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According to an article in today’s Business First, New Jersey-based Southwestern College may be coming soon to Columbus. They’re working on a deal to secure space at 45 N. Fourth Street, located at the corner of Gay & Fourth Streets Downtown. The school expects to attract 500 students upon opening.
The full article from Business First can be read online here: (“Southwestern College near deal for 1st Columbus campus“).
I’ll redesign their logo at no charge.
Ha! Not feeling it? ;)
Seriously though, I think this will be a great addition to Gay Street. 500 extra students in the area will add some extra vibrancy to this already blossoming area.
Now if only the 30,000 students at the other end of Gay Street could get a coffee shop or restaurant or two? ;)
Yeah that’s what is needed in Columbus. A for-profit campus downtown that won’t tell you the COST of the classes you’ll be taking. “Call us so we can use high-pressure sales tactics to convince you to enroll in classes instead of taking the same ones at any one of the 6 other universities and community colleges near by.”
You have to love a website for a ‘college’ that lists investor relations on the front page rather than its accreditation.
Yuck.
“The city expects Southwestern, a division of West Orange, N.J.-based Lincoln Educational Services Corp., to hire a staff of 49, including 23 instructors, with an annual payroll of $1.97 million.”
“The school is expected to generate $492,000 in city income taxes during the same period and $5,000 more a year in property taxes for Columbus City Schools”
I won’t claim what is and isn’t needed in Columbus, but 49 new jobs, $500k in tax revenue and $5k towards CPS isn’t shabby.
“I won’t claim what is and isn’t needed in Columbus, but 49 new jobs, $500k in tax revenue and $5k towards CPS isn’t shabby. ”
Ditto
@Jonmyers Pleeeeease redesign the logo….
There are plenty of things that would generate taxes and jobs but may not be best for the city. You know, kind of like a casino. So an operation that is really nothing more than a sub-prime mortgage lender masquerading as a college is just really the last thing Columbus needs.
These schools rope people into high cost, often non-accredited programs, pressuring students to take on loans that are impossible for them to repay. They make their money from student loans both private and federal.
These for-profits (especially ones of this ultra-low caliber) benefit very few in the community, $500K is a drop in the bucket in comparison to the damage and fall out from these un-repayable student loans we’ll start hearing about in a few more years. It’ll be the “edu bubble” except its really not. This has nothing to do with education and everything to do with scamming.
That’s any different from OSU jacking up tuition nearly every quarter, forcing students into loan situations..how?
[Granted, a degree from the OSU is quite a different animal. I wish you could offer us something concrete to demonstrate this particular school's low quality or troublesome aspects other than generalities. ]
BTW, a closer look at the website mentions accreditation:
“Fully accredited by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and schools (ACICS), Southwestern College will help you to develop the basic skills and real-world techniques that you’ll need— both now and in the future.”
On the about page of Southwestern.
Ohio State’s graduation rate is 73%, Southwestern College 45%. 53% for public and 64% for private is the national average.
Southwestern College has a 90% acceptance rate, OSU 62%.
Obviously, the OSU sheepskin is worth much more dollar for dollar.
A quick search of education review sites reveals an average of about 96% of Southwestern students take out loans.
I think this school should be given a chance, but Wassan does bring up a good point regarding the fact that some institutions do exploit subsidized loans and that education is a business, especially in the ‘for profit’ sector.
Of interesting note, the parent company of Lincoln Educational Group was the Ryder truck rental company until it was sold in 2000 to an investment firm.
Which is why I would love to see something beyond generalities.
College tuition and the use of loans is an issue (and let’s not forget text book prices) across the board regardless of which school we’re talking about. Graduation does not equal a job, so there is risk regardless for a student to default and end up in serious financial trouble.
I would also like to mention that all accreditation is not the same. ACICS is a career/vo-tech oriented ‘national’ accreditation program which has some controversy for filling its board with the ceo’s of the businesses it accredits. It is mostly used by ‘for profit’ post secondary beauty schools. truck driving schools, and online programs.
It is not part of the 6 regional accreditation bodies which are the standard in the US. As such ACICS schools are not recognized by all other schools or some employers. It does make them eligible for Title IV federal financial aid programs.
While I agree that OSU’s tuition increases are hard, it continues to increase its national and international ranking and reputation. Over the years it has increased the value of my diploma. I would consider an Ohio State degree a good investment while some other programs much more of a gamble (pun intended).
I want Columbus to have a vibrant downtown also and 500 more students would definitely add to Gay St.
I have mixed feelings about these school as well. It’s hard to find tuition costs on any of their sites. They will give you a round about but not a cost per credit hour. I think they charge to much for what you can get it seems just as wassan said. I think at some point In the future many will come under investigation for something to do with their handling of aid and money.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/luckie-to-address-miami-jacobs-accreditation-problem-638532.html
Having researched further (ie google), I would stay far away. Columbus State offers many of the same programs and has both a good track record and a commitment to the community. Southwestern is getting a 75% tax abatement which might go to more worthy causes. I would prefer they did not move to Columbus. It seems they are eaters of the young… :(
While I all for the $500,000 for C-bus, I am quite skeptical of this corporation.
The odds of this “institution of higher education” being around in 10-15 years is slim to none. Plenty of for-profit institutions have bitten the bullet lately, leaving their “graduates” high and dry.
I’ve never heard of their accreditation board and I work in higher education.
Students taking classes there would unlikely have the ability to transfer credits to almost all other higher ed institutions, even other for-profit’s. CSCC is a much safer bet.
I hadn’t done much research on this school the other day when this was announced. Bummer to hear that they’re probably not the positive addition that I first assumed.
As far as their logo, I am not sure it bodes well for their online graphic design degree program:
http://www.lincolnonline.edu/programs/online-associate-degrees/online-graphic-design-degree
It does come with a fully loaded laptop bundled into your financial aid package…
I did a little comparison of a few colleges in Ohio just for reference from the site College Board.com . This is for full time tuition in state student and this does not include room and board.
Ohio State – $8,706
Ohio university- $8,973
Columbus state- $3,605
Miami-Jacobs – Won’t list the cost but I asked one of the girls I see often in my garage who go’s there she said she is paying $14,000 per year full time
CCAD- $24,864
Franklin university – $8,940
Mount Carmel College of nursing- $8,897
Devry- $14,160
Kent State – $8,726
Ohio Business College: Columbus – $12,470
Southwestern ( Dayton) – $10,600 – Franklin Location – $11,500
Press Release:
Proposed Training College Would Create New Jobs Downtown
Mayor Michael B. Coleman is advancing an incentive plan to City Council that would bring 49 new jobs to Downtown Columbus. Southwestern College is proposing to expand into Columbus through the redevelopment and renovation of three floors of a five-story commercial building, comprising 26,000 square feet to be used as classroom and office space.
“Along with Columbus State, Franklin, CCAD and Capital Law, Southwestern College will continue to grow our Downtown as not just a center for jobs and commerce, but also as a neighborhood for learning,†Mayor Coleman said. “This project is within the Mile on High District, and these 49 new jobs will have a big impact on the continuing revitalization of our urban core.â€Â
Southwestern College provides training in Health Services, Business IT and Spa & Cosmetology with locations in Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo and Franklin, Ohio, as well as Florence, Kentucky.
The Columbus facility would be located at 45 North Fourth Street. The administration is proposing to grant a 75 percent 10-year Enterprise Zone Tax Abatement to Southwestern College.
“This announcement continues the momentum of job creation in the Downtown and specifically in the Mile on High District,†said Andrew J. Ginther, chair of the Finance and Economic Development Committee. “The Enterprise Zone Tax Abatement is performance based, meaning the sooner the redevelopment and renovation occurs, the sooner the incentives to into effect.â€Â
The project is expected to begin May 2010 with a scheduled time of completion for December 2010.