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Educate America this week - the weather and terrorists

Andrew Jackson University — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:57:00 GMT

The gang at AJU is back with a new episode for a new decade. Don talks about terrorists and the weather, Tammy gives an update on the teenage crime spree and Jarrod continues his lovefest for former University of Florida Quarterback, and NFL hopeful, Tim Tebow.

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Educate America This Week - How NFL Head Coaches and CEO's are alike

Andrew Jackson University — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:58:00 GMT

In this episode of Educate America This Week, Don Kassner compares the recent coaching decisions by Belichik and Del Rio and compares them to business decisions made everyday. Tammy discusses declawing cats, Christi talks about Google and Jarrod expresses his undying love for Tim Tebow.

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AJU Football Challenge - take a peek

Andrew Jackson University — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:43:00 GMT

Take a look at this week's AJU Football Challenge - All picks brought to you courtesy of Andrew Jackson University, where we don't have a college football team, but we can get you a great online degree.

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Twenty Years Later - The Wall Comes Down in Berlin

Andrew Jackson University — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:20:00 GMT

In Educate America This Week, President Don discusses his hero, Ronald Reagan, and the historic 1987 speech in front of the Berlin Wall, where Reagan demanded that Russia tear it down. Two years later, the wall came tumbling down. Join the rest of the AJU crew with another week of tidbits including Tammy's take on stolen luggage in Phoenix, Christi's report on a lawsuit filed by AT&T, and Jarrod's weekly Tim Tebow love-fest. As always, watch until the end to see the wacky outakes.

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Educate America This Week - How not to cheat on an exam

Andrew Jackson University — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:16:00 GMT

In Educate America This Week: President Don discusses insurance differentials between men and women, Tammy unmasks the marker bandits, Brianna busts exam cheaters and Jarrod gets defensive about Tim Tebow. All of that, plus those wacky out-takes.......

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Educate America This Week - the DETC Fall Workshop in Naples, Walmart and Tim Tebow

Andrew Jackson University — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:58:00 GMT

In this week's episode of Educate America, Don Kassner reviews the recent DETC Fall Education Workshop held in Naples FL and discusses WalMart's latest strategy. Tammy talks about a new google application while Jarrod Morgan again professes his love for Tim Tebow. In addition, this week includes the premier of the "ProctorU moment" with Brianna Woods.

As always, watch until the end for some funny out-takes.

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Educate America - Rush Limbaugh, the Rams & other tidbits

Andrew Jackson University — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:21:00 GMT

In this episode of Educate America this Week, Don Kassner and the gang discuss Rush Limbaugh, why 71 year old men shouldn't date, and of course, the weekly Tim Tebow update from Mr. Gator, Jarrod Morgan.

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Educate America - A ban texting and driving?

Andrew Jackson University — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:34:00 GMT

In this week's episode Don Kassner discusses a White House proposal to ban texting while driving, Tammy Kassner discusses iPhone apps, and where the heck is Jarrod Morgan?

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AJU Football Challenge - Week IV

Andrew Jackson University — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:05:00 GMT

Andrew Jackson University - we don't have a football team, but we can deliver a great online degree.

Check out Week IV of the AJU Football Challenge - Don Kassner picks five NFL games and Jarrod Morgan picks five NCAA games.

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We may not have a football team - but we do have the AJU football challenge!

Andrew Jackson University — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:15:00 GMT

Cute dog picks football games.....and as always, watch until the end for the "out-takes"

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Educate America - Wine & Alabama

Andrew Jackson University — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:27:00 GMT

In this week's episode of Educate America, the team talks about wine sales in Alabama, advice for flash floods, overdraft fees, the Tim Tebow update, and some inspirational stuff from former President George W Bush

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Educate America This Week - Kanye, Swayze & the Economy

Andrew Jackson University — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:59:00 GMT

Educate America THIS WEEK - Patrick Swayze RIP, The Recession, and Elderly Romance

Watch Educate America - This Week - 9/16/2009

Educate America This Week is brought to you by Andrew Jackson University. You can get your degree online with one of our fantastic degree programs. Visit us at www.aju.edu

Educate America This Week - Tim Tebow and the Swine Flu

Andrew Jackson University — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:09:00 GMT

In this week's episode: Don talks about toilet paper and the death penalty, Tammy talks about preventing the swine flu, Jarrod falls in love Tim Tebow and Christi is all about the money.

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Educate America This Week - Its Back!!!! - September 2, 2009

Andrew Jackson University — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:02:00 GMT

Watch the new cast of Educate America have some fun with a new set.

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University welcomes students turned away by colleges in New York and California

Andrew Jackson University — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:54:00 GMT

WEBWIRE – Friday, August 14, 2009

Contact Information: Don Kassner; President; Andrew Jackson University; 205-451-2072; president@aju.edu

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Thousands of prospective college students are being turned away by schools in New York, California and other states because of budget reductions, space limitations and grade-point requirements. But Andrew Jackson University, a 15-year old private university, is welcoming students rejected by other schools.

“President Obama’s goal of ‘expanding the promise of education in America’ cannot be attained unless institutions like Andrew Jackson University www.aju.edu open their arms to those less-privileged or excluded for whatever reason by the traditional education establishment,” said Don Kassner, president of the accredited online university. “We are not a state university, so it is up to us who we accept as students as long as we see the person is capable of college level work,” Kassner continued. “And it is our philosophy to provide an opportunity to earn a college degree to everyone who seeks one.”

“When the economy tanked in 2008 we reevaluated our student selection process, our tuition and fee levels, our enrollment process and level of student services,” commented university board member Joseph Schmoke. The reevaluation resulted, Schmoke said, in the reduction or elimination of tuition, a higher level of student-friendly services, streamlining the enrollment process, and the unveiling of an online webcam-based exam proctoring system. The webcam proctoring system www.proctoru.com eliminated the requirement that a student travel to a proctoring location to have their exams supervised.

University president Kassner indicated that limits on the number of students enrolling each month in Andrew Jackson University were lifted as staff increased and systems improved. Kassner said the university can now accept an unlimited number of students in any of its eleven degree programs. “And unlike traditional universities, we have rolling semesters with a new one starting every month,” he stated.

Andrew Jackson University, claiming the “best value in education,” offers three master’s degrees, three bachelor’s degrees, five associate’s degrees and twenty certificate programs. All courses are delivered online and at the convenience of the student. All that is required is a computer, an Internet connection, and a high school diploma. “We welcome all those who have been rejected by other universities for whatever the reason. You’re all equal in our eyes,” stated university president Kassner.

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Related Links: University website; Online exam proctoring; University degree programs

The rush by students to rent college textbooks may be misdirected

Andrew Jackson University — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:20:00 GMT

WEBWIRE – Thursday, August 06, 2009

Contact Information: Tammy Kassner; Director of Admissions; Andrew Jackson University; 205-871-9288, ext. 107; tkassner@aju.edu

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – College students are flocking to companies that rent textbooks rather than buying them at bloated retail prices from campus bookstores. Some students have the impression that they are saving money by renting textbooks. But research done recently by Tammy Kassner, director of admissions at Andrew Jackson University, indicates that many rental fees are frequently more expensive than buying books second-hand.

Since Andrew Jackson University www.aju.edu delivers its low-cost courses online, and their students can’t just walk into a traditional campus bookstore, their admissions and student services departments have been helping students find good deals on textbooks. After checking prices posted online by Chegg www.chegg.com , BookRenter www.bookrenter.com and Amazon www.amazon.com for textbooks used in eight popular courses, Tammy Kassner’s staff found that few rentals were bargains when compared to the used-book prices posted on Amazon.

Five out of the eight textbooks were less expensive to purchase, based on Amazon postings, than to rent from either Chegg or BookRenter. A textbook for a criminal justice course (CJ316) at Andrew Jackson University, for example, could be bought used on Amazon for $5.24 while rentals on Chegg and BookRenter were $45.09 and $58.40, respectively. The rentals have to be returned with minimal highlighting and no writing in the margins or the student is charged full price for the textbook, according to an article in the July 31 edition of Inside Higher Ed by Stephanie Lee. “That turns a lot of students off as they want to be able to make notes in the margin as well as highlight certain things,” commented Kassner.

Kassner says that newer editions can be cheaper to rent than to buy used as there aren’t as many newer editions flooding the market to drive down prices. One instance she found where renting made sense was a textbook required for the university’s BA 541 business course. The least expensive Amazon posting was $84.94 while the same book could be rented from Chegg for $51.50 and from BookRenter for $$27.40. “But a buyer of the new edition can also expect to sell the textbook for a pretty good price when they finish the course,” Kassner said, “so the actual net cost could be substantially less than the cost of renting.”

So what does Kassner and the Andrew Jackson University staff recommend? They encourage students to shop around and compare prices, including shipping costs. “And be sure to read the fine print if you’re renting,” she cautions. “We also suggest that our students check www.wecomparebooks.com for their pricing comparisons. After all, we’re trying to provide our students with a quality college education at the lowest cost, and overpaying for textbooks just doesn’t fit in with that philosophy,” Kassner concluded.

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Related Links: Andrew Jackson University website; Inside Higher Ed article "Rent, Read and Return"; WeCompareBooks website

AJU president to give advice on using Twitter

Andrew Jackson University — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:06:00 GMT

OK, I have a Twitter account, now what? This is the title of a presentation that Don Kassner will make at the DETC Fall Education Workshop. The annual workshop, hosted by the Distance Education and Training Council, will be held in Naples, FL on October 18-20. For more information on the workshop, go to http://www.detc.org

Here the presentation summary:

Social media marketing (SMM) is one of the latest tools to market education, but figuring out how to do it successfully has been a challenge. is on the leading edge of SMM with their presence on Twitter. The University is one of the top followed universities on Twitter, and its president is one of the most followed economists on Twitter. Andrew Jackson University President Don Kassner will give an extensive presentation about how to mount a successful Twitter campaign with advice on: how to brand your username; how many usernames to manage; how to communicate using accounts; how to market using accounts; how to build followers; and developing a following strategy. The session will include some of the basic lessons that Don has learned about Twitter since he first tweeted in late 2008. In addition, Don will explore the integration of other SMM campaigns with Twitter, including their use of YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. To learn more about Don, follow him at http://twitter.com/ajupresident and at http://twitter.com/andrewjacksonu

Will the federal government take over education?

Andrew Jackson University — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:23:00 GMT

We live in strange times. Over the past year, the federal government has begun to take over many privately-run industries. First, we saw the takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which put the government in control of a large portion of the home mortgage industry. This was followed by the takeover of AIG, and the Fed running insurance, investment and 401(k) plans. After that, the government began its takeover of the investment and banking industry, followed by the their entry into the auto industry by taking over General Motors.

At this point, it should be clear the federal government is on a path to own and control a significant portion of U.S. economic activity. The latest effort is the current health care reform bill.   Watch Don Kassner in Educate America to learn details of the plan to eliminate choice in health care insurance.

Click here to watch Educate America

Although health care is bad enough - what is next? With education considered to be one of the pillars of the president's economic plans, will we be facing a government takeover in education next?   The Obama administration is already committed to a significant role in the community college system and is using that plan to eliminate private student loans. Could this be a blueprint to the eventual takeover of the entire post-secondary landscape?   Will the government outlaw private education in the same way that it is looking to outlaw private health care insurance?

For those of you who think this is far fetched - keep in mind the huge endowment funds held by many of the top private institutions in the country.  It is easy to see the government viewing those funds as part of the problem that has led to the high cost of education. And what about private for-profit education? What will the government do as it looks at Apollo Group - with revenues over $3.5 billion and profits approaching $1 billion?   Small peanuts in comparison to the amount of endowment funds that exist at the major universities, but easy pickings for a government that believes that large for-profit sectors that serve the public good should not exist.

Times are changing - for more proof, everyone should re-read George Orwell's Animal Farm - the similarities are striking.

And then, go back and re-read paragraph two of the Declaration of Independence. Is this what the Founding Fathers had in mind?

1500 Proctored Exams!!!

Andrew Jackson University — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:20:00 GMT

Fifteen hundred college exams proctored live online

WEBWIRE – Friday, July 17, 2009

Contact Information: Jarrod Morgan; Business Development Manager & Co-founder; ProctorU; 205-870-8122; getstarted@proctoru.com

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - ProctorU, a university spinoff, conducts its 1,500th college exam online today making 1,500 students very happy. College students who take courses online no longer have to make appointments, travel to a proctoring location, and in many cases pay an exorbitant proctor fee to take a required exam. ProctorU, developed by Andrew Jackson University and spun off into a separate company eight months ago, is now considered by many as the smart choice for students who take courses online.

“In November 2007 I saw a presentation by a company that claimed to have an online proctoring service,” said Don Kassner, president of Andrew Jackson University, “and I said I’d sign up right then and there.” But Kassner was disappointed when the person presenting the service said it was not actually ready yet and turned him away. Kassner waited – not so patiently – until January 2008 and, when the proposed proctoring service was still not ready, he obtained board approval to develop online proctoring internally.

By late February 2008, one month after receiving approval to develop an online proctoring system, the first test exam was proctored. “It’s been smooth sailing since then,” stated Jarrod Morgan, co-developer of the unique online system. “We have improved the system by adding live certified proctors, real time audio/video using TokBox, technical assistance, practice exams, identity authentication, and the ability to assist exam-takers by remotely controlling their computers during an exam,” said a proud Morgan.

“Now that we’ve perfected online live-proctor exams and coupled the service with identity authentication,” commented Morgan, “and actually proven the system by proctoring 1,500 exams, we’re attracting more and more interested colleges and universities each week.”

According to ProctorU management, the service is also attracting organizations that are interested in partnering with it or buying it from its parent company, Pupilcity LLC. “We are not interested in exploring a sale now,” said Pupilcity LLC managing member Joe Schmoke, “but we are interested in partnerships that would provide our online proctoring service to a segment of the education and training industry that we are not addressing ourselves.”

Education industry analysts expect the demand for online exam proctoring, especially when coupled with a trustworthy identity authentication product, will skyrocket beginning in 2010. This is when the U. S. Department of Education starts requiring schools to make sure the person taking the exam is the student enrolled in the course.

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Related Links: ProctorU website; Andrew Jackson University website; Identity authentication service

The balance and separation of powers in the United States of America

Andrew Jackson University — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:21:00 GMT

The US Senate takes up the nomination of Judge Sotomayor for Supreme Court Justice this week. America gets a front row seat to watch how our constitution works and the important concept of the separation of powers. The president can nominate a Supreme Court Justice, but the Senate must confirm the choice. In today's Educate America, Don Kassner explores the Constitution in action and asks the question - is it the role of the Court to interpret law, or to make law? That is one of the key questions that the Senate will address this week as it reviews this nominee.

Click here to watch Educate America