It was one year ago today (April 20) that BP’s Deepwater Horizon exploded in the gulf coast. The explosion caused the death of eleven workers and spewed an estimated 4.9 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The world watched in horror the images of the burning oil rig, the massive pool of oil, and the pitiful wildlife. British Petroleum (BP) became the enemy as environmental experts agreed that they were not doing enough to contain and clean up the oil spill. BP has since made a commitment to work closely with business that fell victim to the spill. Three universities, Texas A&M, Louisiana State and Georgia University, have been monitoring conditions along the gulf since the event first occurred. They agree that, while things have improved, there is still much to be concerned about.
Overall Health of the Gulf Coast
They give the overall health of the gulf coast a grade of 67 (out of a 100). While this seems extremely low, the area only rated a 71 before the spill. They are concerned with the recent mass death of young dolphins and turtles, dead patches on the sea floor, and unusually colored crabs. While the surface looks as if nothing bad ever happened, it is unknown what damage lies below on the ocean floor, and deep in marshes. See a timeline of the oil spill on Yahoo! News.
Educators Helping to Improve Conditions
Wes Tunnel, a professor at Texas A&M, has worked closely with the federal government. His research has helped the Feds to determine the amount of damage cost in dollars. His findings have been used to determine the amount of monetary rewards to give business affected by the oil spill. He believes the overall health of the region is close to where it was before the spill. He rated the area as a 70 before; he rates it as a 69 now.
Louisiana State professor, Ed Overton, has watched the gulf eco system for years. He agrees that the surface is in excellent condition saying that there is not a tar ball in sight. He even claims that some fish, such as the red snapper, have increased in population. However, this is most likely due to the ban on fishing that had been in place, which gave the population an opportunity to increase naturally.
Less optimistic is Samantha Joye, an eco system researcher with the University of Georgia. She claims that the oil is still there, only hidden. She has done extensive research in the region over the last year. In December, she traveled over 2000 miles around the region and took 250 core samples from the gulf floor. She has concluded that the gulf floor is oil choked.
All three agree that it may take years, if not decades, to see the full effect of the gulf oil spill. They try to paint an optimistic picture, but they say, truthfully, only time will tell.
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To kick off the spring season, I thought it would be fun to look at a few colleges with the word “spring” in the title. Not only is this amusing but it is very informational since one of these colleges may be of interest to you.
Colleges Titled “Spring”
- Spring Hill College
- Spring Arbor University
- Deep Springs College
- Spring Garden College
- Springfield College
- Spring College International
Have you ever considered one of these colleges? Some of these colleges and universities may or may not offer online education but it’s definitely worth checking them out.
Now let’s take a look at what academic programs these particular colleges have to offer:
Spring Hill College: The Jesuit College of the South
This college located in Alabama offers undergraduate divisions and programs. Such divisions and programs include but are not limited to:
Undergraduate majors and concentrations
- Division of Business
- Communications/Arts Division
- International Studies
- Interdivisional Studies
- Language and Literature Division
- Nursing
- Philosophy and Theology
- Sciences Division
- Social Sciences Division
- Teacher Education Division
Spring Hill College also offers Pre-Professional programs for those interested in: Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Engineering, Pre-Law, etc. Check out undergraduate programs on shc.edu fora complete list of Pre-Professional programs.
Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor University of Michigan offers a very broad list of majors and programs. These programs range from Accounting and Actuarial Science to Visual Arts Education and Visual Communication. You can view the complete alphabetized list of majors and programs on arbor.edu.
Deep Springs College
Deep Springs College located in Nevada offers “intensive and interactive seminars.” Examples of these programs include:
- Public Speaking
- Summer Seminar
- Directed and Independent Studies
- Term 6: Interim Spring Term
Spring Garden College
Though this college closed its doors in the 1990’s, I thought this would be a fun historical tidbit.
Spring Garden College was also established as the “Spring Garden Institute.” According to Wikipedia, this college was a private technical college founded in Spring Garden, Pennsylvania in 1851. It was regionally accredited by the Commission of Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Springfield College
Springfield College located in New England offers Undergraduate Programs ranging from American Studies and Applied Exercise Science to Teacher Preparation and Youth Development. You can view the complete list of undergraduate programs on spfldcol.edu.
Spring College International
If you and your family is a part of some sort of organization which involves traveling to other countries, Spring College International of Singapore offers wide opportunities. This college offers full-time courses and part-time courses.
Part-time courses:
- Mandarin
- English
- Foreign Languages
- Preparatory Courses
Full-time courses:
- Language Courses
- Preparatory Courses
- Diploma/Advanced
- Diploma Courses
Check out the general information page on spring.edu.sg for more details on this international college.
This wraps up the list of “spring” colleges. If you know of another college with the word spring in the name not mentioned on the list, please feel free to share that information with us.
How about you? Have you heard of any of these particular colleges and programs? The only one I have ever heard of is Spring Arbor University because it is located in my state. How about Spring Garden College, the college that closed its doors in the 1990’s? If you have any information on why this particular college closed, please feel free to share this information with us. I have been trying to research why this particular college is no longer available but can’t seem to find anything at this time.
Are you searching for the right school? Check out our list of online schools here on classesandcareers.com.
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Lawmakers and universities are working together to offer more low-cost degree options for college students. As part of this proposal, colleges are seeking ways to provide curriculum that allows them to enroll more students. For many, they have turned to online courses as a means to delivering this to enrollees.
For instance, the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) recently announced that it has made progress since it began offering new, low-cost options for students of all public-funded Arizona higher education institution who wish to earn a bachelors degree, according to the University of Arizona's news site.
Officials told the news provider that there are currently 1,162 bachelors degree pathway programs between the state's community colleges and universities. They added that students who are enrolled in select pathway tracks are eligible to receive a 50 percent discount in tuition from what they would pay if they completed their four-year degree on one of the main university campuses.
Furthermore, universities are also offering lower tuition options at extended campus centers and through accelerated and online degree programs. Currently, 11,000 students across the state are using their low-cost opportunities.
The university system's move to an Enterprise model has pushed them to offer more bachelor's degree in an accelerated format, which includes online learning as well as joint admissions programs with two-year schools and regional colleges within the state.
"Maintaining existing low-cost models and deploying even more in the future will be standard practice for the Enterprise as we navigate the challenge of educating larger numbers of students with dwindling state resources," Anne Mariucci, ABOR chairperson, told the news source.
Texas governor urges schools to offer cheaper bachelors degrees
In Texas, Governor Rick Perry recently announced a proposal that would push universities and colleges in the state to offer $10,000 bachelors degree programs, news station KXAN reports.
Many Texas lawmakers said that they believe tuition costs at four-year schools are too expensive, budgets are too large and colleges have lost sight of their main objective, which is to prepare students for a career.
For instance, officials told the news source that tuition and fees for 60 credit hours at Austin Community College costs $3,480. Meanwhile, the same amount of time spent at the University of Texas costs nearly $18,836.
"It is time for a bold, Texas-style solution to their challenge that I am sure the brightest minds in their universities can devise," Perry told the news provider. "Today I am challenging our institutions of higher education to develop bachelors degrees that cost not more than $10,000, including textbooks."
In order to achieve this goal, Perry suggests that schools should explore online options and innovative teaching techniques.
According to a 2009 Reuters report, the online education industry grew by 17 percent over the course of the year. Furthermore, the sector had been growing at a rate of approximately 20 percent annually in previous years. Furthermore, nearly 25 percent of U.S. students currently take at least some web-based courses.
Online school reduces tuition costs for military personnel
Meanwhile, some online schools like Excelsior College are targeting specific groups of individuals by offering tuition discounts. Officials from the learning institution recently announced that they are streamlining the application process and reducing the cost of going to school for military enrollees.
They added that the school will reduce graduate-level tuition for Army personnel from $455 per credit to $250 beginning for the March 2011 semester. Furthermore, the reduction will also apply to other branches of the military beginning in May.
"The military’s pre-college screening process provides all the necessary information to satisfy Excelsior’s application requirements, so military students can save time and start coursework earlier," said Susan Dewan, executive director of Excelsior’s Center for Military Education.
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