Maurna R. Desmond
Forbes
America's undercapitalized independent schools could be the next industry to pop.
In June, 157-year-old Antioch College decided to "suspend operations" at its flagship campus despite a push from alumni to rescue the flailing institution. At that point, only 60 students were enrolled, and their $40,000 per year tuition was being heavily subsidized by Antioch's five newer campuses.
Antioch Chancellor Toni Murdock said the plug had to be pulled. "It was a downward spiral where fewer students led to fewer professors, and eventually the deficit was projected to be so large that the other schools no longer wanted to subsidize their mother school."
They may soon have company. Home builders and banks aren't the only ones facing economic headwinds these days. America's undercapitalized independent colleges are staring at a spiral of major threats to solvency as penny-pinching students and parents consider cheaper options, and funding sources dry up. As a result, they could be the next bubble industry to pop.
The crush is coming fast. According to a September 2008 study by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, of the 504 member institutions surveyed, one-third said the credit crunch had hurt enrollment, and about a fifth of respondents said they had fewer returning students than expected. Roughly the same number said they had a smaller incoming freshman class than expected.
But while head counts slide, needs rise. Demand for student aid is up, but charitable donations from foundations and individuals will fall during a downturn. Ditto for investment returns. And thanks to tanking tax revenue, federal aid may take a hit, too. Taken together, many independent institutions start to look vulnerable. "They are financially precarious for sure," says Sandy Baum, a Skidmore College economist and senior policy analyst at the College Board.
"Country Club" Closed?
The crunch will be particularly bitter for the institutions that drained coffers to build "country club colleges" complete with luxury dormitories, spas and top of the line sports complexes to lure choice students, hoping that a sharper crowd would lead to more accretive diplomas, entering a profitable cycle of more successful alumni and increased donations.
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Many had little choice. "If a college decides we're not going to have fancy dorms or build a shiny new gym, students are not going to that college," says Baum. "People are not choosing the lowest price college, and that's a consumer issue, not a public policy problem."
Adds William Powers, the president of the University of Texas at Austin: "The market is choosing quality regardless of incremental costs."
Blowing Bubbles
This is at a price. College tuition has increased by more than three times the rate of inflation for the last 20 years, despite U.S. wages flat-lining since 2000. The average tuition at a private four-year institution grew 6.6% year-over-year in 2007 to $23,712, according to the College Board. This is pricey in itself, but when you add in all the luxe living expenses, the total bill touches $50,000 a year at the high end.
To the chagrin of financial advisers, students are increasingly turning to higher interest private loans to meet the burgeoning college bill. Private loans made up 24% of total education loans in 2006-07, up from 6% a decade ago. In 2008, students secured $20 billion in private loans--amounting to roughly a fifth of total undergraduate borrowings for the year. Taxpayers pony up, too, chipping in an average $4,000 per student through government loans and grants to private institutions, which usually come up with $3,720 in aid (often in the form of discounted tuitions) as well.It's a scenario familiar to anyone who watched the housing bubble blow. "We are at a trend line that cannot be sustained," says Matt Snowling, an analyst at Friedman, Billings and Ramsey, who covers the student loan industry. "Tuition must go down, or there will be limited demand at high-priced private schools."
Not Everyone
Yet for many schools, tuition is the lifeblood of their finances. There isn't much to fall back on. In 2006, the College Board reported the wealthiest 10% of private four-year colleges and universities had an estimated average of about $454,100 in endowments per student, compared to about $15,000 at median institutions.
Larger academic systems with deep capital reserves, like the University of California or the 28 Jesuit institutions in the U.S., are in much better shape. At UT Austin--a public university in a state with a $12 billion budget surplus and a football program that brings in $5 million a year--the only cuts Powers is looking to make involve thinning out the number of five- and six-year undergraduate seniors on his campus. Getting students to graduate "expeditiously" saves a bundle, he says.
Consolidation Is Coming
Private colleges will be the next fragmented industry to consolidate as a result of this over-expansion, says Terry McCarthy, a managing director at executive search firm Horton International, in much the same way large hospital groups rolled up smaller and weaker rivals in the 1990s.
Absorption by stronger and possibly more academically recognizable universities will be good news for some schools. The trouble, he says, is that students who hold diplomas from the then defunct universities will risk a "loss of recognition" in their quality of education.
Others will fight the trend, too. "Particularly for schools that are financially weak, you might see some mergers," says Joel Seligman, president at the University of Rochester. "But faculty who are powerful at universities resist mergers because they have a lot to lose."
Resistance may prove difficult. Pinched students and parents are likely to be more curious about whether prospective institutions are at risk of going bust. Expect to see college marketing materials with increased emphasis on growing enrollment, robust endowments and healthy long-term financial prospects.
Antioch's Murdock sees opportunity in the troubles ahead. "Now we're developing a growth move because of the programs we offer for professional adults," she says. "Perhaps we'll merge with other campuses that are in trouble."
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Docs in Hock
David Whelan
At $250,000 a year on average, according to search firm Merritt Hawkins, doctors earn four times what the typical college grad earns. (Primary care physicians--internists and pediatricians, for example--average $160,000.)
Yet in a recent survey only 18% of physicians termed their practices financially stable. What's making things tougher these days is the liability side of physicians' balance sheets. Doctors are leaving school carrying average debts of $155,000. That's up from an inflation-adjusted $50,000 in debt 25 years ago and represents eight times the debt load of the typical college graduate. Doctors' debt has jumped from 20% of their average pay to 60% today.
That adds up to very sobering financial prospects for doctors interested in the profession's lower-paying specialties. Intent on becoming a primary care physician, Linda McGee decided to let the National Health Service Corps pick up the $32,000 annual tuition for three of her four years at Wake Forest's medical school. In return McGee was required, after completing her residency in 1999, to work for three years in an underserved area of Hagerstown, Md., where she earned $110,000 a year.
It was a financial stretch given that McGee left school with $80,000 in student debt, even with the Corps' help obtaining her medical degree. After completing her service she remained a family doctor, despite the relatively low pay. A decade out of school McGee still owes $18,000 on her student loans but has no regrets.
"I enjoy being a primary care physician," McGee says.
In many other cases, entire medical careers are shaped by tightening economic realities. Ravi D. Goel, a Cherry Hill, N.J. eye surgeon, racked up $18,000 in debt getting his undergraduate degree from Yale in 1993. He opted for New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson program because its $14,000 annual tuition was 45% below what private medical schools cost.
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Goel added $87,000 in debt during medical school. Then came four years of residency, when he earned $35,000 annually. To get by he deferred loan payments. Interest compounded. By the time he completed ophthalmology training in 2001, Goel's bill had ballooned to $130,000.
Fearful of spending his life in debt, Goel went straight into practice rather than pursuing a research fellowship. He consolidated his debt and locked in $105,000 in federal loans at 5.6% over 30 years. He's paying off another $15,000 in Sallie Mae loans over 10 years at a floating rate (currently 4.3%). The remaining $10,000 is split between a rate of 2% from a Florida foundation and 8% from the Medical Society of New Jersey.
Goel, 37, clears around $200,000 a year (before income taxes) and pays $12,000 of it to lenders. He says he's lucky he chose ophthalmology. It would be "crazy" to try to become a primary care physician given today's ballooning debt, he says.
A growing number of medical students who fail to get that message are ending up deadbeat doctors. A government Web site names 119 with $17 million in unpaid federal student loans. The deteriorating economics of medicine has not deterred prospective doctors. Last year 42,000 applied for 18,000 medical school spots.
Forbes Magazine, February 02, 2009
Once upon a time becoming a doctor meant a lifetime of affluence. These days a doctor is more likely to spend his free moments trying to balance his checkbook or dickering with an HMO over a $35 office visit.
Once upon a time becoming a doctor meant a lifetime of affluence. These days a doctor is more likely to spend his free moments trying to balance his checkbook or dickering with an HMO over a $35 office visit.
At $250,000 a year on average, according to search firm Merritt Hawkins, doctors earn four times what the typical college grad earns. (Primary care physicians--internists and pediatricians, for example--average $160,000.)
Yet in a recent survey only 18% of physicians termed their practices financially stable. What's making things tougher these days is the liability side of physicians' balance sheets. Doctors are leaving school carrying average debts of $155,000. That's up from an inflation-adjusted $50,000 in debt 25 years ago and represents eight times the debt load of the typical college graduate. Doctors' debt has jumped from 20% of their average pay to 60% today.
That adds up to very sobering financial prospects for doctors interested in the profession's lower-paying specialties. Intent on becoming a primary care physician, Linda McGee decided to let the National Health Service Corps pick up the $32,000 annual tuition for three of her four years at Wake Forest's medical school. In return McGee was required, after completing her residency in 1999, to work for three years in an underserved area of Hagerstown, Md., where she earned $110,000 a year.
It was a financial stretch given that McGee left school with $80,000 in student debt, even with the Corps' help obtaining her medical degree. After completing her service she remained a family doctor, despite the relatively low pay. A decade out of school McGee still owes $18,000 on her student loans but has no regrets.
"I enjoy being a primary care physician," McGee says.
In many other cases, entire medical careers are shaped by tightening economic realities. Ravi D. Goel, a Cherry Hill, N.J. eye surgeon, racked up $18,000 in debt getting his undergraduate degree from Yale in 1993. He opted for New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson program because its $14,000 annual tuition was 45% below what private medical schools cost.
Comment On This Story
Goel added $87,000 in debt during medical school. Then came four years of residency, when he earned $35,000 annually. To get by he deferred loan payments. Interest compounded. By the time he completed ophthalmology training in 2001, Goel's bill had ballooned to $130,000.
Fearful of spending his life in debt, Goel went straight into practice rather than pursuing a research fellowship. He consolidated his debt and locked in $105,000 in federal loans at 5.6% over 30 years. He's paying off another $15,000 in Sallie Mae loans over 10 years at a floating rate (currently 4.3%). The remaining $10,000 is split between a rate of 2% from a Florida foundation and 8% from the Medical Society of New Jersey.
Goel, 37, clears around $200,000 a year (before income taxes) and pays $12,000 of it to lenders. He says he's lucky he chose ophthalmology. It would be "crazy" to try to become a primary care physician given today's ballooning debt, he says.
A growing number of medical students who fail to get that message are ending up deadbeat doctors. A government Web site names 119 with $17 million in unpaid federal student loans. The deteriorating economics of medicine has not deterred prospective doctors. Last year 42,000 applied for 18,000 medical school spots.
Subprime Student Loans
Forbes Magazine, February 02, 2009As college costs have risen at twice the inflation rate, students have resorted to costly private loans. Now rising bad debt is harming borrowers and lenders alike.
The Great College Hoax
Kathy Kristof
Forbes Magazine, February 02, 2009
Higher education can be a financial disaster. Especially with the return on degrees down and student loan sharks on the prowl.
As steadily as ivy creeps up the walls of its well-groomed campuses,the education industrial complex has cultivated the image of college as a sure-fire path to a life of social and economic privilege.
Joel Kellum says he's living proof that the claim is a lie. A 40-year-old Los Angeles resident, Kellum did everything he was supposed to do to get ahead in life. He worked hard as a high schooler, got into the University of Virginia and graduated with a bachelor's degree in history.
Accepted into the California Western School of Law, a private San Diego institution, Kellum couldn't swing the $36,000 in annual tuition with financial aid and part-time work. So he did what friends and professors said was the smart move and took out $60,000 in student loans.
Kellum's law school sweetheart, Jennifer Coultas, did much the same. By the time they graduated in 1995, the couple was $194,000 in debt. They eventually married and each landed a six-figure job. Yet even with Kellum moonlighting, they had to scrounge to come up with $145,000 in loan payments. With interest accruing at up to 12% a year, that whittled away only $21,000 in principal. Their remaining bill: $173,000 and counting.
Kellum and Coultas divorced last year. Each cites their struggle with law school debt as a major source of stress on their marriage. "Two people with this much debt just shouldn't be together," Kellum says.
The two disillusioned attorneys were victims of an unfolding education hoax on the middle class that's just as insidious, and nearly as sweeping, as the housing debacle. The ingredients are strikingly similar, too: Misguided easy-money policies that are encouraging the masses to go into debt; a self-serving establishment trading in half-truths that exaggerate the value of its product; plus a Wall Street money machine dabbling in outright fraud as it foists unaffordable debt on the most vulnerable marks.
College graduates will earn $1 million more than those with only a high school diploma, brags Mercy College radio ads running in the New York area. The $1 million shibboleth is a favorite of college barkers.
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Like many good cons, this one contains a kernel of truth. Census figures show that college grads earn an average of $57,500 a year, which is 82% more than the $31,600 high school alumni make. Multiply the $25,900 difference by the 40 years the average person works and, sure enough, it comes to a tad over $1 million.
But anybody who has gotten a passing grade in statistics knows what's wrong with this line of argument. A correlation between B.A.s and incomes is not proof of cause and effect. It may reflect nothing more than the fact that the economy rewards smart people and smart people are likely to go to college. To cite the extreme and obvious example: Bill Gates is rich because he knows how to run a business, not because he matriculated at Harvard. Finishing his degree wouldn't have increased his income.
All the while students have been lulled into thinking of the extra $1 million that will be theirs, they have been forced to disgorge an ever larger fraction of it in pursuit of the degree. While the premium that college grads earn over high schoolers has remained relatively constant over the past five years, the cost of acquiring a degree has risen at twice the rate of inflation, dramatically undermining any value a sheepskin adds.
Offsetting that million-dollar income discrepancy is the $46,700 four-year cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board at a public school and $99,900 at a private one--even after financial aid, scholarships and grants. Add all this to the equation and college grads don't pull even with high school grads in lifetime income until age 33 on average, the College Board says. Even that doesn't include the $125,000 in pay students forgo over four years.
"I call it the million-dollar misunderstanding," says Mark Schneider, vice president of the American Institutes for Research, of the prevailing propaganda.
Not only are college numbers spun. Some are patently spurious, says Richard Sander, a law professor at UCLA. Law schools lure in minority students to improve diversity rankings without disclosing that less than half of African-Americans who enter these programs ever pass the bar. Schools goose employment statistics by temporarily hiring new grads and spotlighting kids who land top-paying jobs, while glossing over far-lower average incomes. The one certainty: The average law grad owes $100,000 in student debt.
"There are a lot of aspects of selling education that are tinged with consumer fraud," Sander says. "There is a definite conspiracy to lead students down a primrose path."
Warped as the numbers are, they don't begin to account for the hidden cost of higher education: financing it. Borrowing has doubled over the past decade, to roughly $85 billion in new student loans in the 2007--08 academic year, bringing total student debt owed to well over half a trillion dollars. The average borrower went $19,200 into debt for a diploma in 2004, a 58% increase after inflation since 1993, according to the Project on Student Debt.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Go Western, Young Man
By KATHLEEN KINGSBURY, Reprinted from TIME Partners with CNN
Let's not waste anyone's time or money. You won't find that phrase emblazoned on a T shirt, but it's essentially the motto of Western Governors University (WGU), a private online school that has worked hard to prove it is anything but a diploma mill.
Established 11 years ago by the governors of 19 states, the virtual university--which is administered from Salt Lake City--has experienced a surge in admissions as more college students look for low-cost alternatives. Enrollment topped 10,000 last spring, growing at a rate of 40% in both 2006 and 2007.
Some 4 million Americans sign up for a distance-learning course each year, whether at an extension of a bricks-and-mortar institution or at an online-only school. Although the latter category is populated mostly by for-profit companies, WGU stands out as a nonprofit funded mainly by tuition and the $20 million in seed money supplied by those 19 governors. To help bolster its reputation, the school obtained accreditation from both regional standard bearers and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the professional body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for certifying teacher-preparation programs. (WGU remains the only online institution that has NCATE's seal of approval.) Such moves were designed to "lend WGU more legitimacy as an educational institution," says Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who helped found the school when he was governor of Utah. Today WGU is the nation's largest supplier of math and science teachers in urban school districts. And its alumni are hired by such FORTUNE 500 companies as Microsoft and AT&T. "[WGU] has earned a reputation for producing high-quality graduates, particularly in education," says Kevin Kinser, a professor at New York's University of Albany who studies online learning and is not affiliated with WGU.
The school's success is owed in large part to its competency-based approach. Instead of requiring that students take specific courses or amass a certain number of credit hours--as most colleges do--WGU asks only that students demonstrate mastery of the subject matter via online exams or papers that could take a day or a decade, depending on the student.
WGU has no full-time instructors, at least not in the conventional sense. Course work for its four majors--education, IT, business and health care--is developed by and licensed from outside vendors. But WGU does have about 250 full-time faculty members who work as mentors, checking in with students by phone every couple of weeks to ensure they are making progress in their courses and to recommend additional resources. "I get to know each of my students much better than I did when I lectured to them once a week in class," says Alisa Izumi, a business professor at WGU who lives in Granby, Mass., and used to teach at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
At $3,000 per six-month semester, WGU charges a sixth of the average annual tab at private four-year colleges and half as much as an online for-profit like the University of Phoenix, a mega virtual school that has some 200,000 students. And WGU lets you take as many courses as you can fit in a semester, which means some students are able to finish an undergraduate degree in as little as two years. "Before WGU, I would have had to drive almost two hours to Richmond," says Sandy Newsome, a teacher in rural Virginia who is getting her master's in math education. "Learning this all from home seems so much smarter." Sure does.
Let's not waste anyone's time or money. You won't find that phrase emblazoned on a T shirt, but it's essentially the motto of Western Governors University (WGU), a private online school that has worked hard to prove it is anything but a diploma mill.
Established 11 years ago by the governors of 19 states, the virtual university--which is administered from Salt Lake City--has experienced a surge in admissions as more college students look for low-cost alternatives. Enrollment topped 10,000 last spring, growing at a rate of 40% in both 2006 and 2007.
Some 4 million Americans sign up for a distance-learning course each year, whether at an extension of a bricks-and-mortar institution or at an online-only school. Although the latter category is populated mostly by for-profit companies, WGU stands out as a nonprofit funded mainly by tuition and the $20 million in seed money supplied by those 19 governors. To help bolster its reputation, the school obtained accreditation from both regional standard bearers and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the professional body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for certifying teacher-preparation programs. (WGU remains the only online institution that has NCATE's seal of approval.) Such moves were designed to "lend WGU more legitimacy as an educational institution," says Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who helped found the school when he was governor of Utah. Today WGU is the nation's largest supplier of math and science teachers in urban school districts. And its alumni are hired by such FORTUNE 500 companies as Microsoft and AT&T. "[WGU] has earned a reputation for producing high-quality graduates, particularly in education," says Kevin Kinser, a professor at New York's University of Albany who studies online learning and is not affiliated with WGU.
The school's success is owed in large part to its competency-based approach. Instead of requiring that students take specific courses or amass a certain number of credit hours--as most colleges do--WGU asks only that students demonstrate mastery of the subject matter via online exams or papers that could take a day or a decade, depending on the student.
WGU has no full-time instructors, at least not in the conventional sense. Course work for its four majors--education, IT, business and health care--is developed by and licensed from outside vendors. But WGU does have about 250 full-time faculty members who work as mentors, checking in with students by phone every couple of weeks to ensure they are making progress in their courses and to recommend additional resources. "I get to know each of my students much better than I did when I lectured to them once a week in class," says Alisa Izumi, a business professor at WGU who lives in Granby, Mass., and used to teach at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
At $3,000 per six-month semester, WGU charges a sixth of the average annual tab at private four-year colleges and half as much as an online for-profit like the University of Phoenix, a mega virtual school that has some 200,000 students. And WGU lets you take as many courses as you can fit in a semester, which means some students are able to finish an undergraduate degree in as little as two years. "Before WGU, I would have had to drive almost two hours to Richmond," says Sandy Newsome, a teacher in rural Virginia who is getting her master's in math education. "Learning this all from home seems so much smarter." Sure does.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Obama style change in Trenton?
Recently I had the opportunity to meet Tim Razzaq, who marches to his own cadence and has the ability to attract other marchers in his quest to make change happen. His unusual education and career path seems to be relevant to the focus of this blog. An excerpt from the U.S. 1 Newspaper interview:
Despite being frustrated and bored by high school and one semester of college, Razzaq was eager to learn. In 1997, based on his publishing contacts (he had sold books door-to-door and worked for Africa World press), he began to organize book signings and conferences, eventually forming a grassroots education group, the Communiversity of Trenton. It ran from 1997 to 2002 and focused on Afro-centric history and health. “We wanted to take university knowledge into the community,” says Razzaq, “so people could have easy, affordable access to education. We created our own syllabus and our own library, pooled our money, and flew university leaders to Trenton.”
Razzaq went on to be a community organizer and to found a grass roots organization, We Are Building Open Opportunity Structures Together (We Are BOOST). Its current mission: "to facilitate personal, organizational, and social empowerment through our consortium of academic and industry leaders by offering everyday citizens innovative, yet practical ways to use green technology and sustainable design in everyday living."
The full interview about We Are BOOST is available at U.S. 1 Newspaper, and additional observations are blogged at Princeton Comment.
As the United States prepares to welcome another African American community organizer -- one with a stellar traditional education -- as its president for the next four years, it is intriguing to observe what Tim Razzaq may be able to accomplish in that time. He is starting in Trenton, New Jersey, but sets no geographical limits.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The CNMI Trades Institute needs your help!
From Saipan Tribune, January 12, 2009
by Anthony Pellegrino
The Northern Marianas Trades Institute needs your help. In addition to all the wonderful support it is receiving from the community, it needs the help from people with skills and time to help the students fulfill their goals. Though it has fine instructors and willing students, NMTI needs more instructors and people's special aid in several areas. Let me explain.
The NMTI is now six months old. It is housed in a large 25,000 square foot warehouse with another 10,000 square feet of yard area located on Lower Base Drive. About 96 students are currently enrolled studying one of the following courses: carpentry, plumbing, painting, electrical and sewing. As the institute continues to grow, it will offer more courses to accommodate the needs of our community. In a few weeks, it intends to begin a welding class, an automobile repair course, a small engines repair course, and a culinary class.
However as it struggles to grow and fulfill the aspirations of its students, it is discovering that many of the students have not completed their high school studies. It is the intent of NMTI to encourage these students to resume their studies toward obtaining a high school diploma while they learn their trade. But because many of the students dropped out of school or have never studied on their own, it is extremely difficult for them to study without a tutor.
Taking a GED course and trying to study by oneself is very difficult. First, many the textbooks require a high level of reading ability. Another problem is that the concepts in these textbooks are difficult to comprehend alone. Also studying alone requires a high level of determination and self-discipline. As a result many students enroll in the GED courses, but fall by the wayside in a short period.
As NMTI motivates these students to resume their academic studies, it is asking the community for volunteers once or twice a week to act as tutors to these students. The hours and days can be arranged to suit each group and tutors' needs.
What a thrill to share your experience and motivation with these students so eager to improve their lives and serve our community. You will also enrich your own life as you give to them. Please help! Remember as you give so will you receive. Make a difference by tutoring our young students!
Another appeal for help is for instructors in various trade skills. As NMTI grows, it requires more instructors to teach the many courses it is planning. It is difficult to find qualified instructors. Share your skills and knowledge with the youth of our community. Since most of the courses are taught at night, it will not interfere with any daytime job. Regardless of your trade or skill if are willing to teach, NMTI needs you and the students need you.
The NMTI is very proud to announce that it has been certified by the National Center for Construction, Education and Research, which is affiliated with the University of Florida. The NMTI is also closely affiliated with the Guam Contractors Association Trades Academy. As a result, all the textbooks we use are approved nationwide. Graduating students will be able to work anywhere in Guam, Hawaii, and the United States because of this standardization. The students can even move to another state and continue their trade education.
The benefits of using NCCER curricula includes providing a proven training program designed around national industry standards and developed by leading subject matter experts from all sectors of the construction industry. This means that the training offered is equal to the training programs in any of the 50 states.
One of the most exciting activities planned for our students is that shortly they will be soliciting maintenance work to do in our houses. NMTI has formed small groups of the more qualified students. They will solicit maintenance work in various neighborhoods. The purpose is to have the students do actual repair work on actual job sites. All the work done will be controlled by a professional supervisor. The finished work will be guaranteed as to quality and professionalism.
In this method, the students will learn quickly to do actual hands on work. The plan is to enable the student to work in the daytime and to study the theory of his trade in the evening. Also he will earn money to pay for his tuition and have pocket money. This will also create confidence in his ability so that he will learn better and faster.
Anybody is welcome to enroll in NMTI regardless of age and gender. Because our courses are designed in a special manner, a student can enter anytime and also stop for a while if needed. This allows the student to juggle his personal life and study. NMTI does not focus on attendance but rather on attaining competence.
Encourage your sons or daughters or anyone you feel desires to learn a trade or skill. Even you! This is your institute with one goal-to improve the work skills and work ethics of our local people.
The Northern Marianas Trades Institute is proud to be an integral part of Saipan's training community, using local talent to train more local talent and strengthening our skilled work force, both in quantity and quality.
Please stop by and offer any assistance you can or become a student yourself or recommend someone to become a student. Let us begin our journey to economic independence and pride in the workplace.
---
Pellegrino is a longtime businessman in the CNMI and is the former President of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce.
by Anthony Pellegrino
The Northern Marianas Trades Institute needs your help. In addition to all the wonderful support it is receiving from the community, it needs the help from people with skills and time to help the students fulfill their goals. Though it has fine instructors and willing students, NMTI needs more instructors and people's special aid in several areas. Let me explain.
The NMTI is now six months old. It is housed in a large 25,000 square foot warehouse with another 10,000 square feet of yard area located on Lower Base Drive. About 96 students are currently enrolled studying one of the following courses: carpentry, plumbing, painting, electrical and sewing. As the institute continues to grow, it will offer more courses to accommodate the needs of our community. In a few weeks, it intends to begin a welding class, an automobile repair course, a small engines repair course, and a culinary class.
However as it struggles to grow and fulfill the aspirations of its students, it is discovering that many of the students have not completed their high school studies. It is the intent of NMTI to encourage these students to resume their studies toward obtaining a high school diploma while they learn their trade. But because many of the students dropped out of school or have never studied on their own, it is extremely difficult for them to study without a tutor.
Taking a GED course and trying to study by oneself is very difficult. First, many the textbooks require a high level of reading ability. Another problem is that the concepts in these textbooks are difficult to comprehend alone. Also studying alone requires a high level of determination and self-discipline. As a result many students enroll in the GED courses, but fall by the wayside in a short period.
As NMTI motivates these students to resume their academic studies, it is asking the community for volunteers once or twice a week to act as tutors to these students. The hours and days can be arranged to suit each group and tutors' needs.
What a thrill to share your experience and motivation with these students so eager to improve their lives and serve our community. You will also enrich your own life as you give to them. Please help! Remember as you give so will you receive. Make a difference by tutoring our young students!
Another appeal for help is for instructors in various trade skills. As NMTI grows, it requires more instructors to teach the many courses it is planning. It is difficult to find qualified instructors. Share your skills and knowledge with the youth of our community. Since most of the courses are taught at night, it will not interfere with any daytime job. Regardless of your trade or skill if are willing to teach, NMTI needs you and the students need you.
The NMTI is very proud to announce that it has been certified by the National Center for Construction, Education and Research, which is affiliated with the University of Florida. The NMTI is also closely affiliated with the Guam Contractors Association Trades Academy. As a result, all the textbooks we use are approved nationwide. Graduating students will be able to work anywhere in Guam, Hawaii, and the United States because of this standardization. The students can even move to another state and continue their trade education.
The benefits of using NCCER curricula includes providing a proven training program designed around national industry standards and developed by leading subject matter experts from all sectors of the construction industry. This means that the training offered is equal to the training programs in any of the 50 states.
One of the most exciting activities planned for our students is that shortly they will be soliciting maintenance work to do in our houses. NMTI has formed small groups of the more qualified students. They will solicit maintenance work in various neighborhoods. The purpose is to have the students do actual repair work on actual job sites. All the work done will be controlled by a professional supervisor. The finished work will be guaranteed as to quality and professionalism.
In this method, the students will learn quickly to do actual hands on work. The plan is to enable the student to work in the daytime and to study the theory of his trade in the evening. Also he will earn money to pay for his tuition and have pocket money. This will also create confidence in his ability so that he will learn better and faster.
Anybody is welcome to enroll in NMTI regardless of age and gender. Because our courses are designed in a special manner, a student can enter anytime and also stop for a while if needed. This allows the student to juggle his personal life and study. NMTI does not focus on attendance but rather on attaining competence.
Encourage your sons or daughters or anyone you feel desires to learn a trade or skill. Even you! This is your institute with one goal-to improve the work skills and work ethics of our local people.
The Northern Marianas Trades Institute is proud to be an integral part of Saipan's training community, using local talent to train more local talent and strengthening our skilled work force, both in quantity and quality.
Please stop by and offer any assistance you can or become a student yourself or recommend someone to become a student. Let us begin our journey to economic independence and pride in the workplace.
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Pellegrino is a longtime businessman in the CNMI and is the former President of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce.
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