MOUNT VERNON, IA (10/06/2011)(readMedia)-- This year's class of new students at Cornell College is among the most geographically and ethnically diverse in the history of Cornell, with students from 42 states and 10 countries and 25 percent domestic students of color. They are academic achievers, with 14 valedictorians, six salutatorians and 57 students who held a 4.0 or better GPA, and they are involved in co-curricular activities, as well. Sixteen percent were class or organization presidents, 15 percent were captains of a sport, 32 percent were varsity athletes, 34 percent were musicians, and 19 percent were involved in theatre.

With a total enrollment of 1,197 students, Cornell College set a record for the second year in a row.

Among the students enrolled at Cornell are:

Irene Herzig of Davenport

Katherine Jessen of Davenport

Bryce Lightner of Davenport

"Cornell received 3,600 applications for admission this past year," said Jonathan Stroud, vice president for enrollment. "This volume of interest enables the college to make offers of admission based upon a careful assessment of the academic and personal fit of a student with the level of academic challenge and quality of community here at Cornell. We are excited about the talents and interests of our incoming class. They have already demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for and commitment to learning, intellectual curiosity, a taste for adventure and exploration, and a desire to make a difference in their communities and beyond."

Featured in Colleges That Change Lives, Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, is a national liberal arts college with a distinctive One Course At A Time (OCAAT), or block, academic calendar. The OCAAT provides students with intellectual immersion, academic focus, and unique freedom to shed the confines of the traditional classroom to study off-campus, pursue research, or accept an internship-all without missing out on other classes. Cornell's excellent faculty, majors and pre-professional programs, and engaging residential life all combine to offer numerous extraordinary opportunities in the classroom, on campus, and around the world. Founded in 1853, the college's entire hilltop campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"We're pleased to welcome some of the best students from Iowa, 41 other states and around the world this fall," said Cornell President Jonathan Brand. "Cornell's academic rigor, creative teaching and flexible One Course At A Time calendar help ensure that we draw students to campus, once again, in record numbers. This puts us in an excellent position as we continue to work to strengthen Cornell further and increase enrollment."

Davenport, Iowa - October 2011 - The Figge Art Museum will host an informational meeting about the Brand Boeshaar Scholarship at 6 pm Thursday, October 6. The Brand Boeshaar Foundation awards four scholarships annually to graduating high school seniors who wish to earn a degree in Fine Art, Graphic Design or Art Education. Students enrolled in schools in the museum's service area in eastern Iowa and western Illinois are eligible. Each scholarship award is $12,000. Since the establishment of this scholarship in 2000, the Brand Boeshaar Foundation has awarded $576,000 in scholarship money to 48 students. The Figge Art Museum manages the scholarship program, and the scholarship is administered by the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend. The scholarship was established by Lillian L. Brand in honor of her nephew William Brand Boeshaar, who studied art at St. Ambrose University.

At 7 pm, artist James Bray will show animated film shorts. Mr. Bray is a recent graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute and one of the 2007 Brand Boeshaar Scholarship recipients. Both the scholarship meeting and the film presentation is free to high school students and their parents, and high school teachers.

For a 2012 Brand Boeshaar Scholarship application and a list of eligible schools, please visit www.figgeartmuseum.org. For information, please contact Ann Marie Hayes-Hawkinson at 563.326.7804 x7887.

The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in Downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, Sundays noon to 5 pm and Thursdays 10 am to 9 pm.  To contact the museum, please call 563-326-7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.

Today, the New York Times editorialized in favor of stronger protections to prevent some schools from abusing Post-9/11 G.I. Bill education benefits and preventing veterans from getting the quality education they deserve.  Citing new data recently released by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), the editorial calls on Congress to close the 90/10 rule loophole that makes veterans and servicemembers lucrative recruiting targets for for-profit colleges.

As Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Harkin has led an investigation into the for-profit college industry, uncovering aggressive recruiting tactics targeting veterans and active-duty servicemen and women in order to bring their federally-funded education benefits to companies that charge high tuition and have poor retention and graduation rates.

For more information, please contact Justine Sessions of Senator Harkin's HELP Committee staff at 202-224-3254.

New York Times

A Broader G.I. Bill

Published:  October 3, 2011

Starting this month, military veterans pursuing an education under the G.I. Bill have many more choices. The money for tuition, books and housing used to be just for study at colleges and universities, but now the G.I. Bill also covers non-degree institutions like vocational and technical schools, flight schools, and licensing and apprenticeship programs.

That is good news. Veterans, who deserve this country's full support, are struggling with high unemployment rates and would benefit from high-quality job training. But there is also peril in these new opportunities. Unless strong controls are put in place, the surge of G.I. Bill money will be a windfall for fly-by-night schools more interested in cashing in on veterans than educating them.

As a Senate committee warned in a recent report, a disproportionate amount of the taxpayer money spent on veterans' education has already been snapped up by private, for-profit colleges. These schools often cost much more than public institutions yet have dismal graduation rates and dubious curriculums.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions found that for-profit schools have collected 37 percent of all G.I. Bill money but trained only 25 percent of veterans. In the 2010-11 academic year, when 5,985 institutions collected $4.4 billion in V.A. benefits, eight of the 10 biggest aid recipients were for-profit institutions, together raking in $1 billion. From those eight, the committee found, a total of 409,437 students withdrew from degree programs within a year of enrolling.

One reason for-profit colleges aggressively recruit veterans is the federal "90/10 rule," which forbids for-profit schools to take more than 90 percent of revenue from federal student aid. V.A. money does not count under that limit, so every enrolled veteran is precious to a school desperate to keep within the 90/10 ratio.

Schools recruit heavily for another reason: Because federal grants do not always cover tuition and expenses, students are often roped into private loans, another revenue stream in the booming for-profit education business.

The V.A. says it will review all for-profit schools in the 2012 fiscal year to make sure they comply with accrediting standards, and conduct annual reviews of all institutions that have more than 300 G.I. Bill students. That will make a difference only if bad schools actually end up being kicked out of the program. So far, that has seldom happened. Congress could also help by closing the 90/10 loophole that makes veterans targets for aggressive and deceptive recruiting.

Buyers, as always, need to beware. Many for-profit schools and Web sites that plug their programs are spending far more effort marketing themselves to veterans than actually educating them.

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The aspiring artist.  The math whiz.  The avid reader.  The athletic go-getter.  Each child is different, with their own special talents, interests, developmental patterns, and emotional needs.  This is a key consideration when selecting a school for your child.  An environment that is right for one student may not be the best choice for another.  Fortunately, in the Quad Cities, we have educational options!  When exploring schools for your child, it is important to consider:

·         Is the curriculum appropriate for my child's talents and goals?

·         Will the school challenge my child, without overwhelming them?

·         Will my child be comfortable in the school's environment?  Will I?

·         Are the opportunities for my child to pursue individual interests?  And is there encouragement to do so?

At Rivermont Collegiate, intellectual curiosity isn't just encouraged or "taught" - but "caught."  Students' personal interests are fostered and rewarded, both by their peers and by faculty.  Faculty don't teach to a class average, but tailor curriculum, homework, and projects to each student.  Rivermont is small by design, with a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio, ensuring not only individualized attention, but a close teacher-student relationship and a family-like school environment.

The selection of a school for your child shouldn't be taken lightly.  It is quite possibly the most important decision you can make for their future.  Study your options!  Send for information, tour schools, observe in classrooms, let your son or daughter experience a day in class, and talk with administrators, faculty, and current parents.  What are you waiting for?  Explore what Rivermont has to offer!  Drop in for:

Rivermont Collegiate Open Tours

Tuesday, October 4th - 8:30-10:00 a.m.

No appointment necessary!

This casual event gives families the opportunity to tour campus and explore our philosophy and programs.

Rivermont Collegiate, located in Bettendorf, is the Quad Cities' only private, independent, multicultural college preparatory school for students in preschool through twelfth grade.  Rivermont is located at 1821 Sunset Drive, directly off 18th Street behind K&K Hardware in Bettendorf.

Visit us online at www.rvmt.org!  For additional information on Rivermont or Tuesday's Open Tours, contact Brittany Marietta at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or marietta@rvmt.org.