An article published Jan. 21 by the Washington Post highlighted four programs in particular that are offering these money-saving courses.

Saylor.org is a nonprofit organization in Washington offering 200 free online courses. Peer-to-Peer University also offers free courses and is backed by Hewlett Foundation and Mozilla.

“(These organizations) represent a challenge to the traditional brick and mortar university,” said Orlando Perez, a professor and chairman of the political science department.

University of the People is a nonprofit organization located in Pasadena, Calif., offering courses for an application fee of $10 to $50, depending on the student’s home nation.

The most expensive of the four choices is StraighterLine. This Baltimore, for-profit company offers more than 30 online courses to its students for a $99 monthly charge.

While some of the content used by these programs is original, they have also borrowed substance from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California-Berkeley, Tufts University and the University of Michigan.

Grandville junior Taylor McCarrick said she would feel apprehensive about a program she didn’t pay for.

“I would feel like they were a scam if I weren’t paying for them, or possibly a waste of time since they’re not from CMU and may not equate to anything at the university level,” she said.

McCarrick said she would be more inclined to take course from these programs in addition to university courses, with the understanding that the university would accept the credits.

While some universities have accepted credits from these organizations, others have declined to do so, questioning the quality of programs, the report stated.

Entrepreneurs in charge of the strictly-online programs are attempting to create credentials for graduates to show employers, rather than needing a university degree.

Saylor.org, for example, uses an electronic portfolio to take the place of a college transcript. Both Saylor.org and P2PU are working on a system of badges that would prove knowledge level and experience for potential employers.

Job prospects

StraighterLine has enrolled 4,000 students over two years, while University of the People has more than 1,000 registered students and P2PU has about 25,000 people who have created accounts, the report stated.

“While these courses tend to reduce the cost of attending college, and provide a service to students who would otherwise not be able to get a university education, there are significant questions regarding the quality of these courses,” Perez said, adding not all students have the self-motivation it would take to succeed in online courses, and that there are other advantages to the physical classroom.

“The value of a traditional university, however, is not just the interaction with professors through face-to-face classes, but the interaction among students and the extracurricular activities and opportunities,” he said.

With the addition of this money-saving resource, Perez said he worries a two-tier system would be created with employers favoring university graduates over graduates of these organizations.

Dan Eversole, senior vice president of human resources at Isabella Bank, said the bank hires for some positions that require a bachelor’s degree and others that do not, though the degree gives a graduate the upper hand.

“That being said, if I see someone who has graduated from college with a degree, I don’t give them a notch up whether it’s online or from a physical classroom,” he said.

Eversole worked at CMU for 15 years in the admissions office and taught a human resources course at Northwood University.

“I don’t look at online versus traditional any differently,” Eversole said. “I’m not going to question whether courses were free, half-price or full tuition price — how would I even know how much someone paid?”

Gov. Rick Snyder

The funding, which will amount to $36.2 million, will allocate a 3-percent increase to state university funding and would be based on performance. Snyder emphasized education as one of the state’s budgeting priorities as funds, along with health and human services spending, which accounted for more than 75 percent of the budget.

The amounts allocated to the different state universities would be based on compliance with tuition restraint, growth of undergraduate degrees, the amount of undergraduate degrees in critical skills areas and the number of students to receive federal Pell Grants.

In addition to the increase in state university spending, an additional $8.5 million is being devoted to Michigan community colleges in 2013 and more than $306 million is being added to the K-12 school system.

Though the increase in higher education funding won’t offset the previous budget’s 15-percent reduction, Snyder said the state’s economic stability was the priority in previous budgets.

“This proposed 2013 budget strategically invests in priorities such as education, our infrastructure, public safety, health and human services environment, and information technology while setting aside rainy day reserves and addressing legacy costs,” Snyder wrote in the executive budget. “Our focus is shifting from major policy reforms to one that is centered on good government and building for our future.”

CMU’s $2.5 million puts the university slightly above the middle of the pack for increased budget allocations and will receive the fifth-largest monetary increase. Grand Valley State University received the most additional funding, a 7.6-percent increase that amounted to nearly $4 million, and Wayne State University received the lowest percentage increase resulting in more than $1.6 million.

Kathy Wilbur, vice president for development and external relations, said she views the additional funding as restoration for severe cuts in educational budgeting in years past. Wilbur said the university received most of the $2.5 million because of growth in undergraduate degrees, though the $70.6 million is still far below the $90 million CMU received in previous years.

“We’re obviously pleased, but I do think it’s important in the language not to call it an increase,” Wilbur said. “This is just the beginning of the restoration of all the cuts we have received in the past few years now. There was easily $30 million that was cut from the higher education budgets.”

Dean of the College of Medicine Ernest Yoder talks briefly to the Board of Trustees about the College's latest progress in the President's Conference Room in the Bovee University Center. (Photo by Kaitlin Thoresen/Assistant Photo Editor)

The College of Medicine moved one step further toward the goal of opening in 2013.

Central Michigan University officials said Wednesday the Liaison Committee on Medical Education has granted preliminary accreditation to CMED.

“We remain committed to our goal of welcoming our first class in the summer of next year and now look forward to beginning the student recruitment process,” said CMED Dean Ernest Yoder in a press release. “At the same time, we continue to recruit outstanding faculty and develop our curriculum in accordance with LCME requirements.”

An LCME team came in mid-November to discuss plans for CMED. They met with CMU officials and some faculty members, who expressed concern with the current plans.

The press release said the LCME looks for five items while at CMU: governance and administration, curriculum, medical students, faculty and resources.

“We are very pleased that the LCME has granted preliminary accreditation to our medical school,” said University President George Ross.  “This is a significant milestone as we strive to create an innovative and highly successful program to help fill imminent needs for physicians and medical education opportunities in our state.”

Stay tuned to cm-life.com for more updates as this breaking news develops.

CMU made a $10 million donation to the project, despite Director of Athletics Dave Heeke’s statement in a 2008 Central Michigan Life article saying, “We’re committed to raise all $21.5 million privately. We’re going to go out and ask alumni, friends and others to contribute to the project.”

Kathy Wilbur, vice president of Developmental and External Relations, said Tuesday the university donated $10 million to the project. When asked if the money would be paid back, she said, “Who would pay that money back? Where would the money be paid?”

What began as a $21.5 million project in December 2007 became a $23 million project when the CMU Board of Trustees allocated an additional $1.5 million to the facility, following the discovery of “unforeseen conditions, design errors and omissions” in the building, according to a September 2010 Central Michigan Life article.

According to the Events Center website, the university would not contribute to the funding of the Events Center because of “declining state appropriations,” and the “the university did not have the cash reserves or operating budget to fund a project of this magnitude, and only academic buildings are funded by the state of Michigan.”

Wilbur said $8 million has been raised privately, and she is unsure when the rest of the funds will be raised.

“The Events Center is a very high priority for the university,” she said. “We keep working with donors and hope to eventually raise a total of $11 million through fundraising.”

A fundraiser sponsored by the Chippewa Athletic Fund honoring sportscaster Dick Enberg is scheduled for Feb. 18 in the Dick Parfitt Gymnasium inside the Events Center. All money raised will help support the Events Center. Enberg is also scheduled to speak at a conference Feb. 17-18, sponsored by the Sports Management Association, inside the Education and Human Services Building.

Board member Marilyn Hubbard did not know anything about the donation when contacted.

Heeke, chairman Sam Kottamasu, vice chairs Sarah Opperman and Brian Fannon and Vice President of Administrative Services Dave Burdette did not return calls for comment.

According to a story previously published by Central Michigan Life, the ratified contract allows the FA to keep MESSA for health care if members absorb premium increases. CMU has committed to pay $522.99 for one person, $1,174.86 for two people and $1,305.23 for a family each month through the 2013-14 academic year.

Faculty members fought to stay with MESSA for health care, as opposed to switching to a CMU self-funded health care plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield.

“Our health care really didn’t change; MESSA was just ratified. (The faculty) was fighting to keep what we had,” said David Jesuit, professor of political science and FA bargaining team member. “The faculty wants to maintain control of our own health plan, and MESSA is something the union members own.”

Additionally, the 5/10 drug card used by faculty members in the past has been increased to a 10/20 drug card. For generic prescriptions, faculty members now have to pay a $10 co-pay as opposed to the old amount of $5. For name-brand prescriptions, $20 will be paid as opposed to $10.

Jesuit said FA members requested the new card.

“We voluntarily requested in August something that would enable (faculty) to move to a different prescription drug card. The amount of the card was increased from a 5/10 card to a 10/20 card,” he said. “We did that because the premiums had increased to a point where we felt it was in (the) best interest of our members to move to the 10/20 card. Our prescription drug coverage isn’t as good as it was in the last contract.”

Phil Squattrito, professor of chemistry and member of the Faculty Association bargaining team, said the new drug card is restrictive to users.

“(The drug card) is more restrictive in terms of if you get a three-month supply; you may have to pay multiple co-pays, because it’s only based on a one-month supply,” he said.

Dental coverage has also decreased. As outlined in the previous contract from 2008-11, CMU paid a monthly contribution of $29.25 for one person, $61.50 for two people and $72.75 for a family. By 2014, CMU’s contribution will decrease by $6.56 for one person, $12.35 for two people and $14.61 for a family.

“The university’s contribution for dental went down. They wanted to roll it back to levels that are consistent with levels for other groups,” Squattrito said. “They told (the faculty) that dental premiums will be going down, but that remains to be seen.”

Some FA members aren’t completely satisfied with the benefit program.

“Nobody was jumping up and down for joy, but that’s the bargaining that we have,” Jesuit said. “We pretty much have what we had previously, except the major concession that we voluntarily made on the prescription drug card.”

Senior Reporter David Oltean contributed to this report.

The 30-second commercial, approved by the Holland Republican and aired in several TV markets throughout Michigan, opened with the sound of a gong and traditional Chinese music playing as an Asian woman rides her bike through a rice paddy field. In broken English, the woman thanks Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow for her spending while in Congress and helping to improve China’s economy by worsening America’s.

The young Asian woman said, “You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spend-it-now.”

Since its original airing, many people have responded heatedly, calling it offensive and racially insensitive.

“Anyone who has a sense of courtesy for different races can see the racial insensitivity that I saw in the ad,” said Virginia Bernero, president of the College Democrats of Central Michigan University.

Taylor Jackson, a Mount Pleasant senior and president of CMU Campus Conservatives, called the ad distracting from the critical discussion of the issues in the campaign.

“The fact remains that Mr. Hoekstra voted for big spending and debt-increasing bills that have indebted our country to China,” Jackson said. “He is a part of the problem the ad attacks. These candidates need to focus on our state and country, and we need a candidate who can defeat Debbie Stabenow.”

Hoekstra declined an invitation to participate at the Campus Conservatives-sponsored U.S. Senate debate on Jan. 14 at CMU.

Ben Greene, vice chairman of College Republicans at CMU, said the group declined to comment.

Orlando Perez, professor and chairman of the Department of Political Science, said the intent of the commercial was to scare people into thinking China was taking jobs away from Americans and connecting Stabenow to the loss of those jobs, but the message was hindered.

“The problem with the ad is that the image gets in the way of the message and thus becomes far less effective,” Perez said. “I think the ad is a shameless attempt to promote anti-Asian bigotry. The fact is a lot of Republicans are upset over the ad, because they feel it plays to racial stereotypes.”

Hoekstra has since fired back at his critics with his campaign, sending an email to supporters Monday in which he defended his ad and said he isn’t surprised by the feedback.

“Here we go again,” the campaign wrote. “We dared to take on Debbie Stabenow and China, and the liberals are doing what they always do — crying racism. The ad is only insensitive to Debbie Stabenow and her spending.

“The Democrats will stop at nothing to change the subject from Debbie’s big-spending, job-killing record,” he wrote. “That’s why she’s got her people doing what liberals always do when things get tough — calling me a racist.”

His name was quickly tossed into the list of trending tweets Sunday night, which was pretty impressive during the Super Bowl, which saw 12,233 tweets per second — a new Twitter record.

The campaign ad approved by Hoekstra cost $75,000 for its initial airing and totaled $150,000 for two weeks of airtime across Michigan, according to The Holland Sentinel.

“I think (Hoekstra) will have to respond for sure,” Bernero said. “He didn’t explain the issue well enough and, if he had, I don’t think there would have been such a negative response to it.”

The department, which has 13 full-time faculty members and one adjunct instructor, voted with a majority to support the Academic Senate’s vote of no confidence by a voice vote, making it the ninth department to endorse the December vote.

“It was discussed and the Senate motion was circulated,” said Koblar Jackson, department chair. “The vote was the basis of the discussion and the majority voted to endorse the vote of the Senate.”

With Thursday’s vote, the Physics Department joins the Biology, Journalism, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, Philosophy and Religion, Political Science and the Foreign Language Literatures and Cultures Departments in endorsing the Senate vote.

The Academic Senate made the symbolic vote on Dec. 6, approving the motion by a 52 percent majority.

Dean of University of Nevada, Las Vegas' College of Education Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson had a large turnout for her campaign open forum for Dean of College of Education and Human Services Tuesday in the EHS Building. "I think we need to continue to be technically efficient and stay up-to-date with what internet sites our children are using, " said Pehrsson regarding the future of online education. (Brooke Mayle/Staff Photographer)

The search for the new dean of the College of Education and Human Services continues with candidate Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson.

A forum held Tuesday in the EHS building gave faculty and staff the opportunity to question and evaluate Pehrsson for the position.

Pehrsson, one of three finalists looking to fill the position, is currently serving as the associate dean of the College of Education at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and has another decade of of administrative and professorial experience as well.

In the hour-long discussion, Pehrsson covered many of her ideas regarding education, the direction it seems to be heading and how to accommodate for the growing lack of resources available.

Pehrsson said the best courses of action would be to have the faculty collaborate and bring ideas to the leadership, then decide on the best plan together so everyone can move forward.

“Money and staff are not forthcoming anymore, so we need to find creative ways around this,” she said.

Using anecdotes and experiences from her past, Pehrsson elaborated on how to effectively streamline the proceedings of the different departments around campus, were she to get the position.

“Communication should be never-ending (between departments),” Pehrsson said.

She emphasized the growing need for students to be able to communicate and adapt within an increasingly globalized world, and stressed the importance of being bilingual.

“Education is going to a point where students will need to be very globally and culturally aware,” she said.

The increased impact of technology on the classroom was also a point of interest for Pehrsson and those questioning her.

“I think we will continue to need to be technologically proficient and we need to be as proficient as our children,” she said.

Pehrsson said technology is making many new educational endeavors possible, and can have far-reaching effects.

“(Online learning can) get education to individuals who would not otherwise have that opportunity,” she said.

Mary Aylor, professor of teacher education and professional development and forum attendee, said the new dean, whoever it ends up being, must meet certain requirements and standards.

“I expect a dean who will be a strong advocate for this college and all of its departments,” Aylor said. “I expect a dean who can gain respect from all of campus. I think it’s important to have a strong dean who can hold her own in a situation.”

This was the last of the forums held to evaluate the potential candidates, and the college must now make a decision to fill the position.

NSSE, founded by Indiana University, collects information about student participation, learning and personal development to provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college.

On Feb. 1, Provost Gary Shapiro emailed students asking them to complete the survey, which covers five National Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice; level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interactions, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment.

Each benchmark measures student engagement and its importance to student learning, collegiate quality and institutional improvement.

OIR Senior Research Associate Ahmed Elgammal is working to raise awareness of the survey and its significance around campus.

“More than 640 institutions nationwide are participating in the survey,” Elgammal said. “Some Canadian institutions and American universities overseas are taking part too.”

He has helped spread advertising around campus, spoke to resident assistants and will continue to remind students of the survey through email.

So far, about 1,000 CMU students have taken the survey, Elgammal said. But CMU wants to see more students respond.

“It’s very important to get students’ feedback and engagement,” Elgammal said. “It helps increase the student-learning experience.”

Students who complete the survey by March 21 will be entered into a drawing for more than 100 prize,s including items such as an iPad 2 or a CMU Bookstore gift card.

In 2009, about 1.1 million students from 640 institutions in the U.S. and Canada were invited to participate in the survey. Of that number, 367,318 students responded. This year NSSE hopes more students get involved.

The survey closes in May.

Currently, CMU sanctions 56 of the 256 charter schools in Michigan, offering education to about 30,000 Michigan students.

In 1994, the CMU Board of Trustees became the first public body in Michigan and the first university in the nation to charter a public school, said Charter School Data Analyst Vicki Bott.

“Currently, CMU provides high-quality educational options for Michigan’s families by authorizing a diverse array of schools, which serve an even greater diversity,” Bott said.

CMU strives to provide quality educational options for Michigan’s students and to provide choice, change and competition to Michigan’s educational system, she said.

CMU is in the process of receiving applications for new charter schools for the fall of 2013. The number of new charter schools authorized will be determined by the quality of applications received.

Chief Deputy Director Cindy Schumacher said CMU is looking for candidates who have a vision, business plan, quality educational program, the ability to implement the program and a group that believes it can build a school to be a pillar in the community.

“They have to become the best of the best,” Schumacher said.

The charter application process is a competitive process that adheres to requirements of Michigan’s Revised School Code, which is made up of two phases.

The first phase requires contenders to submit a proposal of their school plan that will be reviewed by a panel of subject matter experts. If their proposal is accepted, candidates are invited to Phase II.

In the second phase, applicants will illustrate their vision. Successful applicants are taken forward to the Board of Trustees for consideration of a charter.

By providing high quality educational options, the Center is helping today’s students grow into tomorrow’s leaders, Bott said.

Applications are due by March 1.