Another disappointment

Stephanie and Vincent got up early today for another college visit, this one just across the Ohio River and down the street from the first school that Stephanie taught at in New Albany, at Indiana University Southeast (IUS). Stephanie has actually consulted for this school and for several semesters had education majors from this school helping out in her classroom (and one of my former colleagues is graduating from there with an education degree later this spring). Still, it's an overgrown community college, and Stephanie and Vincent - perhaps having been spoiled by visits to private colleges and several much bigger state universities - found they were disappointed with no program except tours of the small campus, few departmental representatives there, no open bookstore (and therefore no T-shirt or post cards), and no dorms completed yet. Most of the people there seemed already committed to going to IUS, and there was little effort to market to those who were unsure. Stephanie and Vincent were impressed with the new library (pictured above), the low student-to-faculty and student-to-computer on campus ratios, the three years of Japanese offered (Stephanie's Japanese students participate in Satuday Japan school here.) and the Japan study-abroad program. We won't be able to ignore this option because they offer Indiana in-state tuition to Louisville area folks, match the modest Kentucky version of Florida Bright Futures scholarships (small stipends for college students based on students' high school grades, ACT scores, and Advanced Placement class participation) and - especially if Vincent were staying at home - this is by far the most affordable option we've examined. Plus Vincent could car pool with him mother in the morning and take the #2 bus home!