Muara Teweh!

A program that gained national attention in 1991 for offering to pay college tuition for 69 second-graders is closing its doors in Cambridge on Friday.

The local “Say Yes to Education” program is coming to an end because the last of the original 69 students just graduated with a doctoral degree in pharmacy.

The program, funded in part by millionaire philanthropist and Boston native George Weiss, tracked the students from second grade through graduation — and then paid for their college tuition. Participants were chosen for their multicultural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

“I’d venture to say it’s my most successful program,” Weiss said in a phone interview Thursday.

Of the original 69 students, all but seven got their high school diplomas or GEDs, and more than half are now college graduates, said Anne Larkin, program director and a Lesley University professor. » Read more after the jump →

Culpeper County Public School parents to pay for various school-related fees for programs and/or supplies so that their children can participate in an assortment of activities and/or outings.

But those costs have sparked outrage from an education outreach organization that believes a free education should be offered at — just that — no cost.

Just Children, a grassroots advocacy agency in conjunction with the Legal Aid Justice Center, submitted a report to the Virginia Department of Education last month questioning the state’s policy on fees that public schools charge for courses and materials.

“Facing inadequate resources, tapped out local governments, and the inability to raise revenue themselves, school systems have been forced to get creative, turning to an alternative source of direct revenue: their students,” the report states. » Read more after the jump →

The KU Study Abroad program is not growing as quickly as it used to, partly because of the weak U.S. dollar, which has made necessities such as food and transportation more expensive for students.

Susan Gronbeck-Tedesco, director of the Office of Study Abroad, said the weak dollar had caused a noticeable decline in study abroad interest.

“Summer 2008 enrollment is up just 0.6 percent over summer 2007. Normally, we would expect a greater increase.”

According to the KU Office of Study Abroad, participation in the program grew at an average of 8 percent each year from 2004 to 2007.
» Read more after the jump →

This July pilgrims from around the world will gather in Sydney, Australia, to celebrate World Youth Day. Despite the distance and cost, some Arkansans will be making the journey as well.

College students Kerry Evans, Travis Gunther and Brittany Shachmut, all of Conway, and Lauren Daly of St. Louis plan to attend WYD events, although their travel plans and partners vary. However, their reason for attending is the same — to learn about their faith and grow spiritually.

“This trip will be a unique experience of modern pilgrimage,” Evans said. “It will be interesting to be there with so many other Catholics.”

According to the 2008 World Youth Day Web site, the event was “established by Pope John Paul II in 1986 as an annual event to reach out to the youth of the world.”

For these four students, their trips to WYD will be a way to live their faith and experience Christ with fellow Catholics from across the globe. In addition, three of the students will be gaining college credit for their endeavor. » Read more after the jump →

The Pella Community Hospital Auxiliary recently awarded four, $800 Mary Evers Nursing Scholarships to local students to help them reach their goal of becoming a registered nurse.

Recipients for 2008 include:

• Kaela De Bruin, a 2008 graduate of Pella Christian High School, will be attending Trinity Christian College in Illinois to pursue a degree in nursing. She is the daughter of Randy and Elizabeth DeBruin.

• Sophie Metcalf, a 2008 graduate of Pella Community High School, will be attending University of Iowa to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing degree and become a pediatric nurse practitioner. She has worked as a certified nursing assistant at Pella Regional. She is the daughter of Brian and Lisa Metcalf.
» Read more after the jump →

The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation will grant $1.5 million to establish graduate-level nursing scholarships through the South Carolina Nurses Foundation, Inc. Distributed over three years, the grant will enable financial support for at least 30 nurses who will then become faculty in nursing education programs across the state.

South Carolina is experiencing a serious nursing shortage due to the retirement of a large number of nurses and the inability of state nursing education programs to expand enrollments sufficiently to meet demand. Colleges and universities currently must limit enrollments based on faculty-to-student ratios required by the South Carolina Board of Nursing (8-10 students per faculty member). Faculty are required to hold higher degrees — a minimum of a master’s degree in associate degree programs and a doctoral degree in baccalaureate and graduate programs.

“The rate of new graduate degrees for the preparation of nurses for faculty roles has not kept up with faculty retirements,” said Foundation Executive Director Harvey Galloway. “We hope our new scholarship will entice some who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford higher education to pursue a graduate degree and go on to teach others. » Read more after the jump →

The world of healthcare information is growing and changing rapidly. Across the nation, healthcare systems and medical facilities continue to improve information systems according to the industry’s newest high-tech standards and best practices.

Western Governors University now offers a Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics. This online degree combines healthcare with information technology, giving a graduate the knowledge and skills needed to design, develop, and operate health information systems.

The online health informatics degree program’s core components provide a rigorous knowledge base in IT fundamentals, IT management and healthcare. Two industry-recognized IT certifications are included as part of this degree program at no extra cost. They are CompTIA A+ IT Technician and CIW v5 Database Design Specialist.
» Read more after the jump →