Will Q-W-E-R-T replace A-B-C?
Crayons? Check.
Lunchbox with hidden note from Mommy? Check.
Pink Backpack? Check.
Notebook computer able to run Windows, Word and Webkins? Ummm…. not yet. After all, my child is only 5.
So I didn’t get her a computer this year — nor was I asked to. But there could be a time when elementary school children tote laptops to school as easily as they now pack lovenotes and lunchables.
Already, many high school students rely on laptops to keep up in class, and you’d never dream of sending a college student to campus without a computer.
What do you think? Will old-fashioned “paper” notebooks become a relic someday?
Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Saving Dimes on Dorm Decor
If you’ve got a teen heading to college this month, you’ve probably also got a lengthy shopping list of must-haves he or she will need for dorm living.
Extra-long sheets for the school-issued bunk bed, mini-fridge and snacks, alarm clock.
But retail economists say many families are cutting back on other less-necessary items, like designer comforters and fancy electronics. Families are expected to spend 7 percent less each year, or about $600 per child on school supplies, clothing and furniture. They say the summer jobs market was weak and national economic worries are taking toll.
What about you? What are you shopping for, and what are you passing on? What does your teen want/need/must have?
Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Elevating Our Economy
The annual meeting of CareerTech educators and administrators started today in a new location — downtown Oklahoma City. (Previously, meetings have been held in Tulsa.) But CareerTech state director Phil Berkinbile had another locale in mind in his opening address — DisneyWorld.
He said Walt Disney’s dream started with a drawing of a mouse and a vision of greatness. CareerTech doesn’t have Mickey Mouse but it does aim “to help make dreams and success a reality for Oklahomans,” he said.
The CareerTech system of vocational technical schools across the state helps tens of thousands of high school students and adults each year gain job readiness skills, and for many, a start on a college education.
But the system also struggles with higher operating costs amid stagnant state funding, loss of many Baby Boomer instructors to retirement, and a significant high school drop out rate.
Still, CareerTech graduates add $2 billion annually to the state’s economy, Berkinbile said.
Now that’s a mouse that roars.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
A Sobering List
You’ve heard of the “Party School” rankings that list college campuses reputed for wild, drunken debauchery.
But have you heard of the “Stone-Cold Sober Schools” ranked by Princeton Review?
Here are the top 20 tee-totaling colleges, based on a survey of 120,000 students.
1. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
2. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.
3. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn.
4. College of the Ozarks, Point Lockout, Mo.
5. Grove City College, Grove City, Pa.
6. U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
7. U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
8. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
9. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif.
10. Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.
11. U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
12. Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga.
13. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Mass.
14. City University of New York-Queens College, Flushing, N.Y.
15. Webb Institute, Glen Cove, N.Y.
16. Berea College, Berea, Ky.
17. Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Ga.
18. City University of New York-Baruch College, New York.
19. Simmons College, Boston.
20. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Do you have any schools to add, to either category?
Susan Simpson
Does OSU motto CORRELATE?
Oklahoma State University has launched a new marketing campaign with a catchy slogan: INNOVATE – CREATE – EDUCATE – GO STATE.
Frankly, all those “ates” have me craving some Hideaway Pizza or Eskimo Joe’s cheese fries: all things I shouldn’t CONTEMPLATE.
OSU says the new tag line builds on the momentum created from “the STATE’s university” campaign launched several years ago.
What do you think? What other slogans would you NOMINATE for OSU or any other university?
Let me know here.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Getting his Kicks
Andy Benton, a former Oklahoman and longtime president of Pepperdine University, is on a journey of a lifetime.
And he’s packed some good tunes for the ride.
Benton is driving his 2008 Mustang Bullitt along Route 66 from Chicago to Malibu.
His goal? To explore expectations Americans in the heartland have about education, especially higher education.
Benton is board chairman of the American Council on Education, an advocacy group that hopes to influence both government and public opinion.
He’s bound to get lots of opinion on this trip. About education, about Route 66, about his car and certainly about his eclectic choice of music. Songs include “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts, the musical score from the movie Gettysburg and “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream.
Here’s hoping he finds lots of sunshine on his way through Oklahoma tomorrow. I’ll be talking to him as he heads into Oklahoma City for a reception at the Skirvin Hotel with Pepperdine alumni.
In the meantime, you can check out his travel blog at http://www.pepperdine.edu/route66
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Binge Drinking in College
Does just going to college make you more likely to binge drink?
A national study followed students from early adolescence through their mid-20s and found that compared to their peers that never attended college, current college students were less likely to have been binge drinkers prior to their college years but more likely to binge drink once they entered college.
The researchers say this is probably the result of the college environment. Living in an environment in which drinking behaviors are promoted may increase binge drinking. Also, college students with a greater genetic risk consumed more alcohol per drinking episode.
What do you think? Is getting drunk and sloppy on weekends still a “rite of passage” for college students? It’s not harmless fun if you consider the auto accidents and even death that result from drunk driving, or the impact on relationships and studies.
Post a comment here or e-mail me your thoughts at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Operation Clean Up
No butts about it, Operation Clean Up was a smashing success today at Oklahoma State University.
OSU kicked off its first day as a tobacco-free campus by asking students and employees to pick up cigarette butts littering the Stillwater campus.
Here are the results:
– Approximately 26,667 cigarette butts were collected in one hour (10 pounds)
– This number translates to 293,337 minutes of life lost on campus due to premature death caused by tobacco use (as per British Medical Journal – one cigarette reduces life by 11 minutes – http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/320/7226/53 )
– The “value” of the cigarettes $5,586.74 (average in Oklahoma is $4.19 per pack)
– Time spent smoking this number of cigarettes (assumes 7 minute average) = 186,669 minutes or 3111 hours
– The New York Times reports for each pack of cigarettes smoked, it costs the nation more than $7 in medical care and lost productivity. Based on this average, the number of butts collected today cost the nation $9331 in healthcare and lost productivity.
– Approximately 25 volunteers from across campus participated in the event.
Readers, make sure you check out our new blog by several OSUers trying to quit smoking. http://blog.newsok.com/quitting
Susan Simpson
New Degree Programs
Looking to learn to write the great American novel? Or to learn to teach others to write novels, poetry and nonfiction?
State Regents last week approved a new degree program at Oklahoma State University: a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
The graduate program aims to train the practicing writer/teacher and will begin enrollment in fall 2012. The Association of Writers and Writing Programs cited an increase in the number of jobs for writers, both in academic jobs and as self-employed or freelance.
The MFA in creative writing requires 42 to 45 credit hours.
Other new programs approved by State Regents are:
OSU-OKC: Associate in Applied Science in Dietetic Technology; East Central University, Ada: Master of Science in Accounting; Tulsa Community College: Associate in Applied Science in Computer Programming, Transaction Processing Facility and Certificate in Computer Programming, Transaction Processing Facility; and Western Oklahoma State College, Altus: Associate in Applied Science in Production Agriculture.
Thank You RCC
When people ask me where I went to college, it takes me a second to form an appropriate reply. I claim credits from three institutions (and a failed attempt at another). Generally people want to know where I graduated (UCO), if I went to OSU (I did for a year and still look good in orange apparel) and which alma mater was most influential (Redlands Community College.)
Redlands, then called El Reno Junior College, was most influential for several reasons, the most important being my family could afford to send me there (if I also worked a job or two.)
I don’t remember what I paid for tuition per hour, but I’m sure it was far less than the current rate of $97. That said, Redlands and all other state community colleges remain the best bargains in higher education.
If you look at the cost of 30 credit hours (a year’s worth), the tab at Redlands is nearly $1,000 less than at the least expensive four-year campus, Langston University. It’s less than half the cost to attend the University of Oklahoma.
Yes, you could argue that the OU professors might be more highly qualified, holding doctorate degrees and using better equipped classrooms. None of that matters if you can’t afford to go there in the first place.
Without Redlands, I wouldn’t have started my college journey, and gotten some necessary scholarships to continue on at bigger campuses. Without Redlands, I wouldn’t have gained the confidence in my education abilities to carry me forward.
So next time someone asks where I went to college, I won’t hesitate to say Redlands Community College – even if I’m wearing orange.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
