Education Direct Changes Thier Name

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by mcoleman7805, Nov 17, 2005.

Loading...
  1. mcoleman7805

    mcoleman7805 New Member

  2. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    Personally, I'm not thrilled with the name change. I don't mind the "Penn Foster" part...but "Career School"? Blech!

    Then again, I wasn't exactly overjoyed with the name Thomson Education Direct, or the Center for Degree Studies. I would like to know what this school has against calling itself a "college" or "university". So they only offer diplomas and associate degrees...it didn't stop Ashworth from calling itself a "college".

    I agree that the new name essentially makes it sound like nothing more than a vocational-technical school, but in a way I guess that is exactly what it is. I just think they could market themselves much better, and attract more students, if they avoided names like "Center for Degree Studies" or "Career School".

    Will I drop out because of the name change? No. Will I proudly display my diploma on the wall in my office? Probably not.
     
  3. mcoleman7805

    mcoleman7805 New Member

    The degrees might have the name "Penn Foster College" not "Career School".
     
  4. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    Not according the the announcement being made by Education Direct:

    "Effective December 19, 2005, Thomson Education Direct and Thomson High School will become Penn Foster Career School
    and Penn Foster High School."

    Why would they list anything different on their degrees?
     
  5. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    Would Penn Foster Junior College (PFJC) give them some blue sky and still be accurate, or does it sound too non-DL?

    Dave
     
  6. mcoleman7805

    mcoleman7805 New Member

    I'm just saying what potpourri said 6 post up.
     
  7. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    My apologies then to mcoleman and the board.

    First the grin and then the lack of public announcement just a month from the change and the .com rather than .edu - thought it had to be a spoof.
     
  8. potpourri

    potpourri New Member

    I was told the name for the degree programs will be "Penn Foster College." The career diploma programs will be "Penn Foster Career School." For the high school the name will be "Penn Foster High School." I asked the representative two or three times to confirm that and she stated that this is what it will represent depending upon which program you're enrolled in at the school. However, nothing is definate until the transition is completed on December 19th.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 17, 2005
  9. RobbCD

    RobbCD New Member

    This is the latest in a rash of DETC school name changes.

    Must be something in the punch.;)
     
  10. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    If they go with "Penn Foster College" that won't be so bad. In fact, I like that better than "Education Direct". However, I see nothing in the announcement they sent to the students which indicates they intend to do that. If they do, great..but I'd like to see it in writing.
     
  11. Guest

    Guest Guest

    It is better than all the previous names but I agree they should drop "career" from the title. Usually only trade schools have this in their name while offering only diplomas.

    I wish PCDI would change their name. Maybe to South Atlantic Technical Institute
    or to some other class A minor league sounding name!
     
  12. potpourri

    potpourri New Member

    I'm just hanging on to my chair to see what is going to happen here. I think that the name change will be better than having it be Education Direct. I just think they need to get a name figured out and stick with it, instead of chaning it so many times. This will be the third time they've changed the name in the last 4 or 5 years. At one point International Correspondence Schools was a very well-known name and well received name, but with the word "correspondence," it lost its momentum. I'm very anxious to find out about the name change and if it will be "Penn Foster College," or some other name. It makes sense that the career diploma program would be "Penn Foster Career College," and that the high school would be named "Penn Foster High School." Overall, I'm very pleased there changing the name because "Education Direct," wasn't a good name for a school in my opinion.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 17, 2005
  13. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    I agree that the school needs to stick with a name, no matter what it is. It's kind of difficult to build much of a reputation when you are essentially re-inventing yourself every two years.

    I hope this "Career School" name only applies to the diploma programs, rather than the associate degrees. Even though I am essentially using this degree as a stepping stone to a bachelors program, I would be embarrassed to tell somebody I earned a two-year degree from some place called Penn Foster CAREER SCHOOL. That sounds like a name you'd find on a matchbook cover or gracing the door of a beauty school (no offense to cosmetology students or grads).
     
  14. potpourri

    potpourri New Member

    TCord1964 -- You're so cool. You should be very proud that you're a student at this school. I'm impressed with your candor and your determination to stick with it. You should be commended for your efforts.

    I remember when Sally Struthers (probably spelled it incorrect), use to do the commercials for International Correspondence Schools. I also remember when they use to advertise Harcourt and Education Direct on a regular basis on TV, but I haven't seen any of those commercials in over a year or more. Has anyone else noticed that? Does anyone else remember Sally Struthers when she did the old ICS commercials too?
     
  15. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    Yes, but she was more memorable when zaftig than when zeppelin.
     
  16. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    "Would you like to make more money? Sure, we all would..."

    I always wondered why she didn't save more of HER money from "All in the Family" so she didn't have to make those ICS or Save the Children commercials.

    Funny, but the PCDI commercials look almost exactly the same, except with a different woman.
     
  17. ghstfalcon

    ghstfalcon New Member

    I came over after logging into the schools site and seeing the name change announcement. I had hoped for a name change, but never really thought they would do one. I'm not going to get excited about this one way or another unless they do end up adding college for the degree programs. Then I might do a little jig.
    Melissa
     
  18. Kit

    Kit New Member

    The name changes were not arbitrary, they were due to chanes in ownership. It started as International Correspondence Schools, then was much later sold to Harcourt Publishing but without rights to use the original name. So they changed the name to Harcourt Learning, but didn't own the school very long. Harcourt wasn't doing very well soon after and some of its divisions were subsequently sold, including the school. Thomson Publishing picked it up while in a buying frenzy a few years ago and of course could not continue to use the name of their competitor, so it quickly became Thomson Education Direct. No sale involved in the latest name change, it will continue to be owned by Thomson Education so it appears they just want a better name.

    I think "Penn Foster Career School" is a miss though, especially if they plan to apply that to their degree programs. They should just name it "Penn Foster College" for the degree and certificate programs. That wouldn't be out of line since just like Thomson, many associate degree-granting community colleges also offer certificate programs that are pretty diverse including both personal enrichment programs and others that are career oriented. So there doesn't seem to be a reason why Thomson couldn't use the same name for their certificate as well as their degree programs. Their high school equivalency program could be "Penn Foster High School". But there's no indication they are going to use "College" in the name at all, either for the certificate or degree programs. They can't call it a "University" since they don't offer any degrees higher than associate.

    FWIW, I thought exactly the same as decimon upon first reading the thread. The big :Ds and lack of confirming information in the thread's start did make it seem like a spoof, combined with the fact that there's no information on Ed Direct's site. Gregg's right though, in the Penn Foster link that was provided later you are brought to Ed Direct's site by just removing "info" from the link. But until seeing that, I thought the thread was meant jokingly.

    Kit
     
  19. ghstfalcon

    ghstfalcon New Member

    The name change announcement is on the Education direct site, but you have to be a student and signed in to see it I think. I came across it in my personal message center of school announcements when I signed in to take a test.

    Below is a copy of the announcement on the Education Direct site for those of you that can't sign in.



    Name Change Announcement!

    Effective December 19, 2005, Thomson Education Direct and Thomson High School will become Penn Foster Career School
    and Penn Foster High School.

    The new name reflects our 115-year presence in the State of Pennsylvania and pays tribute to Thomas J. Foster, our founder and the American pioneer in distance education.

    During the transition to Penn Foster, you may receive some learning materials with the Education Direct brand. Please be patient with us as we make the necessary name changes.

    Thank you for being one of our valued students.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Frequently Asked Questions
    Here are some answers to questions you may have about our name change.
    If you have any further questions, call 888-427-1000 in the U.S. or 570-961-4040 in other countries.

    Will I receive a new Student ID number?
    No. You will continue to use the same Student ID number. Please use this number in any contact with the school.

    How do I reach the student web site?
    Our website has changed to www.pennfoster.edu. Please bookmark our new address. As a courtesy, the old address will take you to the new site.

    Will my student username and password change?
    No. Continue to use your current username and password.

    Where do I mail payments and assignments?
    Our address remains the same:
    925 Oak Street
    Scranton, PA 18515
    Payment checks should be made out to "Penn Foster"

    Will I receive a new coupon book?
    You may continue to use your existing coupon book for monthly payments. Payment envelopes you now have will work as well.

    Has the accreditation and licensing of the school changed?
    No. Penn Foster is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools for our high school and vocational-technical programs. Penn Foster is also accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. Penn Foster Career School and Penn Foster High School are licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.

    Why did you change your name?
    Our new name, Penn Foster, reflects our 115-year history. Our institution was founded in 1890 by Thomas Foster, the American pioneer in distance education, and has been located in northeast Pennsylvania since its inception.

    How do I contact someone if I have a question about this change?
    The telephone number for Student Services remains unchanged. They will be glad to assist you at 888-427-1000 in the U.S.
    or 570-961-4040 in other countries.
     
  20. ghstfalcon

    ghstfalcon New Member

    I just got off the phone with student services. They said that the diplomas will not be changing. They will still say Center For Degree Studies. I was told the same thing that Potpourri was told about the name change though. The degree programs portion of the school will indeed be called Penn Foster College. The Penn Foster Career School name will only apply to carreer diploma portions of the school.
    Melissa

    I think this is a step up for those involved in the degree program.
     

Share This Page