Programs, Accreditations, & Initiatives

Black Issues in Higher Education, March 18, 1999

New York Medical College has launched a new program designed to identify, recruit, and prepare promising high school and college students for careers in medicine, science, and health professions. Believed to be the first of its kind in New York State, the program will offer opportunities for academic guidance, summer study, and a chance to attend related seminars.

The program, which will target highly motivated students from underrepresented populations, focuses on building student awareness at the high school level and extending their participation through the college years.

The program's inaugural year is being funded by a grant from the Airman Foundation, a New York philanthropy that focuses on health care, education, and programs for the underserved.

California State University-Los Angeles is accepting applications for the Free Summer Quarter Plus program, a new initiative that will help all qualified students -- particularly first-time freshmen and transfer students -- save money and shorten the time needed to graduate.

The program can save students as much as one-third of the costs associated with obtaining a degree at the university -- depending on the number of units taken, whether the student attends three or four quarters per year, and when the student entered the program. Students who attend year-round could graduate in as little as three years.

Participants must be California residents with a grade-point average of 2.25 or better who are scheduled to take college-level courses only. They also must have at least 48 units remaining to complete their degree. Once accepted, students must maintain good grades to remain in the program.

First-time freshmen and some transfer students will participate in special learning communities -- groups of students taking the same duster of courses. All participants will have priority registration for classes and will be assigned specially trained academic advisors.

For more information, visit the program's Web site at <www.calstatela.edu /academic/aa/fsq>; or contact Marie Vet Haar, the program's coordinator, at (323) 343-3733.

Entrepreneurs looking to hawk their wares on the World Wide Web can now get a master's degree in electronic commerce (e-commerce) through Carnegie Mellon University.

Approximately half of the courses required for the degree will come from the university's school of computer science, considered among the best in the nation. The other half will come from its business school.

"All you have to do is look at the market these days to know there is a lot of interest in electronic commerce," says Charles Hickman, director of projects and services for management education, which accredits North American business schools. "It makes a lot of sense that this is an area CMU would decide to focus on."

About 100 people have applied for the yearlong program so far, with the first class set for May. About 40 students are expected to enroll, with that number eventually doubling.

"This is very big stuff," says Dr. Douglas Dunn, dean of the business school, who adds, the program will give students "an understanding of the availability and limits of software and hardware."