Northern Kentucky University President James Votruba and other university representatives will join other colleges from across the Commonwealth this week to examine how best to ensure adult students succeed.

NKU already has an adult-based program, but is ready to learn more at the first-ever Kentucky Adult Learner Summit, hosted by the Council on Postsecondary Education in Lexington.

‘I’ve always believed that part of the next great leap forward for American colleges and universities is to fully integrate the adult learner into the life of the campus,’ said Votruba.

The PACE program (Program for Adult-Centered education) offers night and online classes for the convenience of adult students, said Vicki Culbreth, executive director of educational outreach for the university.

NKU has a large number of commuter and part-time learners, many of whom balance being a student with the many responsibilities of being an adult, Votruba said.

PACE schedules are structured so students go directly from one class to the next to be time efficient.

‘It takes the guess work out of scheduling,’ said Culbreth of the Hybrid classes, which are offered 6-9:30 p.m. once a week.

Classes are eight-week sessions, rather than the traditional student’s 16-week semester.

The school offers bachelor’s degrees in liberal studies, computer information technology and organizational leadership.

NKU also offers bachelor completion online-only programs in organizational leadership, construction management, health science and nursing degree advancement.

Votruba, who was the professor of adult and higher education and Associate Director of the Office of Continuing Education and Public Service at the University of Illinois, believes that there is still more that NKU can and ‘must do to make sure that we are accessible for adults across the lifespan.’

The university is looking at different ways to further enhance the adult learner’s experience. One consideration is expanded day care. Presently, day care at the university closes at 6 p.m. That is when classes start for adult programs. Another is scholarships for part-time adult learners. More opportunities for adult learners to pursue their degrees online is yet another initiative that will contribute to our user friendliness, said Votruba.

Culbreth said NKU needs to re-evaluate the admissions policy and testing as well.

‘The policy was written with the traditional student in mind.’

Giving an admissions test in math, English, etc., isn’t always the best way to judge the student’s readiness to learn, she said.

‘Instead of them going through the maze, we want to help them,’ said Culbreth. ‘People have a higher quality of life, the higher the education is.’

She hopes to learn how to better assist adult students by attending the Kentucky Adult Learner Initiative.

Discussion topics are set to include, ways to improve academic and public policy, student services, financial aid and postsecondary education marketing.

‘For Kentucky to meet its 2020 goal of doubling the number of college graduates in the state, we must reach outside the traditional high-school-to-college pipeline,’ said Brad Cowgill, interim president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, in a news release.

‘Adult learners, who are often balancing full-time work and family responsibilities, have different needs than traditional college students and we must fully recognize and meet those needs.’

The summit is the first step in Kentucky’s efforts to address the needs of adult learners.

Popularity: unranked [?]

You should seriously think about forex market trading if you’re looking to expand your current investment portfolio. The Forex market has some of the lowest commissions in the industry. It’s also open 24 hours a day, from Sunday evening 7:00 EST to Friday afternoon 4:00 EST. You can choose between analyzing the market data yourself, or having a robot do it for you (auto trading). What are the benefits of auto trading?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the benefits you can get from using Forex trading robot software. You will see that trading in the Forex market using this kind of software is far easier, and you should take full advantage of its potential for generating profits. Our system compares the different auto traders on a live graph, in order for you to minimize the risk of losing money and maximize your profits.

 

Popularity: 1% [?]

Much of the American financial establishment is still pretending that all is well with the U.S. Dollar. After all, it’s been on a good run in the last twelve months going from $71.96 on May 23 to $82.54 today. What’s to worry about? How about the fact that the US$ is being trashed by Bush-Obama with TRILLIONS of newly printed dollars? How about the fact that the US$ is about to no longer be the currency of the realm?  

And we’re going to keep spending money, adding a national health care system, etc?

And how long do we think the rest of the world, particularly China, will keep buying our Treasury bills and notes even though the risk on such is sky-rocketing? My answer is not long and the latest head line from South America is just more fuel for the fire. Brazil and China will work towards using their own currencies in trade transactions rather than the US dollar, according to Brazil’s central bank and aides to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president.

The move follows recent Chinese challenges to the status of the dollar as the world’s leading international currency.

Lula da Silva, who is visiting Beijing this week, and Hu Jintao, China’s president, first discussed the idea of replacing the dollar with the renminbi and the real as trade currencies when they met at the G20 summit in London last month.

An official at Brazil’s central bank stressed that talks were at an early stage. He also said that what was under discussion was not a currency swap of the kind China recently agreed with Argentina and which the US had agreed with several countries, including Brazil. “Currency swaps are not necessarily trade related,” an official said. “The funds can be drawn down for any use. What we are talking about now is Brazil paying for Chinese goods with reals and China paying for Brazilian goods with renminbi.”

Henrique Meirelles and Zhou Xiaochuan, governors of the two countries’ central banks, were expected to meet soon to discuss the matter, the official said. Zhou recently proposed replacing the US dollar as the world’s leading currency with a new international reserve currency, possibly in the form of special drawing rights (SDRs), a unit of account used by the International Monetary Fund.

Whatever is done the drum beat is growing louder and louder and at some point currency wars will erupt- in the open.

Popularity: 3% [?]

A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report finds that the Senate health reform bill will make insurance from 10% to 13% more expensive. That’s an extra $300 for an individual and $2,100 for a family by 2016. Still, the estimate is probably way too optimistic.As Gene Steuerle pointed out the other day, over the course of a year more than one third of all workers suffer a bout of unemployment, leave the workforce, enter it, partially retire, move to part-time employment, get married, get divorced, have a child, or have a child leave home. And as my Health Alert pointed out, the bills before Congress have no mechanism for dealing with the problem of short-term uninsurance. Those losing coverage who are sick will quickly sign up for new insurance. Those who are healthy will wait until the next open enrollment period. And they may wait much longer.As Steuerle notes, an individual mandate will be enforced based on two-year-old tax returns. Plus the fine for being uninsured is only $750, compared to a $5,200 premium. A little more than half the buyers (57%) in the new health insurance exchange will get subsidies but $750 may be cheaper than subsidized insurance for many of those.In Massachusetts (with mandates and fines), individuals are enrolling, having their surgery, and then dropping out. And why not? That certainly makes financial sense. As previously noted, the national uninsurance rate is only a couple of points higher than the national uninsured drivers rate — even though auto liability insurance is mandatory in all but three states.To the degree that sick people enroll, while healthy people disenroll or go bare, average premiums will have to rise even more. Massachusetts, for example, has the highest premiums in the country.As for group health insurance, the report projects little change from the current path — with (2016) premiums reaching $7,300 (individual) and $20,100 (family). But this ignores the 40% tax on “Cadillac plans” that will hit one out of every five workers.

Popularity: unranked [?]

It’s always pleasing to highlight good news! Recently, the New Jersey legislature passed a law that will offer seniors on Medicaid more long-term care options. By 2008, senior citizens living in New Jersey will have a choice in the type of long-term care they receive through Medicaid, under a law by Governor Jon S. Corzine. The law provides “an extraordinary change in direction and policy in a way that makes sure our seniors have a choice,” said Corzine at a recent summit on long-term care. Currently, New Jersey spends $1.68 billion of its Medicaid long-term care budget on nursing home care, compared with $162 million on community-based care like assisted living facilities, home health care and adult day care. That’s a whole lot of money going to skilled nursing facilities. The law will now help bridge the gap between money going to nursing homes versus money going to people in the community. “Rather than requiring that nursing homes be the first stop, now nursing homes will be the appropriate stop, if necessary,” said Dr. Fred Jacobs, state health commissioner for New Jersey. Skilled nursing facilities are the right choice for many seniors who require this type of specialized care; however, seniors should never be placed in a nursing home simply because there are no other options. On a personal level, the law provides for appropriate changes in a person’s home including the installation of bathroom handrails and other safety features. Home health aides and respite care are now under the Medicaid umbrella of covered services. There are already so many choices to make regarding long-term care the passing of this law will enable you to make better and smarter choices that will really suit your needs.

Popularity: unranked [?]