Ridge awards millions to private colleges

by Maria Chambers staff writer

Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania awarded $6 million to several private colleges on Thursday, Aug. 2. If the institution graduated more than forty percent of their Pennsylvania residents in four years, six hundred and ninety dollars were donated to that institution, per student.

Last year over 60 percent of Cabrini's students graduated and did it in four years, however, that is not a statistic of the in state students who graduated within four years. However, Cabrini did not receive any money from this grant. The Loquitur staff contacted the Office for Institutional Advancement, Academic Affairs, President Iadarola, and the office of the Registrar. The members of these offices did not have any information as far as this grant is concerned and whether or not an institution had to apply for the grant.

According to the article covering this issue in The Chronicle of Higher Education the reason for this award is to prevent four-year college programs from turning into five-year sessions or more, which puts more stress on the taxpayers. This year was the first round of grants, and results are based on graduation in spring of 2001. The article also says that Gov. Tom Ridge hopes these grants will encourage students

Ii to work harder for graduation in a four-year period.

Katherine Dewey, a junior here at Cabrini, said, "It's not hard for a student to graduate in four years, you just have to know what (classes) to take." Dewey also said you could learn what classes are best to take by looking through the private schools did last year. The number of in state students who attend public colleges is definitely greater that the number of instate students who go to private colleges, therefore leaving the percentages for the latter, much higher. Public institutions are complaining that this is an unfair program, but only one public college returned the survey used for the program.

Katherine Dewey, junior academic catalogue and by speaking with your advisor. Many college students hope to graduate in four years but often times because students will change their majors or not take enough credits or even because they work while attending school, their four-year plan changes to five, even six years.

Public institutions did not have as high a graduation rate for in state students (who graduated within four years) as

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Hopefully next year our college will be eligible for this gift. Some area colleges that did receive money from this program are: Beaver, Eastern College, Villanova University, Bryn Mawr College, Drexel University, Ursinus, and Widener University.

To find out more about these grants check out, http://papress.state.pa. us.