As far as major universities go, Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah, isn’t a household name.

The school doesn’t have a huge research facility, active alumni or Top 25 football program. Heck, WGU doesn’t even have a campus unless you count its administrative building as part of that equation.

Online Education

Yes, WGU is an online university, its students are from all 50 states and from around the world. Though founded by 19 western governors, WGU is open to eligible students everywhere. Importantly, its tuition rates are much lower than the typical for-profit online university.

Did I say that WGU is a non-profit educational institution? That’s something worth noting given how expensive college is these days.

Enrolled Students

The milestone WGU has reached is 20,000 enrolled students. That’s significant as the school has grown by 30 percent in each of the past 5 years. The first student was enrolled in 1999 and tuition has only increased by $200 in the past four years.

Yes, dig a bit deeper and you learn that students are paying about $6,000 annually for their education, far off the $40,000 on up figure lots of colleges and universities are charging today.

“Today, more than 70% of college students are considered ‘non-traditional,’ meaning that they don’t live on a campus and that they work and have family responsibilities,” said WGU’s Vice President of Marketing & Enrollment Patrick Partridge. “WGU makes it possible for these non-traditional students to realize their dream of advancing their education by providing a flexible, affordable way to get an accredited degree online.”

Degrees Conferred

To date, WGU has conferred more than 7,000 degrees with that number expected to increase sharply as the current crop of students make their way through their classes.

Notably, big business is bullish on WGU, perhaps because the school makes it easy (and affordable) for their employees to further their education. WGU counts AT&T, Dell, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, Hewlett-Packard, HCA, Microsoft, Oracle, Qwest, SunGard Higher Education, Sun Microsystems, American Express, and Zions Bank among the corporations and foundations who support the university.

Adv. — Do you need help paying for your education? A Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan can help you close the financing gap. Competitive rates; world-class business.

2010 gridiron action kicks off Thursday night!

Utes fans await the Pitt Panthers for Thursday night action.

Can it be here already? That “here” would be the 2010 college football season.

After an active summer when several colleges announced that they would be leaving their leagues for brighter horizons, the conference transfer rumors quickly died down and practice for the season began. Those warm ups are now over and the first games will be held tomorrow night with opening weekend action continuing through Labor Day.

Thursday Night

The very first game of this season and weekend will kick off at 6:30 p.m. as Presbyterian plays at Wake Forest. The weekend’s action concludes on Monday at 8 p.m. when Boise State and Virginia Tech duke it out in Washington, D.C. Key games are getting air time with some getting national coverage while others are being shown locally.

Although there are a number of lopsided contests scheduled for this weekend–considering that college football doesn’t have a preseason like the NFL that is understandable–there are a number of contests worth following this weekend including:

Southern Miss at South Carolina – The Golden Eagles take on the Gamecocks in Columbia, a contest between a middle of the road Conference USA team and a middle of the road SEC school. I’m picking the Gamecocks to win at home.

Pittsburgh at Utah — Of course, THE game to watch on Thursday night is the Panthers at the Utes. The Panthers are the top choice for Big East honors this year while the Utes will be heading to the Pac 10 (12) next year. A lot is riding on this game for both teams, but I’m going with Utah in a close one.

Friday action is a disappointment as the only games scheduled are Villanova at Temple and Arizona at Toledo. Seems to me someone could have put a marquee game on; plenty of people won’t be able to tune in on Thursday night, but they will on Friday.

UConn at Michigan – Of all the Saturday contests, this one could be easily overlooked. Michigan is improved and so are the Huskies. I’m going with UConn to pull out an upset in front of 110,000 disappointed Wolverine fans in Ann Arbor.

San Jose State at Alabama – The only reason to watch this game is to see last year’s national champions start off their quest for a repeat. You’ll watch the game long enough for the real action to begin the following hour. Obviously, the Crimson Tide will romp.

Oregon State at TCU – 45 minutes after the ‘Bama game starts, these two teams will hash it out in Texas. I’m not sure why, but I keep thinking that the Beavers will dispose of the Horned Frogs in Arlington.

LSU at North Carolina — I like this match up because it is one of the more even games between ranked teams. Though I live only 30 minutes from Chapel Hill, I believe the Tigers will prevail.

Sunday will be like Friday as Tulsa takes on East Carolina followed by Southern Methodist at Texas Tech. Instead, fire up the grill and invite some friends over.

Labor Day games risk getting overlooked as people head back from the shore and are relaxing by cooking out or are preparing to head back to school. Though you may not be interested in tuning in to Navy at Maryland at 4 p.m. ET, you’ll want to make sure that you view the 8 p.m. contest between Boise State and Virginia Tech. Yes, the best game has been saved for last! I believe the Hokies will squeeze by the Broncos who, by the way, no longer are a surprise or underrated college football team.

Adv. — College is expensive! Paying for school need not bury you in debt. Carefully choose a student loan you can live with; check out the Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan to see if this option is right for you.

Photo courtesy of the University of Utah.

There are sure things that take place every August and I’m not talking about students heading off to college. Rather, The Princeton Review faithfully releases an update of its “best colleges” guide and that annual update features more colleges than the previous year’s edition.

“The Best 373 Colleges,” is out and this edition (2010, Random House/Princeton Review Books) includes two more schools — Austin College in Sherman, Texas and University of Missouri-Columbia. Go back a number of years, 1998 for example, and 311 colleges were featured. The 2011 edition marks 18 years of “best colleges” updates and I just happened to receive a copy for my perusal.

Best Colleges

So why might you be interested in this book anyway? That’s a good question considering that there are thousands of colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. The Princeton Review limits their selection to four-year schools although Deep Springs College, a two-year institution, is included. That California school limits itself to 26 students who enjoy a full expenses paid education. Importantly, students usually transfer to Ivy League and other top educational institutions once they have completed their studies.

The Princeton Review bases its school selection on internal data which reveals the schools students are considering and other factors including reputation in academic circles and their own research and interviews to determine which schools to include. Not every school with an outstanding academic pedigree is included — administrators must agree to allow the Princeton Review to conduct anonymous surveys of its students. Most do, but some do not.

And it is those 122,000 student surveys which tells the reader a lot about each school. Certainly, information about student enrollment, academics, admissions ratings and financial aid ratings are very helpful, but what sets The Best 373 Colleges apart is the input received from currently enrolled students themselves. Think about it: the material students get from the schools can be beneficial, but that information doesn’t include unbiased reports from students.

Informative Lists

That means in addition to sharing detailed information about each school, this reference book also makes good use of “Top 20” rankings and lists including the following:

• What school has the least accessible professors? That would be the University of Toronto with Rutgers (New Brunswick) second.
• Who has the best campus food? That’s Bowdoin College. On the opposite end of the food spectrum is the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
• Naturally, Columbia University, Barnard College, Eugene Lang College and New York University rank as having the best college town as all four schools are located in the city that never sleeps — New York City. Pity the students who attend Tuskegee University — they give their school the lowest marks when it comes to college town life.

College Ads

One addition to this edition are the advertisements from 15 colleges and universities. Those full-page ads are stuck in the very back of the book and are from the schools themselves. The Princeton Review is quick to point out that the schools with ad copy are not chosen based on a financial contribution or due to their advertising. The “School Says…” section starts on page 819, after the reviews.

My favorite section of the book can be found on page 52 — the 100 best value colleges for 2010. Two lists of 50 private and 50 public colleges and universities are featured including some of the most expensive schools in the land. What makes each of these a value? That would be in student aid especially if you’re eligible to receive the funding necessary to help contain your college costs.

Adv. — Is college costing you more than what you can afford? Sallie Mae can help, by providing a Smart Option Student Loan designed to close your financing gap.

Specialized training for prospective cabin crewmembers

If you’re looking to start a career in flying, then a college degree isn’t necessary to become a flight attendant. Certainly, you can have a degree, but the hiring requirements for cabin crewmembers by the airlines typically requires you to have a high school diploma or equivalent.

The airline market is currently in the doldrums, which means hiring is also down though not out. You can get your training directly through the airlines or consider the following five flight attendant training schools to help you get your wings:

AeroStar Training Services

Located in central Florida, AeroStar Training Services offers a comprehensive flight attendant training program covering basic indoctrination, FAA regulations, cabin service, emergency equipment, evacuation and more. Learn the fundamentals of the craft and gain an understanding of what the industry is all about.

AeroStar Training Services
4215 Lindy Circle
Orlando, Florida 32827
407-888-9011
aerostartyperatings.com

Beyond & Above Corporate Flight Attendant Training

Mary Lou Gallagher is a former commercial flight attendant turned business jet flight attendant turned company CEO. Beyond & Above is for people who want to crew corporate jets, business aviation aircraft which travel the world. Her one-week training session can be the foundation you need to reach higher.

Beyond & Above Corporate Flight Attendant Training
P.O. Box 5022
Gulfport, FL 33737
727-384-4135
beyondandabove.net

Pan Am International Flight Academy

As the only survivor of Pan American Airways, this flight school’s reputation precedes it. Founded in 1927, the flight academy has training facilities across the United States and abroad offering five-day foundational training covering basic indoctrination, aircraft familiarization, emergency procedures, security and more.

Pan Am International Flight Academy
5000 Northwest 36th St.
Miami, FL 33136
305-874-6000
panamacademy.com

The Airline Academy, Inc.

Based in Daytona Beach, The Airline Academy’s Flight Attendant & Customer Service program can help prepare you for a career with the airlines. This is a three-phase program with the first phase involving distance learning, the second phase is resident training and the third phase is flight attendant indoctrination held at JetBlue University in Orlando.

The Airline Academy, Inc.
340 South Beach St., Suite 101
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
800-798-0202
theairlineacademy.com

The Travel Academy

Six weeks of training can help prepare you for a new career as a flight attendant. The Travel Academy is based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and offers students a basic 120-hour training class or a comprehensive 300-hour class. A virtual training program is available too.

The Travel Academy
7900 International Drive, Suite 10
Bloomington, MN 55425
952-854-7161
thetravelacademy.com

Adv. — Do you need funding for your higher education? A Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan can help you cover the cost of your schooling.

Friends of ours are in a panic because they have one year to go before the oldest of their three children heads off to college. He is a gifted student and may be eligible for some scholarships, but his family makes a bit too much money to qualify for most student aid.

That means the family is looking at paying more than $40,000 per year for college over the next four years if “junior” follows through with attending nearby Duke University and living on campus. But, before he does that I think I’ll share with his family my copy of Barron’s Best Buys in College Education (2010 | Barron’s) first.

That reference book, which was first compiled in 1990, has been updated in 2010 for its eleventh edition. As always, it features high quality colleges and universities, priced at levels most families can afford. That’s good news because sticker shock seems to be a generally expected occurrence these days.

Best Buys

Find a first-class education at a price you can afford is the tagline for this book which offers a state-by-state breakdown of “best buys.” Though I now live in North Carolina, I decided to see which schools in my native New Jersey are listed and found the two I expected to appear: The College of New Jersey in Ewing and Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Both these schools offer above average education without busting the bank, although families will take note that when living on campus the cost for each school can increase to more than $20,000 annually for in-state students. But, that amount is half what a New Jersey kid would pay at Princeton which is what this reference book is all about: finding equivalent education and paying less for it.

Detailed Information

“Best Buys” gives detailed information about each school, but starts out by sharing five “quick lists” to help narrow down the selection. Those lists feature schools with 20,000 or more students, 1,000 or fewer students, colleges charging under $15,000 annually, schools dominated by single-sex enrollment and colleges with chapters of Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society.

Enough information is presented about a school to help prospective students narrow their list quickly. Barron’s explains whether the school is in an urban, suburban or rural location, who controls the college, breakdown of enrollment by gender, graduate enrollment, student/faculty ratio, freshmen profile, faculty profile, tuition and fees, room and board, freshmen financial aid, campus jobs, application deadline, financial aid deadline and admissions information.

Further, Barron’s tells a story about the college to give the reader an important backdrop on how the school formed and important factors students look at including facilities, special programs, campus life, how many students return for their sophomore year, payoff (pay attention to this section, parents!) and bottom line — what an education at that school has to offer.

The Bottomline

Best Buys offers something college-bound families need to know and that is a top-notch education can be had for less money. Skyrocketing tuition means students need to explore all of their options, Best Buys in College Education makes it easier to narrow that list down.

Adv. — Are you coming up short financially this semester? A Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan is one option to consider to help you close the financing gap.

One thing will be definitely different this year with the college football season: no games will be played in August. The month of August has in recent years become the starting point for the season, but with Labor Day arriving on September 6 this year, the first games will be played on Thursday, September 2.

Don’t worry, FBS (Division 1-A) teams will still get their twelve games in with many team schools getting give games in during September.

The first weekend, extending through Labor Day, there will be several notable match ups including Oregon State at TCU and LSU at North Carolina on Saturday followed by Boise State v. Virginia Tech at Washington, D.C. on Monday.

But most of the games for this first weekend of the season will be real yawners, almost as bad as scheduling Barbizon Beauty Academy to face off against the New England Patriots. Not that bad really, but “prep” games nonetheless including the following five we most certainly will NOT be watching:

1. Presbyterian Blue Hose at Wake Forest Demon Deacons — If any, these teams nicknames should be a rib tickler for fans watching the game. Presbyterian is a small-time Big South team coming off of an 0-11 season. They scheduled Wake Forest and Clemson for their first two games, suggesting that going into league play they’ll be beat up. Or at least richer for giving up two home games for pay!

2. Youngstown State Penguins at Penn State Nittany Lions — Okay, this match up isn’t as bad as the first one, but Missouri Valley Conference foe Youngstown State is no match for the No. 19 Nittany Lions. Easy win for JoePa who is still alive and coaching in Happy Valley.

3. Stony Brook Seawolves at South Florida Bulls — Maybe this game won’t be the terrible mismatch it appears to be on paper given that Stony Brook finished atop the Big South Conference last year with Liberty and has coaxed several Hofstra players to join the team following that school’s cancellation of football. Then again, the Bulls are now led by Skip Holtz and aren’t about to give the Seawolves a leg to stand on.

4. Miami RedHawks at Florida Gators — Miami v. Florida has a classical showdown tone to it, but that isn’t what will be seen on Saturday when the RedHawks of Ohio travel to the swamp to take on the Gators. 1-11 in 2009, the Ohio team will be playing the No. 4 team in the nation. Good luck with that!

5. Portland State Vikings at Arizona State Sun Devils — They went 2-9 in Big Sky Conference play last year while the Sun Devils struggled in the Pac 10, finishing 4-8 . Still, we’re talking to completely different levels of play and the Vikings aren’t up to where Arizona State has to be week in and week out.

Not every game between bigger and smaller programs will be a snap this weekend. UC Davis could give Cal some fits on Saturday while Maryland may rue the day they agree to play Navy in Baltimore on a Labor Day afternoon.

Adv. — Are you falling financially short this semester? A Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan may be able to provide for you a way to bridge the financing gap.

By Anna Miller

There’s no doubt that the first prize for the largest number of apps being developed goes to the iPhone – this brilliant gadget from Apple has revolutionized the way we use a mobile phone. And while the BlackBerry may have the highest worldwide sales, when it comes to a college campus, the iPhone rules the roost.

If a student can afford one, you can bet your last dollar that he or she is going to buy this smartphone, if not for its cool looks and utility value, then at least for the many apps that are designed exclusively to make college campuses and life on them more exciting and productive. So here there are, a few of the best iPhone apps for the college campus:

1. eTextbooks for iPhone: Buying textbooks when you’re in college is not a joke – you seem to be shelling out all your money for the huge tomes that you must have. With your iPhone you have the opportunity to buy eTextbooks – they’re not only easy to carry around on your phone, you can also read them wherever you are and raise your productivity.
2. SnapTell: Another useful app when it comes to finding cheap and affordable textbooks (or any other book or CD or DVD) – just take a photo of the cover and it provides a list of prices and sellers along with their location.
3. Jott: This app is a great way to take notes – it allows you to voice record your lectures and then transcribe them to your notepad. These files can be emailed to yourself so you have a whole set of notes ready to study when it’s time for exams.
4. iStudiez Pro: A college student’s life is haphazard to say the least – what with all that’s going on with them, they find it hard to stay organized. This nifty app allows you to organize your classes, homework, exam schedules, assignment due dates and your social calendar in one place – now you don’t have to carry all this information in your head and kick yourself for forgetting that important date or having to rush to meet that assignment deadline.
5. Wi-Fi Finder: This free app lets you find Wi-Fi hotspots on campus, thus saving you money on your data plan and allowing you to browse the web for free.
6. Wikipanion: Wikipedia on the web is brought to your phone in this avatar – it makes a quick reference that much easier when you’re on the go. This app is free; however, if you want one with more features, you can buy it for $4.99.
7. Instapaper: How often have you run of time when browsing the net? This app allows you to save websites in a format that is easy to read on your phone; it also facilitates offline browsing and bookmarking.
8. Facebook: Anyone who is on the web today uses Facebook; it’s not just a site where you interact with your friends, it’s also a great way to stay in touch with people who mean a lot to you and live far away. This app brings Facebook to your phone, making it easy to stay on top of updates and happenings.
9. Dictionary.com: You may be a college student, but that’s no reason not to suck when it comes to spellings. With this app however, you don’t have to worry about finding the right spelling or meaning of a word anymore – it provides access to more than 275,000 definitions and 80,000 synonyms.
10. Urbanspoon: Tired of campus food and yet too broke to afford food outside? This app helps you find cost-effective food outlets within a half-mile radius of your campus. Go out, eat to your heart’s content, and return knowing that your wallet is not that much lighter.

There are many other apps for the iPhone that are tailored for the college student, so browse the iTunes store to find what you need.

Author Information

Anna Miller writes about online degrees. She welcomes your comments to her email account at anna.miller009@gmail.com.

Some girls do not show much interest in science and math, which is too bad considering how well women have done in these fields down through the years. Though usually discouraged from pursuing opportunities in mathematics, biology, astronomy and related fields, when gifted women have been given the right tools and offered encouragement they often have succeeded just as well, if not better, than their male counterparts.

Mabel Armstrong, a former college chemistry professor, has detailed the historical female stars in astronomy, dating back to Babylonian times when priestesses accurately predicted the arrival of comets and eclipses. In, “Women Astronomers: Reaching For The Stars,” (2008 | Stone Pine Press), Armstrong takes the reader back through history to look at the women who took stargazing to a level not common to their gender.

Women Astronomers is interesting and informative, sharing information about numerous women who have made their mark tracking celestial stars including:

EnHeduanna — Being the daughter of a Babylonian leader had its perks. When your father was King Sargon, who ruled around 2350 BCE, the opportunities are endless. Though her birth name was unknown, Sargon’s daughter was called EnHeduanna which means “ornament of heaven.” That name was appropriate because she managed a team of astronomer priestesses who tracked the movement of stars and created calendars, accurately predicting eclipses and the arrival of comets.

Hildegard of Bingen — Europe’s Dark Ages followed the decline of the Roman Empire and suggested the economic and cultural collapse of Europe. But those centuries of deprivation weren’t totally void of educational advancement as the convents and monasteries of that era sparked study. Hildegard of Bingen, who was born in 1098, opened a convent in 1150, studying celestial matters as well as the spiritual. She was one of the first to believe that the earth revolved around the sun, a matter that was ignored for more than 300 years.

Maria Mitchell — Born in 1818 in Nantucket, Maria Mitchell’s interest in the stars came from her family’s ties to shipping. You see, boat captains relied on the stars to help with their navigation, using that information to move between two points to avoid collisions and other catastrophes.  In 1847, while scanning the heavens, Mitchell discovered a comet not previously recorded. That discovery launched her career as an astronomer and teacher, and made her the foremost woman scientist of that time.

Vera Rubin — It has been in more recent times, since the 1970s, that women have been accepted in astronomy. Vera Rubin, born in 1928, has helped pave the way for women today, securing her PhD after marrying and starting a family. An understanding husband and her helpful parents (who looked after the children so that she could attend Georgetown University at night for two years) supported her.  Over the years, Rubin’s work has examined how galaxies behave and has challenged long-held theories involving physics.

Rising Stars

Women Astronomers is Armstrong’s successful effort to encourage girls and young women to consider astronomy as a career. She concludes her book by sharing snippets of information about 15 young 21st century women who are today’s rising stars in the field, just the sort of transition she hopes will encourage another generation of women astronomers.

Adv. — Need cash for tuition this semester? A Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan can provide for you a way to close the financing gap.

By Jesse Bray

There once was a time when the email server provided by a college or university to its faculty and students was considered to be a major benefit for attending or teaching at that school.

Times have changed as a majority of the student email accounts that universities are providing are quickly being forwarded to another preferred email address, if not abandoned altogether. This trend has led many colleges to consider alternatives to hosting their own email servers, even driving some schools to eliminate email services altogether.

Here are three major options, as well as their benefits and drawbacks:

Hosting the Servers

While no longer the only option, hosting a web server still provides several advantages for schools. For one, hosting servers provides an extra level of control and a thick layer of security. While this may not be important for all students, it is important for faculty who share confidential student information, grades, and testing data using their university provided email address. Even for those universities and colleges choosing other options for their student email services, having the school host servers for faculty email may be wise.

On the flip side, hosting your own servers is a very expensive process that requires hardware, software, and maintenance. It’s difficult to keep up with the quickly moving world of technology, so even after the servers are created, they’ll need frequent updates if they’re going to function at peak performance.

Outsourcing the Hosting

If a university doesn’t want to handle the email hosting itself, it can always outsource it to a group that will take care of the nitty-gritty details. This means that someone else will handle the expensive hardware, software, and maintenance costs and will keep your email services current as well. This option is more affordable with some services offering a “pay for what you use” alternative that may be best for colleges noticing students moving away from the provided email service.

Drawbacks include a lack of direct control, the loss of a layer of security, and an inherent cost. According to Rackhost, as of August 2010, 20 percent of colleges use this method instead of doing their own hosting.

Using a Free Server

It is possible for colleges to team up with free email services to host their email. This includes servers like those provided by GMail. These kinds of servers are usually reliable and up to date, and they’re available at absolutely no cost. While this may be what students are accustomed to using, it also dramatically limits the options for students and faculty.

For example, students may not use their email address directly, providing the service is still useful. Having an .edu email address, creating an automated way of contacting students and faculty, and having a customized university email system are still valued by many campus constituencies.

Author Information

Jesse Bay represents Rackspace, one of the top email hosting providers.

Adv. — Need cash for tuition this semester? A Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan can provide for you a way to close the financing gap.