Newsletter of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) SPRING 2010 VOL. 42 NO. 1 WAICU INDEPENDENT INSIGHTS WISCONSIN ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT Waiting for the “fat” envelope COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES This is the season when students receive those “fat” envelopes telling them that they have AlvernoAlverno College been admitted to the college or university of their choice. (Rejection letters typically arrive in BeloitBeloit College the “thin” envelopes.) It is a nerve-racking time for students and parents, as well as for teach- CardinalCardinal StritchStritch UniversityUniversity ers and counselors. We all care so much about these students and their futures. CarrollCarroll University I suspect that the tension this year is at an all-time high. The headlines about the CarthageCarthage College University of California’s 32 percent tuition hike and the subsequent protests are both stark ConcordiaConcordia University University Wisconsin and scary. Couple these headlines with job losses and home foreclosures, and it is no wonder EdgewoodEdgewood College LakelandLakeland College that anxiety is changing to fear. LawrenceLawrence University How about some good headlines? “You Can Go To College!” or “College Is Affordable MarianMarian University For You!” These are not headlines from some tabloid. What the average student paid at a MarquetteMarquette University Wisconsin private college or university has actually gone down by 12 percent, according to the MilwaukeeMilwaukee Institute Institute ofof Art Art & & Design Design latest available figures: MilwaukeeMilwaukee SchoolSchool of EngineeringEngineering 2006-07 2007-08 MountMount Mary College Average Tuition and Fees $ 20,925 $ 22,033 NorthlandNorthland College Average Financial Aid Package -$ 15,083 -$ 16,797 RiponRipon College Average Net Tuition $ 5,842 $ 5,236 St.St. NorbertNorbert CollegeCollege SilverSilver Lake CollegeCollege Over 90 percent of all undergraduate students enrolled in a Wisconsin private college or ViterboViterbo University WisconsinWisconsin Lutheran CollegeCollege university receive financial aid (both grants and subsidized loans). Subtracting the average continued on page 7 WAICU advances educational opportunity in challenging year 2009 was a challenging year for Wisconsin’s economy. Due • WAICU members pledged nearly $9 million in match- to a $6 billion budget deficit, thousands of state programs ing funds to help veterans attending Wisconsin private faced budget cuts. Nonetheless, WAICU achieved significant colleges take successes in legislation to advance educational opportunity for maximum students and improve the quality of life in our communities. advantage As the state budget went to the legislature, WAICU sup- of the new ported financial aid increases for all Wisconsin students. In federal G.I. terms of the Wisconsin Tuition Grant, this translated into a Bill. three-percent biennial increase. Looking ahead Other successes in 2009: to 2011, WAICU’s • WAICU and a coalition of nonprofit foundations sup- legislative agenda ported modernization of the state’s laws governing will once again management of endowment funds. The new law gives focus on increasing colleges tools that enable them to be better stewards of need-based finan- charitable donations. cial aid funding for The Rotunda of Wisconsin’s Capitol, courtesy • WAICU and its members launched a comprehensive all Wisconsin stu- of wisconsin.gov. review of compliance with federal environmental health dents, whether at a and safety regulations. In addition, WAICU was a key WAICU, technical college, or UW campus. State financial aid supporter of a new state law encouraging business and dollars that help keep college affordable are key investments in industry environmental compliance. getting Wisconsin’s economy moving again. COUNSELOR NEWS & NOTES Private College Week, July 12-17, 2010 As high school seniors are making The place to start is the website their final decisions on the college they PrivateCollegeWeek.com, where stu- will attend next year, it’s time for fresh- dents and families will find details about men, sophomores, and juniors to begin all 20 private nonprofit colleges and exploring their opportunities as well. universities in Wisconsin and a way to Wisconsin Private College Week, held connect instantly with admission repre- this year from July 12-17, offers stu- sentatives on each campus so they can dents a chance to “jump start” the college sign up for a tour or ask a question. search process. Another important reason to visit It’s never too early for students and PrivateCollegeWeek.com is to register for families to get a feel for the 20 private five weekly drawings to win a $1,000 colleges and universities in the state, each “Go Grant” that can be applied to tuition with its own unique excitement. During at any WAICU-member college or uni- this “open house” week, there will be versity. Winning students have up to two tours on each campus, talks by admission years to use their grant, so it’s perfect for and financial aid officers, and information sophomores and juniors as well. on majors and extracurricular activities. For more information, call An added benefit is the waiver of appli- 1-800-4 DEGREE or just head to cation fees that students will receive at PrivateCollegeWeek.com to plan your each campus they visit. visit and register for a Go Grant. New student outreach The Wisconsin eTranscript Initiative: efforts in 2010 An idea whose time has come For the first time in several years, WisconsinMentor. Most college applications are currently filed online, but the school org, the centerpiece of WAICU’s student access pro- transcript has remained stubbornly on paper—until now. For several gram, is undergoing a major redesign. years, the Wisconsin eTranscript Initiative has been trying to move that “Mentor is the gateway to a private college for tens final piece to the internet, and the project was officially launched last of thousands of students,” said WAICU president Rolf summer with 13 pilot schools. Now approximately 40 Wisconsin high Wegenke, “we owe it to our students to take advantage schools are able to send transcripts electronically through Docufide, and of today’s technology and be ready to answer their ques- all public and private colleges and universities in the state are primed to tions.” receive them. The “new” Mentor will still have many of the popular Students at participating schools can request transcripts 24/7 through features of the current site. Students will still be able to their high school website and have them sent to postsecondary insti- access information on Wisconsin’s twenty private col- tutions, scholarship funds, the NCAA, or employers. Best of all, the leges and universities, research careers, and register for student gets e-mail confirmation at each step in the process, giving peace free ACT/SAT test preparation assistance. of mind by eliminating worries that transcripts have been delayed or As before, students will be able to register for their misplaced. own “My Mentor” section on the website. “Parents have High school counselors report that etranscripts save them adminis- told me how much they appreciate that option,” said trative time, allowing them to concentrate on more important student Wegenke, “students can track their courses to make matters, and that the reports generated through Docufide are extremely sure they meet their high school graduation and college helpful. Since September 2009, more than 7,000 etranscripts have admission requirements. Mentor even sends automatic already been sent. encouragement notes as a way of helping students stay The Wisconsin eTranscript Initiative is a joint project of the focused on their goals. ” Department of Public Instruction, the UW System, the Wisconsin Wegenke says the core messages of Mentor will stay Technical College System, and the Wisconsin Association of Independent the same—the affordable excellence of Wisconsin’s Colleges and Universities. private colleges. For more information on the costs and benefits of etranscripts for The biggest change in the new Mentor will be a more high schools and their students, send a message to WIetranscripts@ contemporary look with updated photos and regularly docufide.com. continued on page6 2 SPRING 2010 THE WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS ALL WAICU MEMBERS FEATURED IN A REGULAR ROTATION Future accountants learn ment. They had gotten a tip from a that the college-level version of the former employee that the owner was com- Adrian Project was held in Wisconsin, 21st century crime fighting mitting tax fraud by failing to report all both times at Lakeland, which has the his income. They had tracked bank state- largest accounting program in the state. LAKELAND COLLEGE ments and conducted a lifestyle audit to Accounting students were divided into Ryan Barnard and his fellow investiga- corroborate their suspicions. Now, with a four teams that were guided by a special tors suspected that there was a second set search warrant in hand, bulletproof vests, agent of the IRS. Most of the students of accounting books somewhere as they and facsimile weapons drawn, Barnard, a were enrolled in the college’s forensic ac- combed through the business establish- senior from Sheboygan, and his team were counting course, taught by Bob Martin, a going to reel in their catch. business instructor and former IRS special This scenario and others, agent. based on real cases, played out in To solve these hypothetical crimes, November at