INTERNATIONAL LEARNING
demands of the market. It’s a synergistic relationship that has students joining these companies with relevant skill-sets, then returning to Infnet for additional training and certifications (e.g., Microsoft, Oracle, Linux).
Te institution is also helping expand access to higher education to a greater cross-section of the population through scholarship programs. In what resembles a frequent flyer program, the school’s Programa Estude Sem- pre (Always Study Program) allows students to accumulate credits toward future courses based on their complet- ed course totals. If a student has amassed 260 hours of training, she has also amassed 260 hours of scholarship credit in the Always Study Program. Tese accumulated credits are then applied to future courses and training and never expire. Additionally, these credits can be passed down to dependents.
American education lacks the focus necessary to arm its students with an education that leads to strong job advancement upon graduation. In general, there is a lack of emphasis on career-centric academic plans from the start, with many students going “undecided” in their choice of major
for the first two years of college, which leads to delayed graduation dates. Some students take five to six years to complete a four-year degree, with many giving up and not graduating at all. For those who do graduate with a liberal arts degree, many do not have the qualifications they need to find employment.
CONTINUING TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER
While it remains the government’s responsibility to keep its students safe–i.e. police predatory recruiting prac- tices and work to reduce loan default rates–it is equally important for the government to provide monetary support and regulatory oversight that foster progres- sive approaches to higher education. Just as important, governments need to know when to step back and allow the experts in the field to promote growth and develop programs to help accomplish its goals.
As it stands today, higher education in the Unit-
ed States is highly exclusionary, to the detriment of a significant portion of the population. For the United States to overcome the global recession and to prosper, excluding underprivileged students from postsecondary education is not an option. Investing in higher educa- tion, rather than restricting it through over-regulation, is the right path. And, with new educational systems like Brazil’s emerging all over the world–there is an opportunity for the US to learn and innovate.
Timothy B. Loomer is president and CEO of Campus Management Corp., based in Boca Raton, Florida. Cam- pus Management provides the technology infrastructure that allows colleges and universities to offer high-quality services to students, faculty, administrators and alumni. He can be reached at:
TimLoomer@CampusMgmt.com
JULY/AUG 2012 •
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