November 2008 archive

Straight From The Source

Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 | 1 comment | Permalink |

Professors

A College Professor Speaks Out About College Failures

Here at Collegeplus! you would expect us to speak out of the downsides of college. You would expect to hear about how college is not the best environment to learn or to be taught and can in fact be a negative experience on almost all levels.

But what if you heard the same things from a college professor?

"John Smith" (actual name withheld) came out and wrote a deep and serious article on why he was leaving his post as professor for a liberal arts college. His concerns were very well thought through and eloquently presented. He presents the argument that colleges are actually degrading into centers of ease and recreation. He states that "Intellectual sparring (dare I use the term) about ideas – among students and faculty – has been replaced by one-sided, partisan drivel" and that colleges have "become a puffy sofa nestled with down pillows. For a few bucks and in a few hours, students can take a test and learn that they are language disabled, or mathematically disabled, or for a few bucks more, both. Students increasingly ask me during advising sessions if a class is tough or hard, or if the professor assigns a lot of reading, because they need to 'lighten their load.'"

Mr. Smith challenges not only the academic challenge of the students but also the attitude of his fellow professors. "Professors and administrators seek to 'nurture' and 'engage' and they are doing so at the expense of teaching." He confesses that he loves his job, but is tired of the way that college campuses have become an alternate reality where work ethic and other standard character qualities are trampled by relativity and a doctrine of ease. Smith says he will miss his good students, but,

"In fact I think I am doing a genuine service to the better students by leaving. I cannot in good conscience dumb down a lecture, knowing full well that the gifted and talented have read four chapters beyond the syllabus, and that they are not being sufficiently challenged."

Read the whole article here on Inside Higher Ed, a daily news feed that covers the latest in the higher education world.

What do you think? Write your comment below!

Posted by Shawn Cohen

Vision Forum Independent Christian Film Festival

Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 | 3 comments | Permalink |

by Aaron Dodson

It is an eagerly anticipated event by thousands nationwide. Tens of thousands of dollars and uncountable hours of time go into the preparation and creation of the event. The San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival is the biggest name in Christian Film Festivals and a monumental think tank, brainstorming and networking opportunity. Filmmakers, investors, critics and conservative moviegoers of all ages come to see the best of the independent Christian film movement.

This year the Film Fest has created massive buzz and a huge groundswell movement by offering the largest cash prize for any film festival in the nation- Christian or secular. $101,000 will go to the best film from the film festival this year. They also upped the competition by opening the feature film category, an hour and a half theater quality presentation.

But this is more than just creative an opportunity for Christians to show off their film work and get rewarded. This is about breaking monopoly, and influencing a culture. Doug Phillips, founder of Vision Forum ministries and the host of the film festival says it like this. “The humanistic religious worldview of Hollywood elites and their intense hatred for Christianity and the value system which it embodies has created a rift in American culture and profoundly damaged the American family. We intend to respond, not by cursing the darkness, but by lighting candles. Building a community of independent Christian filmmakers is one such candle.”

Along the way it is tons of fun. Whether you are chatting with the director of one of the features, brainstorming about cultural change, laughing with new friends or rushing to the next show time, the atmosphere is amazing. The air is full of a feeling of electric excitement. You feel like you are in a place where the world is being changed. And from just a few conversations with the directors and organizers, I am convinced it is true.

Do you want to be a part of this amazing movement? The Film Festival is a wonderful place to sit back and enjoy great films, great people and great thoughts. So bring a your family and a friend, and head down to San Antonio. You will not regret it.

Interested? Go to the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival home page and sign up to get email updates.

Posted by Shawn Cohen

CollegePlus! Saves Students $28.9 Million In Tuition!

Posted on Monday, November 10, 2008 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Over 900 students have avoided the college trap since CollegePlus! started in 2004. In that time, we estimate that students and their families have saved more than $28.9 million in college tuition!

Nationally, college tuition is surging at double the inflation rate, according to the College Board. College students have little option but to take on massive school loans, often walking away from college $21,000 in debt, according to the Student Debt and the Class of 2006 report from the Project on Student Debt. Instead of graduating with huge amounts of debt, students in the CollegePlus! program can actually save money while completing their fully-accredited bachelor’s degrees.

CollegePlus! is working for families across America!

Posted by Shawn Cohen

Are You Missing Out? Part 2

Posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Masters

Ahhh…. College. Nothing but a long string of fun times, right? Unfortunately that “fun time" includes alcohol about 88 percent of the time. Of course you would never go on a drinking binge. I am not accusing you of that. Never.

But you are missing out on something.

How about missing out on being surrounded by thousands of fellow students who are all gearing up for the next Saturday night party? Statistics show that both drug and alcohol abuse on Campus has gone in a rampant increase in the last few years- with some drug increases up to 343 percent.

You see, many times we think it would be a great idea to take a few classes at our local community college. This is not a bad idea in itself, but a few things to think about. What type of people are you going to be around? What type of friends are you going to make? How is that going to influence you?

Why not just study for those general subjects while at home, maybe even earning some money on a part time job at the same time? CollegePlus! will let you do that. Are you ready to get some of those general studies out of they way?

Check out how it works