U.S. News article on Aspen

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Abner, Aug 10, 2010.

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  1. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Got any money?
     
  2. simon

    simon New Member

    Back off friend and calm yourself!

    Has it ever occurred to you that NO online distance school is in business to not to make a profit? Has it ever occurred to you that no other distance online school has ever offered such a low tuition rate and that some posters may just be curious, as I am, with no ulterior motives, to learn how they can do so and stay solvent?
     
  3. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    Is this the Simon off of American Idol?
     
  4. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Hey guys, please keep it civil.
     
  5. simon

    simon New Member

    It is not the generic "guys",but those who refer to others as "assholes" for asking questions which they do not like.
     
  6. Petedude

    Petedude New Member

    I'm almost dreading this, but. . .

    Which one of Aspen's competitors do you work for?
     
  7. macattack

    macattack New Member

    I'd have to agree. I don't see were Simon did anything wrong and simply asked a legitimate question.

    A normally happy Abner needs to take a short term break/ban for a while, IMHO.
     
  8. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    A ban? That's strong.
     
  9. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    And also his opinion which is as useless as mine and yours, thankfully. The moderator voiced his opinion (which does matter in this situation) in the warning to all so I am sure that will fix the problem. While Abner did seem to flake out for a minute, I have browsed far worse threads while searching on this board.
     
  10. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    Oh so you were looking at my old threads:D
     
  11. rcreighton

    rcreighton New Member

    Without jumping into a flame war here and having no desire to do so, it would seem that any learning institution, B&M, D/L, for-profit, not-for-profit, whatever, has the intention of wanting to make money on a hot commodity such as the current state of MBA degrees. Of course, state schools are supposedly not for profit but why is there such a wide range of costs per credit hour from school to school and state to state? They are not charging the minimum cost necessary to keep the place open. It appears that they are charging what they believe is the existing market price for that degree program in that region. Private schools are totally different as evidenced by schools like Duke and their $105,000 MBA.

    What I believe Dr. Lady is doing, is simply paying back, so to speak, to those less fortunate so they might be able to experience the potential rewards that he was able to reap by continuing his education at the school that he attended. Is this a rare offer in today's world? Of course it is as so many others look to maximize profits and rake in as much money as they can while the iron is hot. Dr. Lady is simply opening his heart to those who wish to experience this unique offer instead of worrying about receivables for a certain time period. Are they actually losing money by doing this? I doubt it in a short-term sense, but they are obviously not making as much as they could be doing.

    I suspect that Aspen University will eventually return to their standard pricing model when the time comes but for now, those who can and have the desire, should take advantage of this offer. There are no strings attached, just one man with outstanding character and a very big heart wishing to offer the same path that lead to his good fortune to those who might normally not get this chance.
     
  12. Koolcypher

    Koolcypher Member

     
  13. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    To a very large extent this depends on the subsidies the states provide to the school systems. In California this year the budget for post secondary education is around $12 billion.
     
  14. gbrogan

    gbrogan Member

    I am a current Aspen student and just wanted to say that the piece sounded like an advertisement to me rather than a news story.

    That being said, good for Aspen. Nice to see publicity for the school which I think is great. I have enjoyed my time as a student and will definitely miss it once it's over in about 8 months. I am torn on enrolling in another program at the current tuition rate because I don't think I could handle starting it and doing my Capstone simultaneously.

    To me, the fact that Aspen can charge tuition that's affordable to most regular working joes attests to the fact that a school-- especially an online one with less overhead than a campus-- that charges outrageous tuition does it because they can and not because they need to. They are in the business of bleeding every last dollar they can from students and they do it well.

    Apparently, Aspen's interests are in opening up the availability of affordable schooling. I commend them for that.
     
  15. simon

    simon New Member

    I appreciate your straightforward and very well thought out response. As you are aware, running and maintaining a distance online school is not an inexpensive endeavor so it will be interesting to observe the length of time Aspen will be able to offer such low tuition rates. We shall see. Simon
     
  16. taylor

    taylor New Member

    Good article and good for Aspen. There always seems to be an anti DETC sentiment on this forum. However, if DETC degrees are becoming more accepting, I'm all for it. I chose TESC over a DETC school that I was considering because of this forum. At the time I had no idea of the differences in accreditations. But if DETC degrees serve the same purpose as an RA, I'd probably go to Aspen too.
     
  17. macattack

    macattack New Member

    Perhaps. However, I did say short term. A short break might due Abner some good. My point is that Abner is a nice fellow and this is out of character for him. Profanity-laced attacks on posters asking legitimate questions shouldn't be tolerated, IMHO. But then again, I don't run this place...
     
  18. AdjunctInstructor

    AdjunctInstructor New Member

    Dr. Lady

    It is commendable what you all are doing at Aspen. I may one day finish the Ed.D. with Aspen. I was interested in your Ed.D. However, I was told there is no federal financial aid for the Ed.D. Also, I empathize with you concerning your brother--I too lost a brother to similar circumstances. Keep up the trend setting leadership in distance education area.

    Blessings to you and your family,
     
  19. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    I still say simon is competitor. He acts like he demands a business plan. It is none of his business. Plus, the manner in which it was asked show a heartless, ruthless, type of guy. I meant what I said. I have said worse in the crusade against trolls and mill shills, in order to protect the sanctity of this board. Some may recall arguments going for up to 20-30pages, with me never letting up 1 inch. Please read the posts before to get a whole picture of simon.

    Abner
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 11, 2010
  20. okydd

    okydd New Member

    A low cost strategy can be very profitable. It is all about positioning. I appreciate the low cost but I see nothing altruistic about offering low cost. As a fellow degreeinfoer, I wish Dlady and Aspen great success.
     

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