And now a message from our sponsor

THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING being sold on the Web. The information highway isn't just dotted with ads, they are plastered on nearly every surface. But college Web sites have avoided the advertising onslaught-until now, that is.

Beginning this fall, many students at colleges across the country logged on to their campus Web sites and found ads from dozens of companies, ranging from book and computer sellers to apartment-- finding services. While these ads have raised concerns about the commercialization of colleges and the effects of advertising on a captive student body, the ads are soon to pop up on campus sites at more than 500 institutions.

Why the sudden rush to accept advertising? You could say it's a matter of dollars and sense. Advertisers are willing to pay to reach students; those ad revenues go toward setting up and running college Web sites and e-mail services, which can cost as much as $2 million for a mid-size public university. What's more, several new companies are willing to take care of all the details: from selling the ads to running the sites.

One such company, Salt Lake City-- based Campus Pipeline, has contracted with 420 institutions to create an internal Web site, where students can register for classes, request transcripts and apply for loans, as well as access e-mail. In exchange, the company is able to sell ad space to other companies and earn commissions on student purchases from Web sites that are linked with the campus site.

"We are changing the face of higher education and revolutionizing the way college services are delivered," boasts Chad Muir, CEO of Campus Pipeline, based in Salt Lake City

Not to mention changing the way ads are delivered, too.

Copyright American Society for Engineering Education Nov 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved