http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/college/ en-us Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:21:30 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074982/posts SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin attended five colleges in six years before graduating from the University of Idaho in 1987. Federal privacy laws prohibit the schools from disclosing her grades, and none of the schools contacted by The Associated Press could say why she transferred. There was no indication any of them were contacted as part of the background investigation of Palin by presidential candidate John McCain's campaign. "Our office was not contacted by anyone," said Tania Thompson, spokeswoman for the University of Idaho in Moscow. Palin, the governor of Alaska, was born in Idaho.... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074982/posts#comment Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:21:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073041/posts Many people associate property crime and other delinquent behaviors with low social status and a lack of education. But new research has identified a surprising risk factor for bad behavior — college. Men who attend college are more likely to commit property crimes during their college years than their non-college-attending peers, according to research to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Boston this weekend. Sociologists at Bowling Green State University in Ohio examined data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which tracks education, crime levels, substance abuse and socializing among adolescents and... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073041/posts#comment Tue, 2 Sep 2008 16:10:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2072384/posts So, where's the labor? On this particular holiday at this particular time, it's a question that more people are wondering about. Here's why: In a period of severe economic uncertainty, Connecticut's high school graduates still are opting for a college education that costs a record amount and no longer guarantees a good job, while industry is desperate for skilled workers and has jobs to give them. "We offer good-paying and interesting work, training and benefits, while students and their families are still going into debt to pay college bills," said Bernard Rosselli, president of Stewart EFI, an eyelet making company... Waterbury Republican-American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2072384/posts#comment Mon, 1 Sep 2008 15:10:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071685/posts One-third of graduates are receiving no financial benefit from their degree as young people drawn in by Labour’s mass expansion of universities see the value of studying decline for the first time. A study has identified a widening gulf between the highest-paid graduates, whose degrees have brought them soaring returns over the past decade, and those at the lower end. Among male graduates, 33.2% end up in nongraduate jobs five years after leaving university, from 21.7% in 1992. The proportions for women are similar. These graduates now earn 40% less than if they had found a job where degree was... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071685/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:18:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071288/posts A registrar drew fire for pointing out possible effects of students' registering to vote. A Montgomery County official's attempt to outline state elections law for thousands of Virginia Tech students this week prompted a swift reaction from Barack Obama campaign officials, who worried the statement could have a "chilling effect" on a massive registration effort now under way. Montgomery County Registrar Randy Wertz said he wrote the news release, distributed through the county's Web site, amid concerns that the hundreds of Tech students registering to vote using their Blacksburg addresses would essentially change their permanent address. That, he wrote, could... roanoke.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071288/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:55:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069487/posts As parents pack their youngsters off to college, they might ask themselves whether it's worth both the money they will spend and their children's time. Dr. Marty Nemko has researched that question in an article aptly titled "America's Most Over-rated Product: Higher Education (www.martynemko.com/articles/americas-most-overrated-product-higher-education_id1539)." The U.S. Department of Education statistics show that 76 out of 100 students who graduate in the bottom 40 percent of their high school class do not graduate from college, even if they spend eight and a half years in college. That's even with colleges having dumbed down classes to accommodate such students. Only 23 percent... Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069487/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:20:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068572/posts Hundreds of colleges across the nation have purchased a training program that teaches professors and students not to take campus threats lying down but to fight back with any "improvised weapon," from a backpack to a laptop computer. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068572/posts#comment Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:01:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2067689/posts Free to Choose? by: Deborah Lambert, August 25, 2008 In these days of rapidly escalating college tuition costs, the very mention of an institution like Berea College can make the heads of pricey schools a bit defensive. After all, Berea, located in Kentucky, educates only low-income students, and stands apart from almost every college by offering free tuition, according to the New York Times. “It’s difficult to find a college that balances thrift and altruism as deftly as Berea,” noted Anthony Paletta in a recent posting on mindingthecampus.com. While high-profile Ivies with their megabucks endowments attract the super-rich and offer... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2067689/posts#comment Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:10:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065408/posts Taking a step that professors may view as a bit counterproductive, some universities are doling out Apple iPhones and Internet-capable iPods to students. The always-on Internet devices raise some novel possibilities, like tracking where students congregate. With far less controversy, colleges could send messages about canceled classes, delayed buses, campus crises or just the cafeteria menu. While schools emphasize its usefulness — online research in class and instant polling of students, for example — a big part of the attraction is, undoubtedly, that the iPhone is cool and a hit with students. Basking in the aura of a cutting-edge product... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065408/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:23:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064198/posts Even as the economy slumps and unemployment rises, strong demand for power plants, oil refineries and export goods has many manufacturers and construction contractors scrambling to find enough skilled workers to plug current and future holes. With the shortage of welders, pipe fitters and other high-demand workers likely to get worse as more of them reach retirement age, unions, construction contractors and other businesses are trying to figure out how to attract more young people to those fields. Their challenge: overcoming the perception that blue-collar trades offer less status, money and chance for advancement than white-collar jobs, and that college... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064198/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:09:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064148/posts College presidents from about 100 of the nation's best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus. The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began quietly recruiting presidents more than a year ago to provoke national debate about the drinking age. "This is a law that is routinely evaded," said John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont who started the organization. "It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe is unjust... Newsday http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064148/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:02:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063852/posts College is not all it's cracked up to be. Dumbed-down courses, flaky majors and grade inflation have conspired to make the letters B.A. close to meaningless. But another problem with today's colleges is more insidious: They are no longer a good place for young people to make the transition from childhood to adulthood. Today's colleges are structured to prolong adolescence, not to midwife maturity. Once upon a time college was a halfway house for practicing how to be a grown-up. Students couldn't count on the dean of students to make allowances for adolescent misbehavior. If they wanted to avoid getting... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063852/posts#comment Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:30:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2063437/posts Many Catholics in North America are aware of the new (or renewed) “orthodox” Catholic institutions of higher education that have sprung to life on this continent over the past two decades. Franciscan University in Steubenville, Christendom College in Virginia, and Ave Maria University in Florida head the list of those institutions seeking to be fully faithful to the Church’s magisterium. Now the west coast of Canada can boast its own addition to this line-up: Redeemer Pacific College, in Langley, just outside the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Redeemer Pacific College (RPC) opened its doors in the fall of 1999 with... Catholic Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2063437/posts#comment Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:19:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061494/posts The state community college system will discuss at its monthly meetings this week whether to allow illegal immigrants into degree programs. The decision to revisit the contentious issue comes after federal Homeland Security officials told the state Attorney General’s Office in July that no federal law bars illegal immigrants from pursuing degrees. The discussions will be held during the Thursday and Friday sessions of the community colleges’ board in Raleigh, spokeswoman Audrey Bailey said. Tony Asion, director of the Raleigh-based Hispanic advocacy group El Pueblo, expressed excitement over the decision to reopen discussion on the issue. “This is good for... Fay Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061494/posts#comment Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:01:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2061404/posts Warning: Tuition Hike Ahead by: Jeff Waldmann, August 13, 2008 As Congress and the President continue to squabble over consolidating the federal budget, they pass bills that simultaneously undercut their efforts and expand government, says Brian M. Riedl, a Heritage Foundation fellow. Riedl gives a glaring example of one such bill that counteracts any comparatively minor budget cuts that have been made. He writes, “virtually unnoticed, the House of Representatives voted 354 to 58 on February 7 to add $169 billion in new higher-education spending and create at least 50 new federal programs. In other words, one step forward, ten... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2061404/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:40:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061145/posts TERRE HAUTE— Gov. Mitch Daniels will ask the next Indiana General Assembly to approve the Hoosier College Promise, a program that would provide Indiana high school graduates with more affordable access to higher education. The governor introduced this idea several months ago and has further developed the concept. The Hoosier College Promise would be available to Indiana students from families who earn about $60,000 or less annually. They would receive two years of free tuition at Ivy Tech Community College or an equivalent amount of $6,000 to use for their first two years at another college or university that is... The Wabash Valley Journal of Business http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061145/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:51:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061112/posts Imagine that America had no system of post-secondary education, and you were a member of a task force assigned to create one from scratch. One of your colleagues submits this proposal: First, we will set up a single goal to represent educational success, which will take four years to achieve no matter what is being taught. We will attach an economic reward to it that seldom has anything to do with what has been learned. We will urge large numbers of people who do not possess adequate ability to try to achieve the goal, wait until they have spent a... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061112/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:44:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054899/posts An NBER study discussed at http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/31/remedial finds that few students taking remedial courses in college every graduate. (For some reason the post bounced when I put this link in the "Source URL".) Republicans need to make the case that sending everyone to college is not a panacea touted by Obama and many Democrats. Obama proposes at http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/#higher-education to "Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054899/posts#comment Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:04:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054819/posts Weston Cartwright remembers his first week at LeTourneau University in 2006, and how he amazed his dorm mates when he returned unharmed from a walk to a South Longview restaurant. "They were like, 'Are you serious?' " Cartwright said. Since then, he's seen and heard why fellow students deemed a trip into the surrounding neighborhood such a serious mistake. The 20-year-old professional flight major said gunshots, some just a block away, can be heard at least three nights a week from his campus residence. Longview police spokesman Kevin Brownlee doesn't doubt Cartwright's estimate, considering there were reports of shootings in... News-Journal.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054819/posts#comment Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:07:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052850/posts List of top party schools by Princeton Review By The Associated Press Following is a list of the top party schools in the nation, according to Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 students. 1. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. 2. University of Mississippi, University, Miss. 3. Penn State University, University Park, Pa. 4. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va. 5. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. 6. Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va. 7. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga. 8. University of Texas, Austin, Texas. 9. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif. 10. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. 11. University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H.... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052850/posts#comment Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:48:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052006/posts Come commencement, many [college graduates] linger for months or years, prolonging the intermediate stage between college and the rest of their lives. “This generation doesn’t know what to do with its own freedom,” says Ethan Watters, author of “Urban Tribes: A Generation Redefines Friendship, Family and Commitment.” “As the average age of marriage continues to rise, the length of time that college graduates live alone before starting a family is unprecedented. People now have 10, even 15 years where nothing much is expected of them.” Parents who help cover health insurance, and sometimes rent, unwittingly encourage a few extra years... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052006/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:15:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051986/posts Textbook Terrorism: Islamofascism INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Posted 7/24/2008 Islamofascism: A new study confirms our "ally" Saudi Arabia is still poisoning young Muslim minds with anti-Western textbooks. So? Its hate-filled graduates are enrolling at our colleges. ...despite promised reforms, the kingdom still teaches students to "hate the infidels." The texts assert that it's "permissible" for a Muslim to kill an "apostate," an "adulterer," a "homosexual," as well as non-Muslims practicing "polytheism," or Christianity. The violent ideology is introduced in a religion textbook in the first grade and reinforced and developed in following years of the public education system, culminating in the... investors http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051986/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:58:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051968/posts Maybe there’s another reason Barack Obama decided to deliver his convention acceptance speech in a football stadium. As Howard Mortman points out this morning, Obama’s August 28 address will coincide with the start of the college football season, with at least four nationally televised games on the docket. Sure, most of the games scheduled are of regional interest at best, involving middling Division I-A schools and even I-AA teams, and the kickoff times for most of the televised games are early enough to allow viewers to flip over to Obama’ speech (which will probably start around (10 p.m.) without missing... New York Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051968/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:51:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048737/posts Berea College, founded 150 years ago to educate freed slaves and “poor white mountaineers,” accepts only applicants from low-income families, and it charges no tuition. “You can literally come to Berea with nothing but what you can carry, and graduate debt free,” said Joseph P. Bagnoli Jr., the associate provost for enrollment management. “We call it the best education money can’t buy.” Actually, what buys that education is Berea’s $1.1 billion endowment, which puts the college among the nation’s wealthiest. But unlike most well-endowed colleges, Berea has no football team, coed dorms, hot tubs or climbing walls. Instead, it has... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048737/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:06:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047594/posts Jack and Jill’ aren’t allowed to live together at the University of Kansas yet, but more and more school are allowing members of the opposite sex to live together . Most colleges didn’t allow students of different genders to live in the same dormitory 40 years ago. After gender-neutral buildings were opened, universities began to allow members of the opposite sex to live on the same floor. Now, there’s a new gender-based issue to debate in student housing. “We’re at the next phase in the evolution,” Jeffrey Chang, co-founder of the National Student Genderblind Campaign, said. “Why can’t men and... Daily Kansan http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047594/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:51:00 GMT