- even accounting for financial aid, which has risen, but not as fast as tuition. In Ohio, public four-year colleges cost 42 percent of the average family's paycheck, up from 28 percent in the early 1990s. In New Jersey, costs have risen from 24 percent to 37 percent, and in Oregon from 25 percent to 36 percent.

"It's amazing," said Jack Partridge, a Columbus, Ohio, gas company executive who recently moved four daughters -- a sophomore and freshman triplets -- into their dorms at Miami University of Ohio. In-state tuition plus room and board run about $20,000 this year at the public school.

"I saw those annual increases and had tried to put a little bit away for each of them, but I'm nowhere near going to cover four years," he said.

And that doesn't include the extras.

"All of a sudden I had to buy almost $6,000 worth of computers a while ago, then the books," he said. "I just try to keep a sense of humor about it."
Aid not keeping pace

The report card notes that increases in state and federal aid, though substantial, haven't kept up with demand and prices. The study -- along with a separate report published last week by the Education Trust, a Washington think-tank -- also says colleges aren't doing enough to help the neediest students.

Colleges' own funds, which comprise the largest portion of financial aid, are increasingly being used to lure high-achieving students who boost a school's reputation -- but who don't need help to go to college.

"There's been a sea change in the last decade-and-a-half over how (colleges) spend their money," said National Center president Patrick Callan. "It used to be about giving students opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have. Now it's about giving them money to go to one college instead of another."

The two studies, analyzing the same federal data in slightly different ways, both illustrate the trend.

The report card finds colleges awarded grants to 36 percent of their students from families earning $20,000 per year or less. Those grants averaged $4,700. But wealthier students received comparable attention.

The colleges gave grant aid to 29 percent from families earning $100,000 or more. And those grants were even higher on average: $6,200.

The Education Trust study looked at all students, not just those receiving aid, and found the average student from the wealthiest families gets nearly as much grant aid as the average student from the poorest.

"Educational opportunity, in other words, is taking a back seat to institutional prestige," Education Trust director Kati Haycock said.

The trend undermines colleges' argument that the government should spend more to help low-income students, Callan said.

"It's very difficult for colleges to come into Congress or state legislatures and say, 'We want to spend our money to get our U.S. News ratings up, but you have a responsibility to help poor kids,"' he said.
Higher marks for enrollment, preparation

The report card paints a better, though still mixed, picture of how successful the states are in getting students to enroll in college and then -- just as important -- getting them through with a degree.

Half the states received "A"s or "B"s for student preparation, considering measurements such as math assessment and Advanced Placement scores. Only Louisiana and New Mexico got "F"s. Most states also got "A"s or "B"s in degree completion.

Seventeen states got "A"s for participation. But large racial gaps persist. In Colorado 40 percent of white 18-to-24 year-olds are enrolled, but just 17 percent of nonwhites. In New Jersey, 47 percent of whites that age are in college but just 27 percent of nonwhites.

Partridge, the Ohio parent, said he's concerned about affordability, both as a father and a businessman on the state chamber of commerce.

"We're losing young people. They're going out of state," he said. "I'm concerned and I think the state needs to look at it. I don't know how some families do it."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

Trio funding is important to help this situation

2006-09-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

Report Blames College Practices for Limiting Access of Minority and Low-Income Students
By SAM KEAN

Federal agencies, state governments, and especially institutions of higher education are driving students who are from low-income families or are members of minority groups away from colleges and universities, according to a study released on Thursday that analyzed class mobility and racial matriculation rates in academe. The study concluded that such students not only face greater financial burdens than ever before, but that those who end up at college are "attending in ways far less likely to lead to a degree."

Higher education has become "simply another agent of stratification," says the report, produced by the Education Trust, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, but it did not blame any one group for that outcome. It noted that federal Pell grants have leveled off in recent years and have not kept up with rising tuition costs, and also that state-government aid to low-income students has increased at smaller rates than aid to middle-class and wealthy students.

But the report, "Promise Abandoned: How Policy Choices and Institutional Practices Restrict College Opportunities," also faulted universities and colleges for hindering access to higher education, especially through practices that are often hidden from the public. At a news conference on Thursday, Kati Haycock, director of the Education Trust and author of the report, singled out the two-pronged practice of "enrollment management" as especially troublesome.

One prong of enrollment management is "financial-aid leveraging," which, according to the report, includes both the pursuit of high-achieving students who need little monetary support, and a tactic known as "admit-deny": admitting low-income students, but offering them such small financial-aid packages they cannot reasonably attend a given university or college.

The second prong of enrollment management is "tuition discounting," in which colleges offset the cost of attending by awarding institutional aid to selected students.

Traditionally, the report says, colleges have used tuition discounting to "shield" wealthy and middle-class students from rising tuition rates by offering them more and more aid at the expense of needier students. Because wealth correlates with measures such as high test scores, Ms. Haycock said, this practice allows colleges and universities "to purchase high-school talent that will make them look better in various rankings."

While troublesome, Mr. Haycock said, the phenomenon is not surprising because administrators aren't rewarded for pursuing and educating needier students, but for bringing in high-achieving ones. "You get a lot more bonus points for increasing selectivity," she said.

But representatives for colleges and universities said the report lacks context. "It's easy to say that institutions have walked away, but there are lots of pressures coming to bear on institutions and governing boards," said Melanie E. Corrigan, an associate director for the American Council on Education. "They rightly say there are ways we can restructure policy," but she added that she thought Education Trust was "a little loose" in defining terms. For instance, when determining "merit" awards, Mr. Corrigan said, financial aid offices often include need as one factor.

Ms. Corrigan also used a refrain popular among higher-education administrators -- that low attendance and paltry graduation rates among some groups reflect the poor preparation those students received in high school. And, she said, "the challenges are not just preparation and money." For many needy students, "it's the first time you've ever left your family."

But while the report acknowledges that many high schools are not up to par, it notes that most states have substantially invested in elementary and secondary education in recent years. And Ms. Haycock said the fact that some colleges and universities consistently graduate low-income and minority students proves that it can be done.

Models of Success

In fact, while the report was scathing at some points, it did identify some institutions that showed little or no gap between the graduation rates of student subpopulations. One such institution was the City University of New York's Bernard M. Baruch College, whose provost and vice president for academic affairs, David Dannenbring, also spoke at the news conference on Thursday.

Mr. Dannenbring jokingly said Baruch College is one of the few institutions in the "50/50 club": over half its students are poor enough to receive Pell grants, but over half graduate within six years. He said that Baruch has made concerted efforts not only to reach but retain low-income and minority students by expanding summer offerings to keep them attending year-round, and by offering Saturday and Sunday classes. All the extra classes, he said, "sold out very quickly."

Mr. Dannenbring added that institutions shouldn't focus on finding better-prepared students but on assisting students already in place, for pragmatic reasons if nothing else. "If you only focus on bringing in better-prepared students, it's going to take six years before you see results."

Finally, the report -- which reached as far back as the 1970s for its data but focused largely on changes between 1995 and now -- contained recommendations. Ross Wiener, policy director of the Education Trust, said that, above all, the financial-aid system, for both federal and institutional aid, must be revamped. He even suggested that university presidents' salaries and/or bonuses might be tied to the graduation rates of low-income and minority students.

In addition, he said, "there needs to be a new system of metrics for addressing quality in higher education."

Ms. Corrigan, of the American Council on Education, agreed that "by and large, institutions have been measured by strange incentives, and they respond to those incentives."

In the end, Mr. Wiener said, devoting more money to students who traditionally struggle at college will be to the benefit of everyone. "Its not about charity. It's about allowing those students to contribute to the social and economic well-being of the nation."

Among other findings, the report said that:

The best students in the lowest-income quartile graduate at nearly the same rate (78 percent) as the worst students in the highest-income quartile (77 percent).

While the average institutional-aid package for students from families that make less than $20,000 increased by over 50 percent from 1995 to 2003, the average package for students whose families make more than $100,000 increased by more than 250 percent over the same period.

Certain institutions that attract elite students, like Stanford University, have predictably high graduation rates for students from minority groups and low gaps between the rates for minority and nonminority students. But many small and obscure schools, such as Berea College, Claflin University, and the College of Mount St. Vincent, fare nearly as well.

One study that tracked eighth-graders who were high achievers in math over a 10-year period found that, for those from high-income families, 99 percent attended college, and 74 percent graduated. Among similarly high-achieving students from low-income families, three-quarters attended college, but only 29 percent graduated.

A gap has opened in attendance rates for black, Hispanic, and white students since 1974, when recent high-school graduates from those groups were attending college at the same rate (47 percent). Now, the rate for white students is 69 percent, while the rates for black and Hispanic students are 63 percent and 62 percent, respectively.
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher Education

Public-College Graduates Accrue Almost as Much Student-Loan Debt as Private-College Peers, Report Says

2006-08-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

By STEPHEN BURD

Students who attend public universities and state colleges graduate with nearly as much student-loan debt as those at private colleges on average, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report, "Student Debt and the Class of 2005," is the work of the Project on Student Debt, an effort being led by Robert M. Shireman, a former senior education-policy adviser in the Clinton administration. The project, which is being financed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, is working to develop public-policy proposals to reduce the burden of student debt on those least able to afford it.

The report's authors analyzed data on the average debt levels of college students who graduated in 2005, as reported by more than 1,400 four-year colleges around the country to Peterson's, a publisher of college guidebooks.

The authors found that the average debt for seniors graduating from public colleges ranged from $23,198 in Iowa to $11,067 in Utah; the average debt of those from private colleges ranged from $32,504 in Arizona to $13,309 in Utah.

While in most states the average debt of graduates from public colleges is lower than that of private-college graduates, the reverse is true in seven states: Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The report also found that just because a state college is relatively inexpensive does not mean that its students are not taking on large debt loads. And conversely, just because a private college is costly does not mean its students are assuming unmanageable levels of debt.

In many cases, students from low-income families who attend low-cost institutions have no other option but to take out loans to pay for books, food, rent, and other living expenses. As a result, "a number of campuses with low in-state tuition," of less than $3,500, and high proportions of low-income students report having "average student debt levels of more than $20,000," the report says. Those colleges include Florida A&M University, Grambling State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Texas Southern University.

At the same time, some of the costliest private colleges provide such generous amounts of institutional need-based aid that financially needy students do not need to borrow as much as they otherwise would if they attended lower-priced institutions.

According to the report, more than 30 private colleges "charge more than $20,000 in tuition yet report that the average debt of their graduates is $15,000 or less." Those include Amherst College, Bard College, Colgate University, the Johns Hopkins University, Macalester College, Sarah Lawrence College, Swarthmore College, Tufts University, and Williams College.

Along with the report, the project has posted on its Web site an interactive map that provides statewide averages and campus-by-campus data.

New scholarship provides opportunities for Virginia Community College graduates

2006-08-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

By Jenna Lazenby

BLACKSBURG, VA., August 25, 2006 -- The Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid has launched the new “Virginia Tech-Virginia Community College System Lifeline Scholarship Program.” Native Virginia Community College System (VCCS) students who complete their associates’ degree are now eligible for one of six “Lifeline Scholarships,” a new academic merit award given to graduates with the highest grade point average (GPA).

Recent projections from VCCS suggest that the Commonwealth of Virginia is beginning to see a period of increased demand for post high school educational opportunities and much of that demand will fall to Virginia Community College System. Currently, more than one-half of their associate degree graduates continue on to a four-year institution. The purpose of the Lifeline Scholarship is to provide those students wanting to continue their education with additional incentive to excel in their studies at both the community college and at Virginia Tech.

“As a land-grant institution committed to the Commonwealth, Virginia Tech has created the Lifeline Scholarship to help citizens continue their education and to furnish a ‘lifeline’ for future academic achievement,” said Barry Simmons, director of University Scholarships and Financial Aid at Virginia Tech.

To further help meet Virginia’s post high school educational needs, Virginia Tech will also increase transfer enrollment by nearly Virginia 1,000 students over the next six years as outlined in the restructuring plan.

For each academic year, the Lifeline Scholarship will award one full and five one-half annual tuition and fee scholarships. Beginning with the second year of the program, a total of 12 scholarships will be awarded – six for continuing recipients and six for new recipients named for that year.

Scholarships are for four semesters, and require that the recipient maintain a 3.6 cumulative grade point average. No application will be necessary; The VCCS student who meets all criteria along with the highest GPA will be awarded full tuition and fee scholarship and the next highest five students ranked will be awarded the one-half tuition and fee scholarships. Selected recipients will be notified of the award with their offer of admission by May 1 and will be required to have completed their associate degree prior to enrollment.

Scholarships will be awarded at the rate of one-half the annual amount divided equally between fall and spring semesters. The scholarship requires full time (12 semester hours) study each term, with the four term eligibility spanning four consecutive fall and spring semesters.

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech is the most comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is among the top research universities in the nation. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach activities. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.

I knew it!!!

2006-08-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Despite Bush Administration Efforts to Kill the Program:
Government Study Labels Talent Search Effective

August 22, 2006

Washington, DC - Disadvantaged students participating in the TRIO Talent Search program were significantly more likely to enroll in college than their peers, a U.S. Department of Education-sponsored study has shown.

The just-released report documenting the effectiveness of the Talent Search program in preparing low-income and first-generation students for college is a statistical rebuke to Bush Administration claims that the program is not worth funding. The $144 million Talent Search program was proposed for elimination in the Administration's FY 2006 and FY2007 budgets. Each time, Congress acted to restore the funding.

Talent Search serves more than 385,000 middle and high school students in 470 programs across the country, at an average cost of $375 per student (in 2004). Talent Search students receive counseling, college admissions and financial aid guidance, all designed to improving college access for disadvantaged youth.

The study, prepared by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. (MPR) for the Department's Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, was the second phase of a national evaluation, focusing on three states hosting Talent Search programs - Florida, Indiana and Texas.

The researchers compared high school graduation rates, the college-going rates and the financial aid application levels for students who participated in Talent Search and large groups of similar students in those three states who were not served by Talent Search. In all three measures in all three states, the Talent Search students had stronger track records.

In Texas, for example, the researchers looked at the records of more than 4,000 Talent Search students participating in ten programs. They found that more than 1 of every 2 Talent Search students enrolled in some post-secondary institution, while only 1 in 3 students in the comparison group did so. Put another way, when comparing both college-going groups, the Talent Search students were 54% more likely to enroll in post-secondary education than the other students.

In Florida, where 51% of the Talent Search students enrolled in college but only 37% of the other students did so, when comparing the two groups, the Talent Search students were 38% more likely to go to college.

And in Indiana, where there are an array of other college-going programs and services available to students, there was still a statistically-significant advantage in the Talent Search group - those students were 13% more likely to enroll in postsecondary education.

The Mathematica study looked at levels of financial aid applications because the chances that disadvantaged students will enroll in four-year colleges are considerably higher if they have received information about and encouragement to apply for financial aid. Talent Search students receive that kind of encouragement and assistance as part of the program.

The researchers found that there were substantial differences in financial aid application rates between the two groups. In Texas, the Talent Search students were nearly twice as likely as the comparison students to apply for financial aid. The difference was, again, smallest in Indiana, but even there, the study noted: "the gap represents application levels for financial aid that are one-third higher for Talent Search participants."

"Talent Search is a low-cost program that has a major impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of low-income and first-generation students every year," said Maureen Hoyler, executive vice president of the Council for Opportunity in Education. "The Mathematica evaluation convincingly demonstrates Talent Search's effectiveness and should, by all rights, put to rest any efforts to eliminate this highly-successful program."

The Council is a non-profit advocacy group that supports TRIO programs, helping low-income and prospective first-generation students enter and complete college.

getting a piece of the pie

2006-08-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a database of government benefits you may be eligible for.

Check it out!

http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal

College Groups Say Guidelines for New Federal Grant Programs Are 'Unworkable'

2006-08-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

By STEPHEN BURD

Washington

The nation's leading higher-education associations alerted the U.S. Education Department on Thursday that they believe guidelines it has issued for setting up two new grant programs for academically talented low-income students are "unworkable" and need to be revised.

"Our comments request changes in a small number of high-priority provisions that will directly impact the success or failure" of the new grant programs, David Ward, president of the American Council on Education, wrote in a letter the group sent to the Education Department, on behalf of itself and seven other associations. Two of those groups, plus two others, representing admissions officers and college counselors, also sent in separate letters echoing those concerns.

At issue are interim final regulations that the department released in May detailing how it would put into effect two grant programs that Congress created as part of the $39-billion deficit-reduction package it approved in February (The Chronicle, May 3). The grants will be available to students eligible for Pell Grants and will, for the first time, introduce criteria not based solely on need into the federal programs for undergraduates from low-income families.

Starting this fall, low-income first-time freshmen and financially needy sophomores could receive additional awards of $750 and $1,300, respectively, under the Academic Competitiveness Grant program if they have completed "a rigorous secondary-school program of study" and maintain a 3.0 grade-point average in college.

The other program approved in February would provide additional awards of up to $4,000 a year to Pell Grant-eligible juniors and seniors who major in engineering, mathematics, science, or certain foreign languages. Recipients of those awards -- known as Smart Grants, for the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant program -- also must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average.

In their letters, the college groups complain about the role they are supposed to play in verifying whether first-year students are eligible to receive Academic Competitiveness Grants. Under the Education Department's guidelines, students who believe they are eligible for the grants would notify the agency, which would alert the colleges those applicants planned to attend that the students might qualify for the grants. The colleges would be responsible for verifying the information the students provided (The Chronicle, April 6).

According to Mr. Ward, such a requirement will place a "breathtaking new administrative burden" on colleges, who admit students well before they graduate. "For reasons of timing, most colleges and universities must base their admissions decisions on six -- or sometimes seven -- completed semesters of high school," he writes. Asking colleges "to begin that kind of retrospective, granular analysis on every transcript of every" grant recipient to make sure the students completed rigorous high-school programs "is not feasible and may not even be possible," the letter says.

The American Association of Community Colleges is one of the groups that singed the ACE letter and sent a separate letter of its own. Its president, George R. Boggs, wrote that the requirement to verify the courses a student took in high school will be "especially problematic" for its members.

Many community colleges do not collect high-school transcripts. "Community colleges tend to provide an 'open door' admissions policy, and instead use front-end testing instruments to determine student readiness for particular programs," Mr. Boggs writes.

The groups also complain that the department has made the programs unnecessarily complex by using the definition of "an academic year" from student-aid law to determine a student's eligibility for the awards, rather than simply defining a freshman as a first-year student and a sophomore as a second-year student. Under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, an academic year is 24 credit hours or the equivalent, earned over 30 weeks. By using that definition, the associations state, the department will inadvertently penalize students receiving Academic Competitiveness Grants who are on an accelerated schedule and are taking classes over the summer. Those students will earn too many credits to remain eligible for the grants for the duration of their sophomore year.

"It is baffling that the department would choose to impose so hindering and complicating an interpretation of progression as it has adopted," Dallas Martin, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, wrote in a letter to the department. The group is also among those that signed the ACE letter.

The associations also object to a department requirement that colleges monitor students with Smart Grants to make sure they are taking "the right kinds of courses" to fulfill their majors in one of the required fields. Such a requirement is overly burdensome and unnecessary, the higher-education groups say.

"Any student who has, pursuant to institutional policies, declared a major is, ipso facto, enrolled in course work that satisfies that institution's and that major's requirements," officials of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and the National Association for College Admission Counseling write in their groups' letter.

The following are other complaints that the groups have:

The community-college group says the department has wrongfully made students in certificate programs ineligible for the Academic Competitiveness Grants.

The organizations representing admissions officers complain that the regulations restrict the grants to Pell Grant recipients. They note that the law requires that all students who are eligible for Pell Grants qualify for the awards, even if those students never applied for Pell Grants.

The groups, in general, oppose the requirement that colleges participating in the Pell Grant program must offer the new grants. They do not believe that the institutions should be compelled to participate, particularly when, they say, the department's guidelines are so burdensome.
College lobbyists acknowledge that the department would not be able to make the proposed changes immediately. But they note that the agency is expected to issue new guidelines in November for how the programs will operate in 2007-8 academic year. They say that department officials have told them that once the new guidelines are out, colleges will be given the opportunity to abide by them in the second semester of the current academic year.

Besides ACE, the community-college group, and the financial-aid-officers association, the other groups that signed the council's letter were the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Universities, the Association of Community College Trustees, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher Education

DO SOMETHING SEEKING YOUNG LEADERS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

2006-08-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Do Something is seeking to honor six outstanding leaders age 18 and under and three outstanding leaders age 19 to 25 who have taken action to strengthen their communities in the areas of community building, health, or the environment. Winners in the 18 and under category will receive a $5,000 scholarship and $5,000 community grant. Older winners will receive a $10,000 community grant. Applications are due by October 25, 2006. For more information, and an application, go to http://www.dosomething.org/awards/brick/apply/.

from the NY Times

2006-08-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Guggenheim Study Suggests Arts Education Benefits Literacy Skills

By RANDY KENNEDY
Published: July 27, 2006

In an era of widespread cuts in public-school art programs, the question has become increasingly relevant: does learning about paintings and sculpture help children become better students in other areas?

A study to be released today by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum suggests that it does, citing improvements in a range of literacy skills among students who took part in a program in which the Guggenheim sends artists into schools. The study, now in its second year, interviewed hundreds of New York City third graders, some of whom had participated in the Guggenheim program, called Learning Through Art, and others who did not.

The study found that students in the program performed better in six categories of literacy and critical thinking skills — including thorough description, hypothesizing and reasoning — than did students who were not in the program. The children were assessed as they discussed a passage in a children’s book, Cynthia Kadohata’s “Kira-Kira,” and a painting by Arshile Gorky, “The Artist and His Mother.”

The results of the study, which are to be presented today and tomorrow at a conference at the Guggenheim, are likely to stimulate debate at a time when the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind has led schools to increase class time spent on math and reading significantly, often at the expense of other subjects, including art.

Yet the study also found that the program did not help improve students’ scores on the city’s standardized English language arts test, a result that the study’s creators said they could not fully explain. They suggested that the disparity might be related to the fact that the standardized test is written while the study’s interviews were oral.

“We purposely chose to have students talk to us instead of writing because we thought they would show language skills, not purely reading and writing skills,” said Johanna Jones, a senior associate with Randi Korn and Associates, a museum research company conducting the study over three years with a $640,000 grant from the federal Department of Education.

Ms. Jones said that the study, which graded students’ responses as they talked about the painting and the passage from the book, found essentially the same results during the 2005-6 school year as it did during the 2004-5 school year. “We really held our breath waiting for this year’s results, and they turned out to almost exactly the same — which means that last year’s don’t seem to have been an anomaly,” she said. “That’s a big deal in this world.”

While it is unknown exactly how learning about art helps literacy skills, she said, “the hypothesis is that the use of both talking about art and using inquiry to help students tease apart the meaning of paintings helps them learn how to tease apart the meanings of texts, too. They apply those skills to reading.”

The categories of literacy and critical thinking skills were devised by the research company with the help of a group of advisers from Columbia University, New York University and the city’s Department of Education, among other institutions.

The Guggenheim program, originally called Learning to Read Through the Arts, was created by a museum trustee in 1970, when New York schools were cutting art and music programs. Since it began, it has involved more than 130,000 students in dozens of public schools. The museum dispatches artists who spend one day a week at schools over a 10- or 20-week period helping students and teachers learn about and make art. Groups of students are also taken to the Guggenheim to see exhibitions.

Officials at the Guggenheim said they hoped the study would give ammunition to educators in schools and museums around the country who are seeking more money and classroom time for arts education.

“Basically, this study is a major contribution to the field of art and museum education,” said Kim Kanatani, the Guggenheim’s director of education. “We think it confirms what we as museum education professionals have intuitively known but haven’t ever had the resources to prove.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/books/27gugg.html?ref=education

Summer Fun at VCU for middle school

2006-07-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ms. Seltz for the information!

The VCU Summer Discovery program still has space available in our upcoming sessions beginning July 17 & 24.

VCU Summer Discovery is designed for rising sixth, seventh, and eighth graders who have an interest in the arts, humanities and sciences.

Available classes for week of July 17:
Handbag Design and Construction
Polymer Sculptures
Intermediate Fashion Design Fun
Ceramic Workshop

Available classes for week of July 24:
Mixed Media Fibers
Plaster Casting
Improv for Kids
Metal Jewelry Workshop
Aquatic Ecology

Detailed class descriptions, general program information and registration forms are available on-line at www.vcu.edu/outreach/sd/.

9 alternative ways to pay for college

2006-06-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

By Lucy Lazarony • Bankrate.com

The news on college costs is mighty grim, but there are plenty of creative ways to keep your college dream on track.

Dwindling state and federal aid, lower endowments and drops in fund raising have forced many colleges and universities to raise tuition prices and cut back on financial aid programs.

What's a cash-strapped student to do?

Get real and then get creative.

First off, face facts -- These are trying times for anyone pursuing higher education.

It's time to pull out all the stops. Be flexible. Be determined. Be willing to give the unusual a try.

Here's a roundup of some offbeat and overlooked strategies for pursuing and paying for a college degree.

1. Accelerate your degree
Accelerated classes cram a semester's worth of material into six- or eight-week sessions. The classes, while intense, can really help to move up your graduation date. You land the degree you want at a much lower price.

Tuition in an accelerated degree program at Albert Magnus College in New Haven, Conn., is about half of the cost of its traditional degree program. And many schools offer bachelor's degree programs in three years instead of four.

For students on the physician track, George Washington University in Washington, D.C., offers a seven-year program integrating a bachelor's degree with a medical degree, saving a full year's costs.

At Seton Hall College in Greensburg, Penn., a student can receive a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in elementary art education for the price of a bachelor's degree.

An accelerated degree program is a great option for a student with a clear career goal. If you're ready to work hard, why not put your college education on the fast track?

2. Be a transfer student
Consider the power of credit transfer.

In many cases, credits earned at a less-expensive college or university can be transferred and applied toward a degree from a pricey, elite school. You could earn a prestigious diploma at a fraction of the price.

So why not attend a community college for a couple of years and then transfer to your dream college? It's not as if the fancy diploma you'll hang on your wall will say "transfer student."

Taking the transfer-student route will save you some serious cash. Every credit earned at a low-cost community college could save you hundreds of dollars in tuition. Also, by bunking at your parent's house, you could knock down your room-and-board charges to zero.

"You get some of your core curriculum out of the way for a cheaper price," says David Cooper, who runs the college-bound Web site Wiredscholar at SallieMae.com.

The first step is learning about articulation agreements at your dream university and nearby two-year colleges.

An articulation agreement specifies which community college course credits will be accepted toward a bachelor's degree at the four-year college or university. It also outlines scholarship requirements and specifies what kind of grades a student must achieve to transfer to the four-year school as a junior.

3. Go where you're wanted
Somewhere out there is a college or university that's dying to have you as a student. Find that school, fire off an application and watch the cost of your college education drop.

"Every student is a star at the right college," says Ray Loewe, president of College Money, a Marlton, N.J., financial planning firm specializing in helping parents pay for college.

And star students get deep discounts for their education. A college that really wants you will find the aid and scholarships to keep you.

"Colleges know what they want, and if you fit their criteria, they're willing to pay," Loewe says.

The trick is finding the school that considers you a star.

Peruse college guides. Do your grades and SAT scores match or exceed the average marks of the current student body? Does the college offer the courses you want?

If so, this could be the school that rolls out the red carpet for you.

"Choose a college where you fit in the top 25 to 30 percent of a class," Loewe says. "Obviously, the higher you are the more the school wants you and the better position you're in."
Not sure where to start your college search? Begin by checking out smaller, regional colleges in your area. An excellent but less-known college may be searching for a student just like you.

4. Choose a tuition-free school
Overwhelmed by tuition prices and the prospect of paying massive student loans after you graduate? Why not attend a tuition-free school? You get the college education you want without the hefty price tag. The catch? You may have to work. Some schools require students to work 10 to 15 hours a week on campus and in jobs related to their majors.

Tuition-free colleges include The Cooper Union in New York, N.Y.; Webb Institute in Glen Cove, N.Y.; Berea College in Berea, Ky.; College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo.; and Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Ky.

5. Get a sponsor
Can't quite swing the cost of college? Get a little help from a rich uncle. http://www.myrichuncle.com/index.aspx provides money from private investors to college students who need help with education expenses.

In return, a student agrees to pay a fixed percentage of their gross future income for a fixed period.

"They pay less when they make less," says Raza Khan, managing director of MyRichUncle. "They pay more when they make more."

This is an education investment not a loan, so there's no interest to pay.

For every $1,000 of financial help, a student agrees to pay 10 to 40 basis points of future income. A basis point is one one-hundredth of a percentage point, so someone who receives an education investment of $10,000 might agree to pay anywhere from 1 to 4 percent of future income.

Payment periods are 10 years for graduate students and 15 years for undergraduate students. Payments begin six months after graduation.

Once the payment period ends, a student's obligation ends even if you end up paying back less than you were given.

"We're actually taking a chance on a student," Khan says. "If a student succeeds, we succeed."

6. Lock in tuition
Can't stand the way college tuition keeps shooting up? Consider locking in a single-tuition rate for four years.

The tuition rate you pay as a wet-behind-the-ears freshman is guaranteed until you graduate. No more losing sleep over skyrocketing tuition costs.

Colleges with locked-in tuition programs include Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass.; Baylor University in Waco, Texas; Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, La.; Concordia University in River Forest, Ill.; Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas; Huntington College in Huntington, Ind.; Urbana University in Urbana, Ohio; the University of Charleston in Charleston, W.Va.; and New York's Pace University.

Some schools offer guaranteed-tuition programs for free. Others charge fees. Be sure to check.

7. Never give up on scholarships
You don't have to be a stellar student to land a big scholarship. Unless it's strictly an academic scholarship, your grades don't really matter. As long as your grades make the cutoff, often a 2.75 GPA or higher, you have as good a chance as any applicant of bagging a scholarship.

And there's no reason your scholarship search can't continue through four years of college.

"It's really just beating the bushes," Cooper says.

The Web is a great way to get started. Check out individual college Web sites, and search for scholarship sources on sites such as FastWeb, College Board, Wiredscholar.com and WinScholarships.com. Avoid sites that charge you to search for scholarships.

Don't overlook local sources of scholarships. Community-based awards may be smaller, but they're also easier to win.

"There's millions of dollars of scholarships at the local, community level," Cooper says. "Students should look to organizations such as the Kiwanis Club, YMCA, parents' employers and area businesses."

You can learn about local competitions at the public library and at the guidance office at your local high school.

8. Work off debt with community service
Got your degree? Why not do some good and wipe out a big chunk of education debt at the same time?

Recent college grads can cancel part or all of their federal-education debt by working in public-service jobs -- lower-paying professional jobs that serve low-income communities -- or by volunteering.

Loan-forgiveness programs are available to everyone from teachers to nurses to young doctors and lawyers to Peace Corps volunteers.

Teachers who work in low-income elementary or secondary schools may be able to cancel as much as $5,000 of their federal Stafford loan debt.

The National Health Service Corps offers loan-forgiveness programs to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, midwives, dentists, dental hygienists, psychologists and therapists who work for two years in communities in great need of health professionals.

Similar programs are available to attorneys who pursue public interest careers. About 50 law schools offer loan-forgiveness or loan-repayment assistance programs. The National Association of Public Interest Law has a list of the schools on its Web site. The site also lists state and employer loan-repayment-assistance programs.

Several volunteer organizations also provide assistance with student loan debt.

Peace Corps volunteers who complete a two-year term can wipe out 30 percent of their Perkins loans' balance. Student loan payments may also be deferred while serving in the Peace Corps.

Members of Americorps and Volunteers in Service to America receive educational awards of $4,725 for each year of service. These awards can be applied to student loans or future education expenses.

9. Get a little help from your friends
How's this for a graduation gift idea? Ask family and friends for help with those dreaded student loans.

Register at GradFree.com and friends and family can make direct payments to your student loan account via credit card.

"We've had gifts anywhere from $30 up to a couple of thousand," says Adam Lloyd, founder of GradFree.com.

Any student loan held by a U.S. lender can be paid this way, including consolidation loans.

All loan repayment gifts up to $200 cost $12. All gifts greater than $200 cost $25. If your aunt decides to pay $100 of your student loan, her credit card will be charged $112. If she decides on a $250 gift, she'll be charged $275.

The trick is persuading family and friends to pay your student loan.

"The greatest response has been with the students themselves," Lloyd says. "We've got thousands of students on the database. The parents -- it's a little bit tougher sell."

Anyone with student loans can register for this service. In lieu of birthday and holiday gifts, why not ask for help with heavy student loan payments?

"It gives you a little bit of a breather," Lloyd says.

And if you can find a way to ask for cool, hard cash without ruffling any feathers, why not give it a go? That way your family and friends won't have to pay a hefty fee to the middleman. And you'll be able to write a monstrous check for your next student loan payment.

Loophole Could Increases Eligibility for Financial Aid

2006-06-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

By KARIN FISCHER

Under a little-noticed loophole in a new federal law, money set aside in
college-savings plans will not be counted in determining a dependent
student's eligibility for need-based financial aid if the account is in the
student's name, according to guidance released last week by the U.S.
Department of Education.

The loophole -- created by Congress in February when it passed
deficit-reduction legislation -- is reflected in a proposed revision
of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa, which the
U.S. Department of Education published last Tuesday in the Federal Register.

The Fafsa is the standard application form that the federal government,
state governments, and most colleges use to determine a student's
eligibility for financial aid.

In the draft revision of the Fafsa, instructions direct applicants to report
the value of assets in college-savings plans and other education accounts
owned by their parents. But, the instructions state, "Do not report the value
of these accounts if the student is the owner."

It is unclear how many families the change could affect, said Joseph F. Hurley,
an accountant who tracks the plans for his Web site, Savingforcollege.com.
While New York State does allow parents to act as custodian of a dependent
student's plan, many states do not permit accounts to be opened in a minor's name.

There is also some confusion about whether Congress meant to create the
potential loophole or whether it arose from a legislative drafting error.
"I'm not sure how many people who are rushing out to open plans because
there is some skepticism that's what was intended," Mr. Hurley said. Still,
he added, "on an individual basis, this certainly could be a substantial benefit."

Under previous law, money placed in college-savings plans, even under a
student's name, could shrink a student's financial-aid award, although the
size of the reduction depended on factors such as family income and the
cost of attending a particular institution.

The Education Department is seeking comment on the revised Fafsa through August 7.

Investors have opened about 8.6-million college-savings accounts, with a
total value of more than $89.46-billion, according to the College Savings
Plan Network, the association that represents state-run college-savings
plans. All 50 states and Washington, D.C., now offer the plans.

Weird Science

2006-06-12T05:51:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting some interesting things to help keep your mind working over the summer.
This one struck my eye. It is about physicists who are searching for dimensions outside of the
4 we can perceive.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13070896/

Racing Degrees!!!!

2006-05-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Motorsports Degree Programs More Popular

By ASHLEY M. HEHER AP Business Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Inside Panther Racing's mobile command center at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mike Sheridan reads reams of data
from 75 sensors mounted to the team's race cars.

Read more by pasting the link below into your location bar:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/motorsports/3882599.html

assorted links and info

2006-05-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ms. Walker of Upward Bound for sharing these

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
Lots of information; complete your FAFSA application on-line
www.fafsa.ed.gov

College is Possible
Resources for college planning
www.CollegeIsPossible.org

Managing the Price of College
A handbook that shows how families from various
income groups manage to pay for college
www.ed.gov/pubs/collegecosts/cover.html

Virginia Mentor
Contains academic and career planning information,
as well as financial aid and scholarship searches
www.virginiamentor.org

SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES

FinAid: The Financial Aid Information Page
Contains info on scholarship searches, special
interest groups, financial aid office web pages,
Title IV codes for FAFSA, estimated family contribution
(EFC) calculators, and much more
www.finaid.org

U.S. Dept of Education
Information, resources, links
http://studentaid.ed.gov

Students.gov
Student gateway to the U.S. government planning
and paying for college
www.students.gov/

Sallie Mae On-Line Scholarship Service
Planning and paying for school
scholarships.salliemae.com/

College Board On-Line
Register and prepare for SAT and PSAT on-line.
Learn about college costs and financial aid. Apply
on-line to colleges.
www.collegeboard.com

College Net
College search, scholarship search, on-line college
applications, and more
www.collegenet.com

Scholarship Resource Network Express
Free scholarship search
www.srnexpress.com/index.cfm

Supercollege.com
Scholarship search, college matchmaker,
information for parents
www.supercollege.com/

FastWeb
Includes more than 400,000 scholarships worth more
than $1 billion. Also offers expert advice and how-tos
on admission, financial aid, selecting a major, choosing
a career, and more
www.fastweb.com

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID AT VT

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
Home page with links to specific topics
www.osfa.vt.edu

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
Takes you directly to VTs scholarship info
www.osfa.vt.edu/scholarships.php

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
Downloadable PDF forms
www.osfa.vt.edu/0607_forms.php

Presidential Campus Enrichment Grant Virginia Tech
Awards given in an amount up to $3000
www.osfa.vt.edu/news.php

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INCOMING FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING
STUDENTS
You may check eligibility requirements and apply for these
scholarships on-line:

Hispanic Scholarship Fund - High School Scholarship Program
$1,000 - $2,500 awards
www.hsf.net

Society of Women Engineers Scholarship Program
http://www.swe.org

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Scholarship Awards
www.chci.org/chciyouth/scholarship/scholarship.htm

The Jackie Robinson Foundation Program
http://www.jackierobinson.org/

The Gates Millennium Scholars
www.gmsp.org

Anyone interested in a Law Degree?

2006-05-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2006&itemno=273

Virginia Tech, University of Richmond Law School announce
joint degree program

Blacksburg, Va., May 11, 2006 -- Virginia Tech and the University
of Richmond announced Thursday a new joint degree program that
will enable students to earn both a Bachelor of Science degree and
a law degree in as little as six years’ time, thus eliminating up to two
years from their total time in school.
The program is a partnership between the College of Science at
Virginia Tech and the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond.

See more at the link above

Check it out!!!

2006-05-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

BRING YOUR CHILDREN. TELL A FRIEND...

Pathways to the Future: The Nuts and Bolts of Getting Into College

The United Methodist Women at Asbury United Methodist Church
(540 Stuart Street, Christiansburg) is pleased to host a college
information program for youth in grades 9-12 and their parents.
The event is Saturday, May 20, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Lunch is provided.

Please contact Carol Crawford Smith at
(540) 961-3519 or ccdancer@vt.edu to RSVP,
for questions, or if needing additional information.

50 BestJobs

2006-04-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/top50/index.html

check itout!

Scholarship information

2006-04-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Colleagues,

Please encourage African American students at predominantly White colleges and universities to apply for the 2006 John D. O'Bryant National Merit Scholarship. There are three awards available for 2006 (one 1st place for $1,000 and two 2nd place for $500 each).

Scholarship Application Link: (https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1144785926955). The application deadline is May 19, 2006.

Scholarship Eligibility Criteria: Full-time, Black undergraduates attending predominantly White 2-or 4-year institutions in the U.S.; At least 30 credit hours earned; Cumulative GPA of at least 3.00

The John D. O’Bryant National Think Tank for Black Professionals in Higher Education on Predominantly White Campuses is a non-profit corporation. The organization consists of a broad based coalition of individuals whose primary purpose is the reclamation, critique, and perpetuation of the culture of people of African decent, who work at predominantly white colleges and universities. The John D. O’Bryant Merit Scholarship provides monetary support for undergraduate African American students attending four-year colleges and universities in the United States.

Karen Eley Sanders, Chair
JDOTT National Scholarship Committee

Backdoor to UVa

2006-04-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

U. of Virginia Offers Guarantee of Admission to State's Top Community-College Students
By ANNE K. WALTERS

The University of Virginia announced on Wednesday that it would guarantee admission to all qualified students from the state's community-college system, as part of an effort to make itself more accessible to a wider range of students.

The offer would allow students from the state's 23 community colleges to enroll in the university's College of Arts and Sciences, the college's largest school. The plan is notable because the university is one of the top public institutions in the country, and admission there has become increasingly competitive in recent years.

To qualify for admission under the plan, students must have earned an associate degree from a Virginia community college within two years of applying to the university, and have had a cumulative grade-point average of 3.4 or better while enrolled. Students must also have earned at least a C in every course, and at least a B in introductory English courses. And they must have met the College of Arts and Sciences' competency and area requirements.

The university has previously focused on AccessUVa, a financial-aid program aimed at eliminating debt for students from low-income families and limiting loans for middle-income students, as a way to attract more financially needy students and transfer students from community colleges.

Combined with that program, the offer of guaranteed admission "should attract students who might have thought previously that they could not qualify for admission or that they could not afford the cost of attendance," John T. Casteen III, the university's president, said in a written statement. "Together, these programs remove barriers."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2006 by The Chronicle of Higher Education

transfer officers

2006-03-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

Planning on transferring to a 4 year school from a Community College?

Check with these folks to make sure you are getting the credits you need.

These are the ransfer officers for Virginia's colleges and universities:

http://www.schev.edu/AdminFaculty/VCTOcontact.asp

ATTENTION JUNIORS

2006-03-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

I have SAT fee waivers on a first come first serve basis.

email me or call me to get yours today!!

soda study

2006-03-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

A recent study has implicated the role of soda in the obesity problem in America.

If you drink a lot of soda, or eat a lot of food sweatened by "high fructose corn syrup" (see the label to find out what ingredients are in your drinks and food) then you may be at risk for the health problems these scientists believe these drinks are causing problems.

Here's a link to the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/diet.fitness/03/06/soured.onsoda.ap/index.html

Top Jobs after college

2006-02-28T05:45:00.000-08:00

Jobs after college:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/24/pf/college/class_of_2006

SCHOLARSHIP!!!!!!

2006-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

Duct tape scholarship:

http://www.ducktapeclub.com/contests/prom/default.asp

make a tape prom dress and win big!!!!

Are You Most Likely to Succeed?

2006-02-22T07:54:00.000-08:00

From the Chronicle of Higher Education
A report released by the U.S. Department of Education, found that the rigor of a student's high-school curriculum is the strongest indicator of whether he or she will earn a college degree, regardless of major. The "academic intensity" of students' high-school courses played a larger role than did their grades and standardized test scores, according to the report, "The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College."
• Timing: When students enrolled was more important than where they went to college. Students who had not matriculated by the January after their high-school graduation saw their chances of earning a degree plummet.
• Academic progress: Earning at least 20 credits by the end of the first year of college is a crucial benchmark, the report said. Among students who attended a four-year college and earned fewer credits, only 22 percent went on to earn bachelor's degrees.
• Summer study: The report recommends that colleges expand the use of summer terms. More than 60 percent of students in the survey enrolled in summer classes, having "shattered the observance of the traditional academic calendar." Earning more than four credits during summer terms correlated positively to degree completion, particularly for black students.
• Dual enrollment: Earning some college credits while still in high school is also positively associated with degree completion. "If traditional-age students entered college or community college with a minimum of six credits of 'real stuff,' not fluff, their adaptation to the critical first-year will not be short-circuited," the report says.
• Sophomore year: "The second academic-calendar year offers students the opportunity to recapture any lack of momentum of the first," the report says. "In that respect, the second year may be even more important than the first."
• Mathematics: "The world demands advanced quantitative literacy, and no matter what a student's postsecondary field of study ... more than a ceremonial visit to college-level mathematics is called for," the report says.
• Demographic background: Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were less likely to attend high schools that offered high-level courses. Latino students, for instance, were far less likely to attend schools that offered calculus or trigonometry than white or Asian students.
• Geographic mobility: Of the 58 percent of students who attended more than one college, 37 percent crossed state lines in the process.

some links

2006-02-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

Just copy and paste into the address bar of Explorer or Foxfire:

an education planner:

http://www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/default.asp?sponsor=2859

free vocabulary:

http://collegeapps.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freevocabulary.com%2F

career information:

http://jobstar.org/tools/career/spec-car.php

Getting Started

2006-02-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

I am getting this started so that I can post links, exercises and plent o info for my students and other interested parties.

2006-02-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

Me and a buddy on Halloween

2006-02-20T08:09:00.000-08:00