Home Stretch

College seniors are in the middle of a balancing act — finishing up with term papers and looking for work. Commencement is the chance for students to reflect on the past four academic years and reflect on life ahead. Helping students make the transition are high profile commencement speakers from the political, entertainment and business sectors including the following who have been invited this year.

University of Michigan — Michigan’s new governor, Rick Snyder, will be speaking at a university commencement exercise on April 30 at Michigan Stadium. This ceremony is one of the largest of its kind, marking a four-day celebration beginning on Thursday and lasting through Sunday.

Michigan State University — Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak will speak to Spartan grads on May 6 at Breslin Center. Wozniak was selected in keeping with the school’s technology emphasis, recognizing the importance that Apple products have with helping students and faculty members keep in touch with each other.

University of Northern Iowa — First Lady Michelle Obama will speak at two college and one high school commencement exercises this year, beginning with her May 7 visit to Cedar Falls to speak with UNI grads. Mrs. Obama will also speak to grads at Spelman College in June and at a high school ceremony in Virginia later that month.

Babson College — Dropping out of college twice hasn’t hurt Biz Stone who went on to found Twitter, one of the most popular and profitable social media websites. On May 14, Stone will head to Wellesley, Mass. to speak to Babson College grads and family members. Stone attended Northeastern University and UMass Boston, dropping out of both institutions after one year.

Coast Guard Academy — President Barack Hussein Obama will speak to Coast Guard Academy graduates on May 18 at Cadet Memorial Field in New London, CT. Cadets and faculty will attend with a limited number of tickets available for family members and friends.

Rutgers University — For the first time since the 1960s, Rutgers will hold its commencement exercise at Rutgers Stadium, scheduling that event for May 16. Author Toni Morrison will speak, having been paid $30,000 to address grads which is about half her usual fee.

New York University — Former president Bill Clinton will speak to NYU graduates on May 18 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY. Clinton, whose wife Hillary addressed grads in 2009 will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university.

Union College — This Schenectady college won’t be conferring its degrees until June 12, but the wait will be well worth it. Speaking to grads will be Judy Woodruff, former CNN news anchor and currently featured on “The PBS NewsHour.” Some 500 students are expected to be conferred degrees later this spring.

Ohio State University — Ohio Stadium will be the setting for the June 12th graduation of Buckeye seniors. Republican House Speaker John Boehner will be on hand to welcome graduates with more than 8,500 expected to be receive their degrees.

Stanford University — Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, president of Mexico, will speak to Stanford graduates on June 12 at a ceremony held at Stanford University. President Calderón was elected in 2006 to a six-year term and is considered a reformer in America’s southern neighbor.

Updates to Follow

We’ll follow this list up with part two in coming weeks and possibly a third part if the list of speakers is particularly notable. Information in this article was confirmed by each respective school’s media site or student newspaper.

Harvard Business School

Harvard is consistently ranked at or near the top and is, therefore, worthy of being mentioned first in our overview. The school is well known for its award winning faculty and long list of graduates who have gone on to lead companies and countries alike including: former U.S. president George W. Bush, former Masschussetts governor Mitch Romney, Elaine Chao who is currently serving as the Secretary of Labor, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, Intuit founder Scott Cook, Herb Kohl of Kohl Department Stores, former eBay president Meg Whitman and others. The median base salary for 2009 Harvard MBA grads was $114,400 according to school data.[1]

Harvard Business School
1563 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138-2903
617-495-6438
hbs.edu

Stanford Graduate School of Business

A number of surveys place Stanford on top, citing the school’s study abroad initiatives, curriculum tailored to each student, research opportunities and internships. Famous grads include Seagate Technology CEO Steve Luczo, astronaut Steven L. Smith, Sun Microsystems founder Scott McNealy, billionaire Sid Bass, author Seth Godin and investor Charles R. Schwab. The Stanford program is small, highly selective and has less than 400 students in any given class.

Stanford Graduate School of Business
518 Memorial Way
Stanford, CA 94305-5009
650-725-2004
gsb.stanford.edu

Kellogg School of Management

Kellogg is known for its Executive M.B.A., Ph.D. and J.D. programs, with an emphasis on helping students develop teamwork and leadership skills. Founded in 1908, the school partners with universities in Canada, Israel, Germany and Hong Kong and has additional facilities in Chicago and Miami. Some of the more well known Kellogg alumni include David Shaffer, CEO of Thomson Financial, NAACP chair Rosyln M. Brock, North Dakota governor John Hoeven, Mattel CEO Robert Eckert, Kayak.com founder Stephen Hafner, and Booz Allen Hamilton founders Edwin G. Booz and James L. Allen. One recent study conducted by the school has shown that “kissing up” at work works.[2]

Kellogg School of Management
2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
847-491-3300
kellogg.northwestern.edu

Stephen M. Ross School of Business

The Ross School of Business employes “action-based learning,” designed to expose students and faculty to real-world challenges faced by actual businesses and organizations. Students are encouraged to innovate, work with teams and understand business’s role in society. Among the more notable alumni are real estate developer Stephen M. Ross, former Chrysler CFO Jerome B. York, John Z. DeLorean, John V. Faraci CEO of International Paper, venture capitalist Christopher Ilitch and Richard Snyder, chairman of Gateway Corporation.

Stephen M. Ross School of Business
701 Tappan Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-763-5796
bus.umich.edu

The Wharton School

The “other” Ivy League school to make most top M.B.A. lists is Wharton, established in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate-level business school. Wharton is one of the largest programs of its kind with 4,900 students enrolled. The school’s main thrust is on business research and technological innovation. Famous grads of the Wharton program include real estate mogul Donald Trump, billionaire Warren Buffet, publisher Mortimer Zuckerman, market researcher J.D. Power III and Elon Musk of Tesla Motors. Since opening its $140 million Jon M. Huntsman Hall in 2002, other business schools have sought to follow Wharton by updating their own campuses.[3]

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
255 South 38th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6356
215-386-8300
wharton.upenn.edu

Is choosing the one business school program over another one the way to go? Yes, if you’re comparing premium programs with the rest. The average starting salary of top notch b-school grads is in low six-figure territory.

References

[1] Harvard Business School: Statistics

[2] Kellogg School of Management: Flattery will get you far

[3] SFGate.com: Business schools race to erect modern campuses

Resources

The New York Times: Is a Harvard M.B.A. Worth It?

U.S. News: Top Business Schools

If you’re looking for the best engineering schools in the nation as recognized by academia, read on:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this school is the most prestigious university in the USA and probably the world. It has five schools and one college. The MIT School of Engineering offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science degrees through its eight academic departments. It is the largest school at MIT.

• Stanford University: Also known as the Leland Stanford Junior University, this school is located in Stanford, California. The Stanford School of Engineering is renowned the world over for its academic excellence and world famous alumni, most of whom have gone on to create well-known and successful brand names and companies.

• University of California-Berkeley: This public research university located in Berkeley, California has the distinguished honor of being ranked third in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. It offers as many as 300 graduate and undergraduate programs in a variety of disciplines and is ranked second for its undergraduate engineering programs.

• Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech): Although located at Georgia, Atlanta, this university has satellite campuses all over the world including Savannah in Georgia, Metz in France, Athlone in Ireland, Shanghai in China and in Singapore. Georgia Tech has six colleges and is renowned for its science and technology programs with special emphasis on engineering and computing.

• University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign: Founded in Urbana, Illinois in 1867, this university has 18 colleges that offer over 150 courses of study. Some of the best engineering programs in the USA are offered at this university.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of online engineering degrees. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address:  adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com

Photo Credit:  Sanja Gjenero

Excellent Opportunities To Learn Online

Thanks to the rise of online learning, educational opportunities for students has never been better. For the most part, you can take classes when you want and at the speed that works best for you.  Best of all, unlike attending a brick and mortar institution, if a new job does come up, you won’t be forced to make a choice between it and your continued schooling. By taking online classes you can juggle your schedule accordingly and do both!

Our partner site, SayLearning.com has a wealth of information pertaining to online learning, including career specific occupations. Did you know that all degree levels can be earned online? Not just a certificate or diploma, mind you but associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees can had through schools who offer these programs via the internet.

Types of Online Course Study

The areas of discipline are wide and varied too and include, but aren’t limited to the following subjects: business, government, nursing, education, law, management, nonprofit, architecture, masonry, technology, digital media, psychology, fashion, culinary and more. Some coursework can be completed 100% online while others may require the occasional onsite class or third party testing.

Schools Promoting Online Learning

From the onset, schools dedicated to providing online learning helped to bolster online learning including the University of Phoenix, DeVry Institute, The Art Institutes, Kaplan University, ITT Technical Institute, Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, Westwood College, Lincoln Tech, ECPI College of Technology, CDI College and many, many more.

Traditional colleges, those with large campuses scattered across the country, are also offering online coursework, some of which can be completed entirely without ever having to set foot on campus. These schools include the University of North Carolina, Brigham Young University, University of Michigan, Princeton University, Stanford University, Arizona State University, Rutgers University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Caldwell College, College of Charleston, University of Chicago, University of Alaska at Anchorage, Pepperdine University, Tulsa University, Boston College and many, many more schools.

Yes, You Have Options

Of course, taking classes is one thing but affording it is something else. With many people having lost their jobs recently and with others worrying about their finances, taking a class could be the last thing on their mind. Fortunately, grant programs, college scholarships, student loans and other options can remove that barrier, allowing unemployed or career changing students to advance themselves at this time. Check out these online tools to help you weigh your options.

Schools of higher education were among the first users touting the benefits of the internet, with the University of Phoenix getting its start in the 1980s, well before “modem” was a household word. Today, hundreds of schools are offering online degrees, including the following grad programs from five top flight universities:

Edinburgh Business School (EBS) — Located in Scotland, EBS is part of Heriot-Watt University and has a global reputation for providing an excellent MBA degree. Online learning is typically very expensive, but an MBA from EBS will cost approximately $15,000, adjusted for monetary variations.

Stanford Center For Professional Development — Stanford University’s reputation comes to your home computer, allowing students to receive grad degrees in Engineering.

Florida State University — FSU’s College of Social Work was one of the first schools to offer masters degrees to students, making their program available online in 2001.

The Franklin Institute Online — Drexel University’s Franklin Institute is educating students seeking an MS in Education. For taking classes online, Franklin offers students a 10-25% discount on tuition.

Carnegie Mellon — You can receive your Master in Software Engineering online thanks to a program developed by Carnegie Mellon.

Some schools, including Duke University, require grad students to spend a portion of their time on campus while pursuing a degree. Of course, this can severely limit people who cannot travel to Durham, North Carolina, but it may be an option for those who can.

Yes, online learning continues to grow and expand with schools offering certificates; associate, bachelor, and master degrees; even awarding doctorates over the internet.

The 120,000 square-foot building will be located on Campus Drive at the location of the former Fairchild Auditorium. The Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge will incorporate the latest technology and provide a cohesive environment for the school’s new curriculum. Innovative technologies including virtual reality to view various parts of the brain will be used as will using mannequins which breath and bleed, enabling students to gain clinical experience that parallels real world medicine. The building will also house flexible classrooms, lecture halls, and a 350-seat conference center.

According to a press release issued by the university, Mr. Li is chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. and Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. To date, his personal foundation and other private charitable organizations have provided grants, sponsorships and commitments of more than $1.1 billion. His gifts to Stanford University and the medical school in recent years have exceeded $30 million.

Stanford University was founded by railroad magnate and former California governor Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane. The school was named in honor of their only child, Leland Stanford, Jr. who died of typhoid fever when he was 15.

The university expects construction to be completed Spring 2010.

(Source: Stanford University)

Talk about achieving fund-raising success: donations to U.S. colleges and universities rose sharply in 2007 to a record $29.75 billion, an increase of 6.3% over 2006 giving. The year-to-year increase actually follows the academic calendar year, therefore it doesn’t take into consideration the economic slowdown that took hold this past fall.

Stanford University Leads the Way

Once again, the biggest recipient of the spoils was Stanford University which raised 832.4 million dollars, an amount that was significantly less than the all-time record of 911 million dollars garnered the previous year. Still, the California university easily out paced second place Harvard which pulled in $614 million.

The University of California and Johns Hopkins University took the third and fourth spots, netting $469.7 and $430.5 million respectively.

Big Endowments At 76 Schools

Endowments at schools of higher learning across the US continue to expand, despite government calls to have colleges and universities tap these funds to help keep tuition costs in line. At least 76 colleges and universities are now boasting endowments of one billion dollars or more, but that number is expected to hold steady as the stock market pulls back.

Alumni, Foundations Are Big Contributors

Foundations are the largest contributors to colleges and universities, with alumni following a close second. Over the years, giving has corresponded closely to how well stocks are performing: the better the stock market gains, the higher the contributions.

SayCampusLife has been following the call for schools to tap their endowment funds and offer other relief here: US Senate Investigates College Endowment Practices, Small Colleges Feel Pressure to Reduce Tuition,  and How Expensive Is Your College?

Source: (ap.com)