A billionaire family from Oklahoma has turned a no-stoplight town in Massachusetts into an essential destination for Christian institutions nationwide with one extraordinary promise. They’ve pledged to give away a 217-acre campus there for free, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Free, it turns out, is an appealing price for the campus founded by famed evangelist D.L. Moody and estimated by its owner to be worth $20 million. In recent months, the western Massachusetts property has drawn a stream of secret and not-so-secret visitors. Each suitor must commit to offer an education founded on traditional Christian beliefs and prove they have the money to maintain this sprawling, classic New England campus…
…Read MorePodcast Series: Innovations in Education
Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.
Illinois’ prepaid college tuition program may need $1.6 billion bailout
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a report issued this week by Gabriel Roeder Smith & Co. concluded that College Illinois!, a prepaid college tuition program, might require a $1.6 billion bailout from the state. If the state fails to bail out the program, funding would be completely gone by 2022. Managed and operated by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, College Illinois! is struggling to pay for past contracts, which specifically allow parents to pay in advance and at lower tuition rates for their children looking to attend public universities in Illinois…
…Read MoreCollege grads’ salary offers up 4.8 percent
Employers have loosened the purse strings for this year’s crop of college graduates, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. The average starting salary offer to the Class of 2011 rose 4.8 percent to $51,018, compared with offers extended to the Class of 2010, according to the latest survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers released Wednesday…
…Read MoreProspective college students finding answers online
Juwanna Brown, a 16-year-old junior at Illinois’ Lane Tech High School, found answers to many of her questions about college in a virtual environment, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. Brown attended CollegeWeekLive.com, an online event that lets students and parents chat via text and video with hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide without leaving their computer. “I got to explore the types of programs the colleges offer,” said Brown, who is on her high school golf team and wants to be an attorney specializing in sports. “I asked questions about student-teacher ratios, scholarship opportunities, and the types of sororities and organizations on campus.” Asha Mannancheril, a 17-year-old senior at Niles West High School, found CollegeWeekLive to be “really, really cool.” She visited twice to learn about scholarships and biology classes. “The event goes on all day, so you can log on whenever it’s convenient,” she said. Students sign in to the event, and their contact information is shared with the schools whose booths they visit in the virtual world. The students use a text box to ask questions and get information in real time. The CollegeLive event features streaming-video appearances by representatives of college admissions and financial aid offices, as well as students, parents, higher-education consultants, and authors of college guides and how-to books. Because so many students and colleges need financial help, such virtual events can save money and enable otherwise expensive outreach and travel—both for students and for participating colleges…
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