Online Degree

Detail Overview New York University School of Law 2013 - Founded in 1835, New York University School of Law has a record of academic excellence and national scholarly influence. One of the first law schools to admit women, it has been long committed to welcoming students of diverse backgrounds, people who had been discriminated against by many other institutions.

Located on the University's campus in Greenwich Village, NYU Law has been a leader, and continues to be, in areas such as law and business, clinical education, public service, interdisciplinary colloquia and global studies.

To find out about our academic specialties and the first-rate faculty that teach them-explore the Areas of Focus section. There you can learn about Business, Clinical, Constitutional, Criminal, Environmental, Innovation, Interdisciplinary, International, Procedure, Public Interest and Tax Law.

NYU Law has a range of signature scholarship programs that provide not only full tuition, but also intensive mentoring to develop tomorrow’s leaders. Furman Academic Scholars focus on future legal teaching careers; the Furman Academic Fellowship program allows recent NYU Law graduates to continue that focus even after earning a J.D. Prospective students who want to pursue public interest can apply to the Root-Tilden-Kern Scholarship Program. AnBryce Scholars come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and are among the first in their immediate families to seek a graduate degree. (see HERE)

Other flagship programs include the Jacobson Leadership Program in Law and Business, which gives scholarships in amounts up to full tuition to students on non-traditional career paths bridging the legal and commercial worlds, and the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program, which awards a stipend as part of a fellowship for 3Ls wanting a leg up on a public service career focused on civil liberties.

To get the student perspective on daily life at the Law School—and to get a sense of what it's like to live and study in downtown New York—sample the multimedia NYU Law Experience.
Source : www.law.nyu.edu/about/index.htm

Telling How to Make College Affordable 2013 - The California Senate introduced legislation this month. The Senate’s concerns surely include some basic facts: The cost of getting a college degree is no longer affordable to most young people, and even if they can afford college, they cannot get the general education courses they need to progress in their academic career. Major problems to be sure.

More universities are looking at blended learning – a form of distant education – or even at Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs, as one possible solution. It’s true that to accommodate larger student bodies, the large lecture hall combined with some online activity makes sense. Indeed, some courses can as easily be taught outside the classroom or lecture hall.

Allowing students to learn when and where it is most convenient for them is extremely attractive. Given the widespread availability of technology, it is not surprising that the “cyberschool” approach is fast becoming ordinary and acceptable at high schools and colleges in America, Europe and in other developed nations.

But collaboration and cooperation between most universities really hasn’t taken hold. Last month, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Steven G. Poskanzer and David R. Anderson, the presidents of Carleton College and St. Olaf College talked “about how these two colleges could work together more closely in areas like the library, the colleges’ technology infrastructure, human resources and payroll, and, ultimately, their academic programs.” And they did it.

There was criticism that they could’ve done more … and it’s still early. But while this collaboration occurred between smaller universities, isn’t there an opportunity for all universities?

The motto of the modern day corporation, as Robert Logan and Louis Stokes wrote 10 years ago, was “Collaborate to Compete.” The basic idea is to determine your core strength or strengths and leverage them while finding ways to cooperate with others … to provide things that must be done but in which your organization has no special talent.

The purpose is to make your organization more competitive in the marketplace. (see HERE)

The concept has worked and gained widespread acceptance, at least in the corporate world, but this same philosophy seems not to be applied to nonprofits, local governments, or to universities.

In the California State University (CSU) system and other state systems there must be similar opportunities to lower the costs and increase efficiency and availability. And, for curriculum too. Each university, for example, has an undergraduate program full of courses that everyone should take in their first two years; and subsequently, courses that are duplicated – depending on the major – in each of the 17 universities that are part of the CSU system.

Are they each so unique that there cannot be collaboration – even if they are team-taught? And aren’t we able to find ways to have the best faculty use blended learning techniques to all the CSU student body? Of course we can.

Furthermore, the idea of logging on when its convenient for many students and asking questions whenever they need to without the formality – and often embarrassment of more traditional classroom settings – also has its appeal. And, according to many experts in the online field, the new media make lectures more accessible and even more entertaining.

that could reshape higher education by requiring the state’s public colleges and universities to give credit for online courses.

Social media, email, and texting have displaced personal contact in a way that would have been hard to predict just a few years ago. Electronic media have become the standard way of communicating, according to Glenn Hartz a professor of philosophy at Ohio State University (See HERE). “Assuming that the content is there, the course is now judged largely on how artfully and smoothly the elements meld together into a coherent, pleasing whole,” Hartz said.

If we really want to be more accessible, more affordable and more efficient at delivering basic college education to more students, we need to ask how we can collaborate, where we can work together, and determine what we can do that is so unique to our university that it becomes our basic mission.

In short, we must find where we can collaborate … and, using technology, better serve young people in our region, and our country.

Eger is Van Deerlin Chair in Communications and Public Policy Director, Creative Economy Initiative School of Journalism and Media Studies San Diego State University.

Source : www.utsandiego.com

New Lure Technology for Caroline Robins School 2013 - Caroline Robins elementary school is about to get

an $800,000 investment to make it a technological hub. If all goes as planned, by next September the underused Westview-area school will be home to a newly renovated resource centre with computers, tablets, video cameras and other equipment, in an effort to change the way students learn.

"We're really trying to set Caroline Robins up as a bit of a lighthouse school for the system, so we can see what's in the realm of the possible," Saskatoon Public Schools deputy director of education Barry MacDougall said.

Teachers from other schools will be invited in to see how Caroline Robins students not just consume information using tech tools, but are challenged to analyze, evaluate, and create.

"The technology is evolving so rapidly, so we want to get out a little bit in front of it," MacDougall said.

Earlier this week, the public school board approved $700,000 to renovate parts of Caroline Robins. Earlier, the board approved another $100,000 for equipment.

The investment comes to a school that already has one of the highest ratios of computers per student of any school in the division - partly due to previous investments in hardware, and partly because of low enrolment.

MacDougall said the plan is to renovate the school's existing prekindergarten and kindergarten areas to become a modern learning resource centre. The division will then renovate classrooms at the front of the school into a primary years suite, adding a door to a new outdoor play area designed for the tots.

The division has also submitted a proposal to the ministry of education to open a new daycare centre in the school's existing library space, MacDougall said.

Withman Jaigobin, division superintendent for Caroline Robins, says beefing up digital equipment isn't simply meant to move work that could be done on paper onto computers (see HERE).

"That will be impressive, the technology we have, but what we want to be more impressive is the instruction and the learning style, and how the students will be interacting - how the students will be learning, and what they'll be producing in the process, which will look different," said Jaigobin, who is also the superintendent responsible for technology in the division.

The initiative, which will start with a focus on children in kindergarten to Grade 4, will challenge students to express their ideas in ways other than putting pen to paper.

Jay Salikin, educational consultant for technology, says class assignments could be done in the form of a video, or a blog post, or in collaboration with someone in another country.

"We're trying to really change the look of the classroom, from the teacher standing at the front lecturing to 30 students, to having the kids working together collaboratively and creating things, and getting into critical thinking," Salikin says.

The program follows the introduction this year of another experiment at two public elementary schools and Marion Graham Collegiate. Rather than confiscating cellphones at the door, teachers encourage students to use them for schoolwork, and loan out some devices from the libraries.

The division chose Caroline Robins as a test site because it's one of a handful of Saskatoon schools that's so underused, it has empty classrooms. Families from the nearby new suburb of Hampton Village are sending most of their children to Dundonald School, which is now over capacity. Caroline Robins, however, could easily accommodate another 100 students (see HERE).

"We have overcrowding issues at Dundonald," MacDougall said. "We are setting out very deliberately to make Caroline Robins as attractive as possible to residents in the neighbouring community."

Including a childcare centre may also help draw more families to the school. This month's provincial budget included funds for 500 new daycare spaces across Saskatchewan. MacDougall hopes to find out later this spring whether Caroline Robins can host 50 of them.

Richard Griffiths Glimpse of History Education - Richard Griffiths has died on Thursday in Coventry, England. He was 65. As a tribute to of his achievement this time I'll tell you about At 2007 Former RSC actor, Richard Griffiths, has been awarded an OBE for his services to drama.

The 65 years old actor, who lives in a small village just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, was born to deaf and mute parents on the 31st July 1947 at Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire. His father was a steel worker, and his mother a so called 'bagger' in a local supermarket.

Griffiths learned sign language as a young child so that he could converse with his parents, at the same

Detail Overview Miami HEAT Scholarships 2013 -The Miami HEAT is offering $10,000.00 in scholarship funds to high school seniors attending Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach schools. Scholarship applications are available each school year and recipients are awarded in May. This year’s application deadline is April 6th, 2013.

5 Steps to Maintain Student Loan Debt 2013 - As student debt levels — along with delinquencies and defaults — continue to rise, borrowers need to ask:

As a recent college graduate, this Student Loan Ranger knows both my mother and I had minimal understanding of student loans in general. And banks and schools aren't doing enough to inform us, so we end up making loan decisions in the dark.

To help figure it out, Equal Justice Works recently published an e-book, Maintai Your Future, which offers five of the following ways to maintain student loan repayment.

1. There are big differences between private and federal loans. It is important to understand these basic distinctions before borrowing and too often, students and parents lack knowledge on the various types of loans and what they entail.

Here are some crucial aspects to pay attention to when deciding how to borrow:

• Keep in mind that commercial or private loans are never eligible for federal relief programs (see HERE).

• Most private loans offer variable interest rates that may start low, but can — and likely will — increase.

• Federal loans, on the other hand, qualify for federal relief programs and come with borrower protections such as fixed interest rates and deferment and forbearance in times of hardship (see HERE).

Discover the ins and outs of financial aid.

Students should exhaust the federal loans available to them before taking the private loan route.

2. Income-Based Repayment can help many borrowers repay their loans. Federal relief programs inarguably help many borrowers. Among these programs is Income-Based Repayment (IBR), which keeps the amount borrowers must pay each month to 15 percent of their income. A few things to keep in mind:

• Only Federal Direct and federally guaranteed (FFEL) loans are eligible for IBR.

• You must have a partial financial hardship, meaning the amount you owe on your eligible loans exceeds 15 percent of your discretionary income.

• Your monthly payment depends on two things: your income and your family size. When income decreases or family size increases, you pay less (and vice versa).

Explore income-based and income-contingent repayment.

• If you remain in IBR you will be eligible for forgiveness of any amount remaining on your loans after 25 years of making qualified payments.

3. Pay As You Earn keeps payments even more manageable. Launched under the direction of President Barack Obama, this program helps a ton if a borrower qualifies. Participants must be a new borrower who experiences a partial financial hardship, and must have taken out their loans on or after Oct. 1, 2007.

Participants must also have at least one loan from Oct. 2011 or later. This includes: receiving a new loan, receiving a disbursement on an existing loan, or consolidating loans on or after Oct. 1, 2011.

Under Pay As You Earn, monthly payments are capped at 10 percent of discretionary income. As long as participants remain in the plan, they will be eligible for forgiveness after making qualifying payments for 20 years (see HERE).

4. Public Service Loan Forgiveness helps public interest workers with lower salaries. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) motivates and helps individuals to work in the public sector. Borrowers must have Federal Direct loans to be eligible, and must be working in a full-time public service job, such as with a local, state, federal or tribal government or a nonprofit.

Participants must make 120 qualifying payments on those eligible loans while employed in public service. After making those 120 qualifying payments, submit the PSLF application for forgiveness. As a bonus, forgiveness receives through PSLF is not taxed.

5. Loan Repayment Assistance Programs can help with payments. Take advantage of Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs). If you're eligible, LRAPs provide funds toward your monthly payments. And you may be able to use those funds for your private student loans. Ask your employer, school, and even your professional association if they offer an LRAP. There are even some available from state, local and the federal government.

Learn how to evaluate an LRAP.
Download Maintain Your Future, available in the Kindle Store, to learn more about these options and weave your way through the student debt maze — whether you're just starting to borrow or already in repayment. Every borrower should be informed when making decisions that will affect your future.

The budget Crisis Has Dramatically Reduced Access to Colleges - The budget crisis has dramatically

In a study released this week, the PPIC says the state cut $1.5 billion from community college budgets from 2007 to 2012, resulting in the loss of one in five courses. That has left an estimated 600,000 students peering through closed classroom doors..

What's interesting is who these students are: primarily, the PPIC says, those of lower ability.

Proposition 30 and the improving economy will mean some new money to restore counselors and courses, but not enough. Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed reforms, including more online courses and a limit on how many state-subsidized units a student can take; that would free up space for lower-skilled first-time students.

Parcel taxes, the PPIC suggests, may be an option (see HERE). Student fees, at $46 a unit, are less than half the national average; they could go up again without affecting access because fees are waived for poor students. The state needs a combination of strategies, and more of them.

California has to keep its promise of higher education for all --not just for the sake of individuals but for its economic survival.

Source : The San Jose Mercury News

Strategic Approach to Dealing Lith Education Budget Shortfall - Faculty, staff and students at With its draft Letter of Expectation from Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education in hand, the college knows its operating grant will be roughly $40.4 million, down from about $47 million last year.
Lethbridge College got a budget update last week at two town hall meetings.

At the town halls, people wanted to know how the college would balance its budget and whether it would dip into reserves. "We were clear about what our goal is, which is to submit a balanced budget to our board," said Paula Burns, president. The college will not be doing across-the-board cuts but will take a strategic approach to position the college in the new post-secondary reality. Burns said she couldn't yet say whether the budget cuts will mean job losses but that could happen.


Even before the letter arrived, Burns said the college was looking at its strengths and how it meets the need of the economy, both provincially and regionally. Her vision of the college is that it will be a leader in transforming the education system (see HERE).
"We are going to be a big part of the move toward whatever it's going to look like, which is very unclear at this point," she said.
Burns said she wasn't surprised by anything in the letter and added she believes there's plenty of room for consultation and for the college to provide leadership in defining itself and how it contributes to Campus Alberta.
Faculty at Lethbridge College are well aware of the possibility of job losses, even though that has yet to be finalized.
"It's very clear that administration wants to have a fairly collaborative process in which faculty members also contribute ideas to how the college could manage such a massive cut to their operating budget," said Rika Snip, president of the Lethbridge College Faculty Association.
The draft letters of expectation sent to all post-secondary institutions talk about reviewing the programs being offered to build on existing institutional strengths while advancing the Campus Alberta system and offering programs that employers and students want. The letters also talk about reducing program duplication.
"We're a comprehensive community college. As the system moves to creating these specialized centres and trying to reduce duplication they're also going to reduce access for students because there are going to be fewer programs, students are going to have to move. It will be more competitive because there will be fewer programs," Snip said.
Faculty also have concerns about the consequences of the budget cuts.
"It seems to me the government has decided that the professions are all too highly overpaid and particularly college administrators are too highly paid so we can darn well take a cut. What it means, though, is that the cut will be carried by particularly casual faculty and programs that are small," Snip said.
Casual faculty have no collective agreement and program cancellations could lead to further job losses.
"For those who remain the implications suggest that we will have larger classes and that faculty therefore will be forced to figure out ways to manage their workload with a higher student load," she said.
Snip said faculty are feeling generally disappointed in the government that, on the one hand, wants post-secondary institutions to educate people for the workforce and the economy but, on the other, doesn't want to pay for it.
The Lethbridge College Students' Association also came forward with concerns about the Letter of Expectation (see HERE).
"The thing with these mandate letters is once they're signed it gives the government a lot of leeway in making these decisions, possibly to the detriment of students," said Dillon Hargreaves, LCSA president.
The LCSA doesn't support the government's intentions for the post-secondary education system. Hargreaves said the government will be evaluating programs offered and deciding what programs will be offered where. And if students have to leave home anyway Hargreaves predicts they'll head right out of province.
Source : www.lethbridgeherald.com

Civil Rights Issue Saving Public Schools - The fight against public school closings has become the new
civil rights battle in this country — and rightfully so. Faced with a $1 billion budget deficit, Chicago's public school system is the most recent urban district to announce a massive closure of schools. The city intends to shutter 61 elementary school buildings, nearly all of them in black and Hispanic neighborhoods. Like other cities, Chicago claims that budget deficits and declining student enrollments have forced it to turn out the lights in these inner city schools.

That's a penny-wise-and-pound-foolish decision that condemns the neighborhoods surrounding these soon-to-be-boarded-up schools to further decline.

Over the next decade, school officials predict that these closings will save the school system $560 million. But first the city will have to spend $233 million to move students from the schools that will be closed into classrooms elsewhere.

Even if the school closings actually produce the projected savings, the damage they will produce to the neighborhoods left without readily accessible public schools will be catastrophic (see HERE).

Who wants to raise children in a community with no neighborhood schools? While poverty and crime have decimated the population of many inner city neighborhoods, shutting down schools in those troubled areas will depopulate them even faster. The result will be a growing expanse of urban wastelands that could well deepen the budget deficits of the cities that are closing public schools.

Politicians and school officials must be challenged to justify their school closing decision beyond the dealmaking of Chicago's City Council. The U.S. Department of Education's civil rights division is investigating complaints that claim the school closing decisions of several urban school districts amount to a civil rights violation (see HERE).

If the school closings don't violate the law, they sure seem to trample upon its spirit. Those who push for massive school closings are taking a meat cleaver approach to deficit reduction — one that treats poor and inner city neighborhoods with the disdain of Jim Crow-era lawmakers. They should be forced to come up with ways to bring school budgets into balance that strengthen these communities.

In recent months, school systems in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Detroit and Newark have announced plans to close public schools, and in every case blacks and Hispanics will bear the biggest burden of these cost-cutting measures. These decisions signal an indifference to the damage such policy decisions will have on the neighborhoods.

"If we don't make these changes, we haven't lived up to our responsibility as adults to the children of the city of Chicago," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, according to the Associated Press.

That's a pretty shortsighted analysis of a problem that, if not addressed properly, will render large swaths of Chicago's black and Hispanic neighborhoods uninhabitable education wastelands.

DeWayne Wickham writes on Tuesdays for USA Today.

First Female Hispanic to Chair APCEF - The American College of Prosthodontists announces that its American College of Prosthodontists Education Foundation (ACPEF.) David A. Felton, D.D.S., M.S.D., F.A.C.P., will serve as Vice Chair. Dr. Garcia was confirmed as the new Chair of the Foundation at its February meeting effective immediately, with a term through February 2014.
Immediate Past President Lily T. Garcia, D.D.S., M.S., F.A.C.P, has been confirmed as Chair of the

In addition to serving as Chair ACPEF, Dr. Garcia was appointed Chair-Elect of the Board for American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and is the recipient of the 2012 Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) Women’s Leadership Award. Dr. Garcia is Professor of the Advanced Education and External Affairs in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (see HERE). An accomplished author, Dr. Garcia has published numerous articles and abstracts. She has edited several dental textbooks, served as a reviewer and editorial board member for several scientific journals, and co-authored the text Osseointegration and Occlusal Rehabilitation. Dr. Garcia is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and Fellow of the ACP. Dr. Garcia maintains a practice limited to prosthodontics. Dr. Felton is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Prosthodontics.

The ACP is the only prosthodontic specialty organization whose membership is based solely on education credentials. ACP members must be in or have completed an ADA-accredited advanced education program in prosthodontics.

The mission of the ACPEF is to secure and steward resources with the aim of advancing prosthodontics. As a catalytic agent for prosthodontics, the ACPEF provides funding to support education, research and growth of the specialty and discipline of prosthodontics.

The American College of Prosthodontists is the professional association of dentists with advanced specialty training who are the experts in the restoration and replacement of teeth to create optimal oral health, both in function and appearance including dental implants, dentures, veneers, crowns and teeth whitening. To learn more about prosthodontists and prosthodontic procedures or to find a prosthodontist near you visit http://www.gotoapro.org. The ACP is a proud sponsor of the Ad Council’s first oral health campaign in its 70 year history, the Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives. The ACP is committed to educating the public about preventative, proactive simple habits honed early in life.

Source :  http://www.prweb.com/

Brevard Schools Drawing Interest - Richard Webb, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Paradise in Indialantic, told FLORIDA TODAY a sale could be worth millions.

“We’ve got a great opportunity to solve a problem here,” said Webb, who declined to identify his client for competitive reasons. A sale could help alleviate a financial crisis that’s causing Brevard Public Schools to eliminate teaching jobs and institute various student fees.

Another possible solution to keeping the schools open also is gaining steam. Clearlake Middle in Cocoa, Gardendale Elementary on Merritt Island and South Lake Elementary in Titusville are slotted to close at the end of this school year.


Late last week, Canaveral Port Authority Commissioner Bruce Deardoff said he plans on asking the port board to give enough money to Brevard Public Schools to keep the three schools open for two more academic years. Port commissioners could vote Wednesday morning on the $5 million proposal.

Webb is representing a company that has charter schools in Florida and other states, and is seeking to enter the Brevard market. Charter schools are publically funded but are privately-run schools.

When asked about a potential sale, Brevard School Board Chair Barbara Murray said the board is “open-minded,” but is interested in the district staff’s proposal to re-purpose the schools for internal use. Doing so is expected to save the district money because leased space will no longer be needed.

“We’re going to entertain and look at all of our options,” Murray said.

Consolidating adult education and alternative learning centers, for example, is expected to save up to $550,000 a year. It’s part of the prioritized list of $30 million in savings that was approved earlier this month.

School district leaders are planning to convert Clearlake to one such center. Other district offices, such as technology repair and virtual schools, also will move to the school.

Source: floridatoday.com

The Role of Digital Media in Modern Classrooms - Since social networks and websites are quickly saturating college education, students need to learn to adapt and properly utilize digital media to maximize their educational experiences.


It is not uncommon to see people tweeting, blogging or performing any other kind of electronic task related to the online world during classes across campus. Education today has been completely infiltrated by social media and all it has to offer in terms of communication and the efficient spread of information. Students are frequently asked to archive their classwork on some sort of online platform such as WordPress or Tumblr and stay informed through Twitter. Newspapers and other reliable sources of information have also joined the social media world, causing professors to integrate these forms of communication into their teaching methods. Pinterest was mentioned as a tool for outreach and making a presence in social media in a Feb. 15 Forbes article.

The way today’s college student is learning is steadily changing while the heightening of the digital world may seem overwhelming. This is not a bad thing at all. The most important thing students need to realize is how to effectively utilize these digital tools so they can get the most out of their higher education experience (see HERE).

College education is no longer largely lecture and skills based but rather a more self-exploratory experience because of the presence of social media, according to a March 1 LinkedIn article. Students are not expected only to share in the experiences of tweeting, blogging and sharing information. Faculty members expect students to excel at it in all the right ways.

Some faculty speak about the evils associated with social media as a regular occurrence, and students need to realize it is a real issue. It is important to realize paying attention to the actions and consequences of words in terms of the online and offline realms is a very serious thing. Faculty make it clear Facebook should not just be used for friends anymore but networking as well. Twitter is not just about micro-blogging your life. It can be a way of gathering quick knowledge and building up a professional presence. It is constantly drilled into students’ minds to be cautious of their online presences.

It may be high time for students who are immersed in social media to start looking further into whether or not they are using these online tools in professional ways. Students who do not really care for blogging and tweeting should seriously consider taking a chance by opening a Twitter account or popping into an online writing platform every so often. There are opportunities for many different kinds of minds and interests, and these types of online skills are becoming relevant for a number of degree plans (see HERE). One day, constant interaction with the digital world could be a reality for every avenue of education.

It is exciting for education to evolve and become more relatable for this generation. It is very important for students to become aware of, active in and professional with social media and the Internet as a whole now more than ever.
Source : star.txstate.edu

Detail Overview Azusa Pacific University 2013 - Azusa Pacific Online University (APOU) is a member of the Azusa Pacific System of universities and learning institutions. Sharing the mission and values of Azusa Pacific, APOU was created in response to the growing demographic of diverse students who aspire to further their education but are unable to attend a traditional physical campus institution.

Over the past several years, online education has become the fastest-growing segment of the higher education market nationwide (see HERE). Today’s 17-percent growth rate for online enrollment at higher education institutions far exceeds the 1.2-percent growth for on-campus course enrollment. According to a recent online education survey conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board, more than one in four college and university students now take at least one course online.

Statement of Compliance

Azusa Pacific Online University, in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and university policies, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, medical status, or status as a veteran (see HERE). The university also prohibits sexual harassment. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission, access, and operation of university programs and activities. This policy is in accordance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; and Title III and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Complete List of Nursing Degree Types 2013 - When it comes to the world of nursing, the letters that follow your name can represent your academic degree, type of license, type of certification, or a combination of these.

Which degree is which?

Academic degrees can prepare you for nursing licensure or help you advance your career. Here’s the rundown:

How to Get a Proper Education in US 2013 - Being in college is hard in many ways: financially, academically, personally, socially, intellectually, physically. And most students question why they are trying to get a college degree at some point during their college experience. Simple reminders of the reasons why you want to get a college degree can help keep you on track when you feel like getting off.



Tangible Reasons Why!

USA Making Little Progress On Jobs Jor Disabled Americans - Whether it means opening school track meets to a deaf child or developing a new lunch menu with safe alternatives for students with food allergies, recent Obama administration decisions could significantly affect Americans with disabilities. But there's been little progress in one of the most stubborn challenges: employing the disabled.

According to government labor data, of the 29 million working-age Americans with a disability - those who are 16 years and older - 5.2 million are employed. That's 18 percent of the disabled population and is down from 20 percent four years ago. The employment rate for people without a disability was 63 percent in February.

The job numbers for the disabled haven't budged much since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which gave millions of disabled people civil rights protections and guaranteed equal opportunity in employment, public accommodations, transportation, government services and more.

The National Council on Disability's Jeff Rosen said long-standing prejudicial attitudes need to be addressed to boost jobs.

"Employers are still catching on to the fact that the needs of most workers with disabilities aren't special, but employees with disabilities often bring specialized skills to the workplace," Rosen said. "Perhaps no one knows how to adapt, think critically or find solutions better than someone who has to do so daily in order to navigate a world that wasn't built with them in mind."

Rosen, who is deaf, was named in January as chairman of the council, an independent federal agency that advises the president, Congress and other federal agencies on disability policy.

The Obama administration recently has acted to expand the rights of Americans with disabilities in other areas.

The Education Department's civil rights division released new guidelines that direct schools to provide students with disabilities equal access to extracurricular sports teams. If schools can't, they should create similar athletic programs for disabled children, the department said.

Also, the Justice Department said in a settlement with a Massachusetts college, Lesley University, that severe food allergies can be considered a disability under the law. That potentially could lead to new menus and accommodations at schools, restaurants and other places to address the needs of people with food allergies.

One silver lining in the lagging employment for the disabled has been federal hiring.

The latest data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management shows nearly 15 percent of new federal hires between 2010 and 2011 were people with disabilities - almost 19,000 people. That's up from the previous year when about 10 percent of new hires were people with disabilities.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order in 2010 aimed at improving the federal ranks of people with disabilities. The goal was to add 100,000 disabled people to federal payrolls in five years; that would be within reach if the 2010-2011 hiring numbers were to stick or improve (see HERE).

Federal agencies are trying to achieve the numbers through better recruitment, especially at colleges and universities. And last month, OPM issued rules to limit the paperwork that potential hires with disabilities would need to provide. They essentially "self identify" as disabled by qualifying for a special hiring category known as "Schedule A" that allows disabled people to apply for a job through a noncompetitive hiring process, meaning they could be hired without competing with the general public.

The administration also is considering new rules that would leverage the power of federal spending to encourage companies to hire more disabled workers. The Labor Department is weighing a rule that would require companies with federal contracts to set a goal of having at least 7 percent of their workforce be disabled. Federal contractors employ nearly one-quarter of the nation's workforce.

Since the rule was proposed more than a year ago, business groups have complained that it would be too burdensome and lead to conflicts with federal laws that discourage companies from asking job applicants to identify themselves as disabled.

"We have had a long history of supporting the disabled community," said Randel Johnson, vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for labor issues. "But this proposal goes too far, woefully underestimates cost of compliance, and is completely unworkable as structured in the proposal."

Jennifer Lortie, 29, of Griswold, Conn., considers herself one of the lucky employed Americans with a disability.

Lortie was born with cerebral palsy and has limited use of her arms and legs. She graduated college during the recession and it was no easy task finding a job.

She spent more than a year scouring newspapers, job search websites and sending out dozens of resumes. She worried her wheelchair might be a strike against her until she landed a position in 2009 as an assistive technology specialist with the Connecticut Tech Act Project. The federally-funded program aims to increase independence for people with disabilities by educating them on new and best-fit technologies for work, school and community living.

"I think helping people kind of makes me think maybe there's a reason that I am in a wheelchair," Lortie said in an interview. "There has to be some reason to all this, so it gives me a sense of purpose as far as 'OK, I'm in a wheelchair but I can help other people' instead of just sitting home feeling sorry for myself."

Lortie spends four hours each day commuting to work and then back to the home she shares with her parents. They drive her to the bus stop and then she takes two buses to get to work - two hours each morning and two hours at the end of the day to get home. And she doesn't mind a bit. "I like to help people," she said.

Jill Houghton works with companies to expand employment for people with disabilities. Among the big barriers, she said, are concerns about cost. Companies worry about whether they'll have to make special accommodations or additional training and they want to know how much it's going to cost.

"The reality is that businesses have found that when they create inclusive workplaces, where people with disabilities are working side by side with people without disabilities ... the bottom line is that it doesn't increase costs," said Houghton, who heads the US Business Leadership Network, a trade association that represents about 5,000 businesses.

She said she has noticed a significant increase in calls and requests recently to the group from the business community about hiring people with disabilities.

Companies want to be inclusive of people with disabilities, Houghton said. "Businesses are learning that it just makes good business sense."

Secrets of Getting Into Top Colleges in the USA 2013 - Students and parents at two international schools in Guangdong, China, learned  the secrets of university admission to the top ranked colleges in the United States from an expert last week.

Mark Montgomery, President of American Academic Advisors in Hong Kong, shared his "Roadmap to Selective Universities in the USA" with students eager to pursue higher education in the United States.

Source : www.digitaljournal.com

How Important the Sticker Price of College - The parents of college-age children have some pretty interesting ideas college costs. Big takeaway: the sticker price of college matters a lot.

According to an article by Scott Jaschik in Inside Higher Ed:

About two-thirds of parents say they are “very likely or somewhat likely” to prevent their children from applying to certain colleges because of cost (or, well, the stated cost). So the students will never apply and never see if the school can offer a good financial aid package.

This comes from a poll of parents performed by Inside Higher Ed in conjunction with Gallup.

Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges, told Jaschik that the information should be “a wake-up call” to colleges.

That might be because the high-tuition, high-aid financial aid policies colleges have used for many years are confusing and aren’t an effective way to get low or even moderate-income students to apply to college (see HERE).

Parents want to know what college will cost them; that’s how they make financial plans and decide what they can afford. Promising them vaguely that there’s a “tremendous amount of aid” available isn’t really that helpful. Parents just want to how much they’re going to have to pay.

Source : www.washingtonmonthly.com

Florida Education Budget Includes $480M For Teacher Raises - Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, gave the Senate Education Appropriations Committee its first peek at his proposed education budget Tuesday, and it includes $480 million for teacher raises.

Galvano's working plan increases K-12 funding by $1.1 million -- not quite as much as Gov. Rick Scott has suggested in his own proposed budget.

But the Senate seems to be following Scott's lead on salary increases for teachers.

There is one notable difference: Scott wants all teachers to receive a $2,500 across-the-board salary increase. The Senate Education Appropriations Committee is recommending a merit-based distribution.

"We are giving discretion to the districts to award these funds," Galvano said. "We are having the districts base the award on student achievement." (see HERE)

Additionally, the Senate's proposed budget gives teachers $14 million to purchase classroom supplies, and beefs up school-security spending by more than $12 million.

On the higher-education front, Galvano's proposal restores the $300 million funding cut universities took last year. It also includes $58 million in new performance-based funding.

Galvano stressed that this was not the final version of the Senate's proposed education budget. He intends to make a final recommendation to Senate Budget Chairman Joe Negron by March 27, he said.

"It's good to have significant increases in our education budget and be able to restore funds where in the past, we've had to take funds," he said.

Sen. Maria Lorts Sachs, a Delray Beach Democrat, called the pitch "a good starting point."

"I've always been a great believer in home rule for our school districts," Sachs said. "I think we're beginning to get back to a common-sense approach to education."

Slew of Awards and Recognitions For York High School - A number of York High School students have earned recognition for high academic achievement. And the school itself has earned a couple of recognitions, too.

National Merit Finalists

Six York High School students are among 16,000 semifinalists who have met the requirements to advance to finalist standing in the National Merit Corporation scholarship competition.

Named National Merit Finalists are Karen Altergott, Caroline Dierksheide, Evan Fabry, Emma Fisher, Ushasi Naha and Matthew Wilbur.

A Certificate of Merit was presented to them at a recognition breakfast earlier this month. Finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarships to be offered in 2013. Scholarship winners will be announced in four groups:

About 1.5 million students entered the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program; about 16,000 were named semifinalists. They were designated in proportion to each state’s percentage of the national total of high school graduating seniors. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application and present a record of very high academic performance. (see HERE)

These students are competing for "a significant amount of scholarship money," District 205 Superintendent David Pruneau said at Tuesday's School Board meeting.

"It's exceptional to have six finalists from one high school," he said. "They are proudly representing Elmhurst."

Skills USA State Qualifiers

York students also qualified for state competition in SkillsUSA and will compete in Springfield April 11-13. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry with the goal of creating world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. The following students were recognized:

IDEA State Qualifiers

Congratulations also go to the following students for placing in the Top 3 and qualifying for the State Illinois Drafting Educators Association competition.

Science Olympiad

The York High School Science Olympiad team took fifth place at the March 9 College of DuPage regional competition, which included more than 30 teams.

The following varsity team members were recognized:

The following junior varsity team members were recognized:

The York Science Olympiad Team is led by Coach Jeff Drach.

Stock Market Game

The Stock Market Game is an online program that helps teach math, social studies, business, economics and language skills while focusing on the importance of long-term savings and investment. Students in Jim Borel's business class managed "investment portfolios" for three months with an initial virtual investment of $100,000.

The team of Jakob Gratzianna, Eric Hoff, Zaccaria Miller, Niki Passaris and Jack Polte finished the game by earning more than $22,000 on their initial $100,000 investment, outperforming the S&P 500 by 24 percent over the three months. The group came in second place among 541 teams in the state.

The students were recognized by the District 205 School Board Tuesday.

"To outperform the S&P by 24 percent in a three-month period is, by any standard, extremely impressive," School Board President Jim Collins said.

The Stock Market Game is sponsored by the Illinois Council for Economic Education.

York is a Grammy Signature Schools Semifinalist

York High School is in the running for grants for music excellence as a semifinalist in the Grammy Signature Schools program. York is among 129 semifinalist schools across the nation.

The program recognizes public high schools making an outstanding commitment to music education.

Finalists will receive a grant ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to benefit their music programs.

After the applications are scored, finalists are identified and asked to submit additional documentation, such as recordings of school concerts, sample concert programs and repertoire, which is then reviewed by an independent blue-ribbon committee of top music educators and professionals to determine the schools that merit Grammy Signature School status.

Bright Red Apple Award

Elmhurst District 205 also was awarded the Bright Red Apple Award by School Search. The designation is based on five criteria:

Out of 866 districts in Illinois, 78 earned the Bright Red Apple. This is the 13th consecutive year District 205 has earned the recognition.

"I think that speaks volumes about the quality of Elmhurst schools," Superintendent David Pruneau said at Tuesday's School Board meeting.

School Search helps relocating families evaluate the quality of various school districts. (see HERE)
Source : http://elmhurst.patch.com/