What a surprise- not! A new study (based upon US Bureau of Census data) has reported that folks who go to college earn $ 1 million more than those who don’t. No, not in one year, silly- over their lifetimes. Which comes to about $ 25K a year. Moreover, this data has been around for at least 40 years- because I knew these facts back when I was teaching.
Continue reading Choose Wisely
I have lived in the Commonwealth of Virginia for some 40 years now. And, over the past decade, the educational budget has been cut and cut and cut. Oh, it’s not just the Commonwealth. Michigan, California, New York… I could go on. Overall, our 50 states have averaged a 23% drop in funding from the Great Recession through 2013- and the precipitous drop is only accelerating. It used to be that these states all provided outstanding college education and experiences to the students of their states. But, not anymore.
Continue reading It’s important. REALLY!
I was reading about a “new” program being started at Lehigh University and Delaware. This program lets students pursue their own projects with no set curriculum for some of their education. Lehigh is calling their program “Mountaintop”, where the students request equipment and advice- but get to choose the concept they wish to devote a term or two to achieve. The underlying premise is that research, work experience, and independent long-term projects tend to foster innovation, collaboration, persistence- and amplify the knowledge the students have acquired in previous classes.
Continue reading Something new under the sun?
Most of you know that I have taught at various colleges and universities. As such, I have taught a range of students. As a matter of fact, one year, I filled in for a colleague, teaching a remedial math (I actually considered it arithmetic) class. It took a while, but I finally figured out how to get the kids psyched to learn the material…
Continue reading So, now we’ll screw up the colleges, too?
College tuition. OK. Breathe… Yes, it’s high- very high. It amazes me that the highest tuition in the land is to be found at a STATE university. When I was going to college – back before we were a free nation- you could bank on two things. State schools were cheap. State schools were easier to get into.
Continue reading How much is that?
They knew this was coming! But, the first day it is available to the public, tons of problems present themselves to users. Now, it’s entirely possible that applications will NOT be processed in time. What is going on?
Continue reading It kicked me off- again!
This is not something I normally do. No, this is something that my friend, Janette Fuller does. She reviews books you- or your children- should read. But, I am going to recommend a book for you today. One written by the child (Sorry, Ilana, you are younger than mine- so you will forever be a child) of my good friends. A woman (see, I can change) that I have known for most of her life.
Continue reading Not my normal post…
We thought it was the Arab Spring. But, now, the revolts in Turkey, Brazil, Egypt, Israel, Chile, Russia, and the various US states are showing that was too simple an explanation. These revolts (with the probable exception of Russia) are now aimed at democratically elected governments.
Continue reading Arab Spring? I think not.
Continue reading Will this give you a reason?
I used to joke- back when I first moved to Alexandria (that’s about a quarter century ago)- that jobs were getting scarce because companies were demanding college degrees for no good reason. It was making folks go to college just to get a subsistence job, which is why so many poorly qualified or even unqualified people, were demanding the right to enter colleges.
Continue reading Job Opportunity: BA, BS required