Smart students learn to help themselves by helping others

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Sept 22, 1997 | by Cnythia Long

Colleges and universities are developing innovative programs to control rising cost, including a number that encourage students to perform good deeds in exchange for lower tuition.

Whether they truly are interested in remaining affordable or just staying competitive in an era of shrinking budgets and rising costs, an increasing number of colleges and universities are devising creative solutions to the soaring price of higher education. While some of these innovations are untested, their mere existence signals that colleges are attempting to bring expenses under control.

Washington College, a small liberal-arts school in Chestertown, Md., has formed a partnership with the National Honor Society that provides tuition relief. Under the plan, accepted applicants who are members of the society will receive $10,000 annual awards toward tuition expenses. The only catch: Students must maintain a B average. Last fall, the institution recruited the largest freshman class in its 215-year history. More than half were National Honor Society members.

"By basing the awards on membership in the National Honor Society -- whose members are recognized for character, leadership and service, as well as academic achievement -- rather than on grade-point average or SAT scores alone, the college attracts students who are academically talented and well-rounded"' says Meredith Davies, vice president for college relations at Washington.

This fall, Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y, will offer students the opportunity to earn their education by assisting others. With the help of a $15,000 grant from the Frances E. Rowe Charitable Annuity Trust, Hartwick has established the first "Time Dollars" program on a college campus. Participating students will perform community service for credit toward the cost of their education.

Time Dollars is not a new idea. Established in 1988, the program encourages low-income people to undertake volunteer work in exchange for credit toward child care and other expenses. While the program has proved successful in neighborhood settings, "no other college in the country does it"' says Geneva Walker-Johnson, dean of students. "This version of the Time Dollars program is unique to Hartwick College."

Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio, offers a similar program. Matriculating students receive $7,000 fellowships for community service rendered during high school. While at Defiance, the fellowship students perform 100 hours of volunteer work during a one-year period and, after their first semester, they attend a weeklong mission with the college president.

Following a trend known as "accelerated learning," New Hampshire College is launching a program that will enable students to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration in three years, saving them one-quarter of the cost of a traditional four-year program. An interdisciplinary team identified 13 skill areas business students are expected to master by graduation and incorporated them into a highly integrated set of cross-disciplinary "modules" designed to develop specific competencies. The intensive modules (sometimes team-taught) replace the typical class schedule and are broken down into weeks-long foundation and advanced sessions. The students follow a traditional semester schedule.

According to Martin Bradley, the project coordinator, the success of the students enrolled in the program is based on demonstrated knowledge and skills rather than accumulated credit hours. However, he is quick to point out that the experience is not for all students and that many will continue to take four years to complete their baccalaureate-degree programs.

Even community colleges are getting in on the act. Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y, is offering early risers an opportunity to earn credit and save one-third on regular tuition by attending 6:30 a.m. classes. Beginning this fall, sunrise semester classes will enable students to save money on tuition by earning three credits for the price of two, with the added bonus of getting to work on time.

A more progressive innovation is the no-tuition program now offered at Berea College in Berea, Ky., and Cooper Union in New York City. These institutions, known as "work colleges," underwrite education costs through endowments and gifts, while students provide services to the college and the community.