Technical Education

Purdue University hopes to keep Indiana’s brightest students in the state through a proposed honors college that would pair top students and faculty in an academically rigorous environment.

Purdue trustees voted Tuesday to approve the honors college, which will replace the seven-year-old University Honors Program, along with specific honors programs offered by five campus colleges.

“We have the opportunity to keep Indiana students in Indiana, which I think is a very important proposal,” said associate provost Dennis Savaiano. “It will be a low-cost option to what other cost with tuition and fees.”

University officials are still working out details of the program, including its total cost, admission policies and course design.

Trustee Bruce White urged Purdue to ensure that the program is distinguished from regular campus programs in order to attract top students.

I was at Florida State University recently and was walking through the student union after wrapping up a lunch meeting.  I was a bit surprised, and honestly proud, to notice a student who was standing alone and reading his invitation to join the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS).  At first I thought I should keep walking but after a few steps further I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to congratulate him.

I walked up and asked if he had any questions about NSCS.  He said that he, and his parents, were still discussing whether he should join.  He asked me if I knew about the benefits of the organization and I told him that I actually was pretty well informed.  I gave him all of the reasons I thought he should join and provided him with my phone number and email.  I think he was a bit surprised when I finally told him that I had signed the invitation letter he was holding and I am the CEO/founder of NSCS. I also

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Here’s a few of the latest updates while you wait for the biggest press conference in the history of sports this afternoon.

Speaking of the Secondary Six press conference, you can probably watch it online somewhere. It starts at 11am, or noon, or 1pm or something. It’s tough to tell since the conference spans three time zones, which seems just perfect for television ratings.

There’s a couple things to watch for. First, athletic directors and coaches from the six schools will be in attendance. What will be the ratio of people answering questions to people present and asking questions? I’m guessing at least 2:1.

More importantly, I think everyone will be watching very intently to see what kinds of answers these schools have to some of the questions raised in the past week. We’ve heard that this conference could do better in terms of a TV deal, and branding, and organization.

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As we have documented in previous blog posts, candidates for bachelors degrees are leaving college with an average of $24,000 in educational debt and increasing numbers of college students struggle to repay their student loans.

For those who pursue advanced and professional degrees, the situation is also dire. For example, the American Bar Associations Legal Education Statistics for the 2008-2009 academic year indicate that the average amount borrowed by law school graduates attending public school was $66,045. Private law school graduates had borrowed $100,003.

Compounding the problem is a weak economy with fewer jobs. Law schools are increasingly aware of this problem and, as reported by the New York Times, some are taking dramatic steps such as retroactively inflating grades in an attempt to help their graduates employment prospects.

And while programs like Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness can help after you graduate, reducing your initial debt burden can be trickier.

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This past week brought feelings of grief and sadness around campus that thankfully, we do not have to experience often at Nazarene Bible College. It began with news of one our online students Rev. William Earl “Shady” Mays, Jr. of Ohio passing away at his home. Later that week we received word that former NBC student Amber Emmert’s parents were involved in an accident while traveling to Colorado Springs.

Shady was nearing completion of his Pastoral Ministries degree with an incredible 3.99 GPA. He was no doubt an extraordinary man as he was recently honored by receiving the DeLong Sermon Award for excellence of preaching from NBC in recognition of his academic work. Dr. Alan Lyke, Dean of Online Education said, “Though I wasn’t directly acquainted with Shady, the online personnel who knew him tell me he was an exemplary student, an outstanding person, and a dedicated follower of Christ.” It comes as no surprise that many cherished him.

Regrettably, the accident resulted in the passing of Amber’s mother and initially left her father in critical condition.

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