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.

What:
A free, upcoming seminar will help businesses understand the difference between building or buying data center space. The "Build vs. Buy" seminar is hosted by TEAM Companies.

Deciding whether to lease data center space or build a data center requires businesses to consider the financial risk/investment, ROI, operational flexibility, future growth, and virtualization in order to determine the right solution.

Who should attend:
CIO's looking for an understanding of assessing growth, capacity, consolidation, risk, and benefits related to operating a data center or colocating equipment within a data center facility. The conversation will focus on the most effective and efficient ways to understand and determine a company's future data center strategic "Road Map." Discussion will center on real life challenges and solutions such as:

• Determining the company's future Data Center strategy;
• Why the company's data center always seems to be running out of power or cooling;
• The advantages/disadvantages of building a data center or using a current hosted data center facility;
• Recognizing when the company will run out of Data Center capacity; and
• Risk of cooling and power capacity issues related to consolidating servers, storage, and other equipment.

When:
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011
Registration/networking begins at 3 p.m.
Seminar starts at 3:30 p.m. with happy hour immediately afterward

Where:
Hotel Blackhawk
200 E. 3^rd St., Davenport

Speaker:
Jeff Gilmer, a senior partner with Excipio Consulting, has more than 30 years of IT experience. He will discuss the 'Real World' issues surrounding Data Centers today. Excipio has completed more than 400 data center assessments in the last 30 months, for both public and private organizations ranging in size from 350 to more than 100,000 employees, including: Baxter Labs, Carlson Companies, Lowes, MD Anderson, US Bank, and the states of Minn., Wash., Mich., and Penn.

RSVP:
For more information and to register, visit http://www.teamseminarseries.com

A little about TEAM
TEAM Companies provides wholesale data center lease and colocation products. TEAM data centers are designed for the high availability using state of the art design and construction methodologies. TEAM facilities are SAS 70 Type II audited with 7×24 security staff monitoring the buildings. TEAM Companies owns and operates data centers in Des Moines and Cedar Falls, Iowa; Madison, Wis.; and Eden Prairie and St. Paul, Minn.

(Kansas City, Kan., Sept. 22, 2011) - Through Nov. 8, EPA Region 7 will accept proposals from eligible applicant schools and entities for a $150,000 environmental education grant to develop new programs promoting environmental stewardship in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska communities.

The environmental education grant program is a competitive grant program that supports EPA's efforts to increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues.

Proposals for the grant should be mailed to Environmental Education Coordinator Denise Morrison, Office of Public Affairs, EPA Region 7, 901 North 5th Street, Kansas City, Kan., 66101. Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. (CDT) Nov. 8, 2011; those received after the due date will not be considered.

A solicitation notice announcing the grants program is available online at

www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html.  Go to the website to learn how your questions about the solicitation and the application process can be answered via email or three conference calls on Sept. 22, 27 and 30. For additional information, contact Denise Morrison at morrison.denise@epa.gov.

Environmental education grants provide funding to local education agencies, state education and environmental agencies; colleges and universities; not-for-profit organizations; and non-commercial broadcasting entities. Tribal education agencies controlled by an Indian tribe, band or nation, including schools and community colleges, may also apply.

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