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March 25, 2011

College Administrators Weigh In at Speech

Last week I spoke to a group of 75 parents up in Green Bay regarding Thriving in the 21st Century. My favorite part, as always, was talking with everyone afterwards.

The event was held at a tech college; one of the administrators there told me how they tailor the certificates they offer to the skills that local employers are looking for. She said she tried to get her children to look into obtaining those certificates, but they chose to go off to college instead and now she has three adult children back home with her again.

Another parent who happens to be a vice president of a nearby private college took issue with some of my comments regarding the need for college degrees in the new economy, but after a pleasant discussion we discovered that we're on the same page about many things. He even told me that he recently expelled two students for their own good, since they weren't doing well despite their best efforts. I told him I wish all college personnel had his ethics, because in researching my book I found that many college administrations pursue students without concern for whether they can do the work. It's all about the money.

BTW my book is now at the printers and should be out in early April. Look for excerpts to be posted here soon.

2 comments:

Sandy said...

Looking forward to reading it, Barbara! I especially like hearing from college officials in this post. Sometimes I worry that I come to the opinions I do because I'm in the 'Homeschool Bubble'. Glad to see that's not the case.

Barbara Frank said...

Thanks, Sandy. You know, just because you're in the "homeschool bubble" doesn't necessarily mean you're wrong ;)