The New York Times printed an article today about College of the Ozarks in the education section of the paper today. Kathleen Coffey sent the press release below:
College of the Ozarks was featured in the Education section of the July 25 edition of The New York Times. The article, written by Joseph Berger, is entitled “Fight Song at Ozarks: Work Hard and Avoid Debt.”
The article showcases the College and its unique work-study program, which allows an average of 95 percent of students to graduate debt-free by working 15 hours a week on campus to offset the cost of tuition.
In the write-up, several students give firsthand accounts of working at college to pay for tuition, and most are appreciative of the opportunity. Three of four students, Berger explains, have family incomes which qualify for Federal Pell grants of up to $4,310. Not only does work-study offset the cost of tuition, it gives C of O students a different outlook on a college education, which Berger illustrates with quotes from various students such as sophomore Sarah LeDoux.
“I find I take more pride in doing well in class when I know I’ve washed dishes to be able to take that class,” says LeDoux.
Berger also cites Roger Lehecka, the former dean of students at Columbia University and a consultant to scholarship programs. Lehecka says that working 15 hours a week at an institution such as Columbia would earn the student roughly $6,000 for two semesters, which would barely make a dent in its $45,000-per-year price tag.
College of the Ozarks was previously featured in the Jan. 4, 1998 Times Education Life section as a sidebar that accompanied an article entitled, “A Free Bachelor’s. No Kidding.”
