Rev. Dr. Tilahun Mekonnen Mendedo and the Concordia College family celebrated the inauguration of Mendedo as the seventh president of the college this May.
"It's an important event, not only just for me, but for the entire community of Concordia College and this great city of Selma, and the people and the friends and the alumni and graduates of our college," Dr. Mendedo said. "When you have a new leadership and a new president and the expectation is high that the new president or the new leadership comes with a vision. Then, the question is, is that vision what the people are expecting and that vision deliverable for the public."
Of the many plans he has for the college, some of the most important projects he wants to tackle are to work with Wallace Community College Selma in partnership programs, start a graduate program at the Concordia branch here, open a comprehensive child care program at the United Methodist Children's Home to watch children while single parents attend classes and create counseling programs. Dr. Mendedo assumed the presidency Jan. 1 with an installation ceremony on Jan. 14, as well as four days of inaugural activities in May. "The first event is the installation," Mendedo said. "That is very ecclesiastical, very church ordered. But this one is a public event. This one includes everyone. This is a time when most of our college and universities have commencement, and at least they have a break time to come over here and take part in this event."
Paul Hankins, spoke on behalf of Alabama Association of Independent Colleges & Universities (AAICU) and our fourteen member colleges. He wished Dr. Mendedo all the best on his new position and welcomed him as a new leader and voice for higher education issues in the state.

After weeks of political infighting over what domestic funding should be included in the war supplemental, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) has proposed an emergency spending package that includes $5.7 billion to cover the funding shortfall in the Pell Grant program. The machinations aren't over yet, though -- a committee mark-up scheduled for May 27 had to be postponed because of continuing controversy over domestic spending. In addition to war and disaster funding, Obey has made Pell funding a top priority, along with $23 billion to save K-12 teacher jobs. The health care and student aid reconciliation bill provided $36 billion over the next ten years for increases in the Pell Grant program. Still, the program needs additional current funding to cover the rapid and unexpected growth in recipients. When there is a downturn in the economy, more students qualify for need-base student financial aid, and more students return to postsecondary education to improve their skills for jobs in the future. The shortfall funding makes up the difference between the number of recipients estimated, and the actual number of students who receive grants. Under normal economic conditions, the Department of Education sees a 3 percent year-to-year increase in applications for Pell Grants; over the last two years they have seen a 20 percent increase. This additional $5.7 billion proposed by Obey should keep Pell Grant whole for the upcoming fiscal year. If funding is not provided now, it will be taken out of the next education appropriations bill for FY 2011, forcing cuts either to the Pell Grant maximum, or to other education and health programs. NAICU and the Student Aid Alliance have been working hard to get the Pell Grant shortfall paid for in the supplemental appropriations bill for two main reasons - to ensure the program is adequately funded, and to ensure there is funding available in the FY 2011 appropriations bill for the other student aid programs. Keeping the Pell shortfall funding in the bill will not be easy. Before the Senate passed its version of the war and disaster funding bill on May 27, HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) lobbied the leadership to include both Pell Grant shortfall and education jobs funding in the Senate version of the bill. However, he had to abandon his attempts, when budget hawks from both parties voiced concerned about the increased level of federal spending. Once the House votes on the bill later in June, Congress will then have to negotiate a final bill that meets war, disaster and educational needs, along with the concern about rising deficit spending.

The U.S. Department of Education is expected to unveil a new federal proposal that would evaluate for-profit colleges by comparing their students borrowing to their graduates' earnings, but for-profit colleges are scrambling to squash the idea. Administrators at those institutions say the department's proposal would force for-profit colleges to shut down educational programs.
Programs in nursing, engineering technologies, and culinary arts are among those that could be affected because graduates in those fields may not make enough to satisfy the department's proposed debt-to- earnings ratio. Bachelor's-degree programs, experts say, would be most at risk because students in those programs tend to borrow more than students in shorter-term ones. Officials at DeVry, Kaplan, and Keiser Universities all agree that the department's proposal could seriously jeopardize their bachelor's-degree programs. The department has said its goal is to crack down on colleges that overcharge and underdeliver in training students for jobs right after graduation. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said that former students of vocational programs have reported that they were enticed into poor-quality programs and are now saddled with loads of student-loan debt they can't repay because they have no jobs. Mr. Duncan wrote in a recent opinion piece for AOL News that the problems afflict only a small minority of vocational and career programs. But, he added, the problems "will fester unless steps are taken to protect students and taxpayers." The Higher Education Act of 1965 requires that proprietary and vocational colleges, other than those clearly designated as "liberal arts" and vocational programs not designed to lead to a degree, provide "an eligible program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation." Compliance with the rule is a condition for those colleges' students to be eligible to receive federal financial aid. The rule took on more prominence in the late 1980s, when it was used to fight problems that arose after some for-profit colleges were found to be recruiting near welfare offices, low-income housing complexes, and homeless shelters. The colleges enrolled ill- prepared students who brought with them thousands of dollars in federal loans and grants that the colleges received upfront as payments for tuition. The for-profit sector's most-egregious abuses may be behind it, but problems persist. The sector continues to be called out on its high tuition costs, and the average default rate of borrowers who attended for- profit colleges, 11.9 percent, is higher than that of students who attended public colleges, which averages 6.2 percent, or private, nonprofit colleges, at 4.1 percent. Aggressive recruiting practices continue to plague the industry, an issue highlighted in a recent PBS television documentary. In fact, the University of Phoenix settled a lawsuit last year that accused the university of improperly compensating its recruiters, in violation of laws governing federal student aid. The department's attention to the sector has a lot to do with its fast growth, too. Enrollment in the nation's nearly 3,000 for-profit colleges has grown faster than in the rest of higher education, by an average of 9 percent per year over the past 30 years. For-profit institutions now educate about 7 percent of the nation's roughly 19 million students who enroll at degree-granting institutions each fall. The higher-education act does not currently define "gainful employment" as described by the proposed rule. So the Education Department set out to do that late last year, convening a panel that included consumer advocates, for-profit-college officials, and student advocates to re-examine the rule. Because the panel could not agree on a gainful- employment definition, the department is now free to propose its own. The department has not yet finalized its proposal, but officials are considering requiring that a program's students do not take on loan payments that exceed 8 percent of graduates' expected earnings based on a 10-year repayment plan and Bureau of Labor Statistics earnings data. The rule would apply to programs at proprietary colleges and any institution with programs less than two years in length. Under proposals the department has floated, programs that exceed the 8-percent limit could still be eligible for federal financial aid by showing that their graduates' true earnings were higher than the government averages or that 90 percent of all graduates repaid their loans; by documenting that students have at least a 75-percent repayment rate on federal loans; or by demonstrating a program-completion rate of at least 70 percent and a 70-percent job-placement rate. Last month analysts at Credit Suisse reported that the department was considering lowering the completion rate to 50 percent. However, it is unclear exactly which exemptions, if any, will be part of the department's final proposal. The department is expected to release its final draft in the next few weeks, which includes 13 other rules related to for-profit colleges, with public comment to take place over the summer. Final rules will be set by November and go into effect in July 2011.

NAICU and the Council of Independent Colleges have unveiled the framework by which they hope to collect, share, and illustrate private colleges and universities collective efforts to help the nation lead the world in college completion by the year 2020. The "Building Blocks to 2020: Independent Colleges Answer the Call" was first announced by David L Warren at the NAICU Annual Meeting in February. The association recognizes that private, non-profit colleges already have the greatest success rate of all sectors in college persistence and completion.
Through the new Building Blocks to 2020 Website, NAICU will be able to share success stories, show what works, and pass it on, so more students can succeed. Through the Building Blocks to 2020 YouTube channel, we are taking advantage of new media to illustrate in a more personal way just how our colleges and universities are reaching out and supporting students as they work toward degree completion.
Nearly 200 NAICU member institutions have already shared what they are already doing on campus to increase access and retention.
The goal of making the United States first in the world in college completion by the year 2020 reflects a wide special interest by both major political parties and many foundations. America's private colleges must not be left out of this important national conversation.

SPRING HILL COLLEGE:
Two members of the class of 2011 at Spring Hill College will travel to El Salvador this summer. In February, Cory Bronenkamp of St. Louis, Mo., and Michael Lysek of Summerdale, Ala., participated in an immersion trip with Campus Ministry to El Salvador. They were so moved by their experiences in Central America that they arranged to revisit El Salvador over the summer break. Bronenkamp, an English major, and Lysek, a biology/pre-medicine major, depart for El Salvador May 31. Bronenkamp plans to stay until June 18 and Lysek until July 3. On their first visit to El Salvador, the students worked with CRISPAZ, Christians for Peace in El Salvador, an organization that facilitates immersion encounters. The group visited El Salvador on the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. During the weeklong trip, Bronenkamp and Lysek lived in solidarity with the Salvadoran people, including a two-night stay in the rural village of Guarjila. There, the students met two bright young Salvadorans, Chamba Navarro Palm, 18, and Mario Lopez Otero, 19. "It didn't take very long to recognize their desire to learn and go on to the next level of schooling, as one of the kids, Mario, even taught himself how to speak English," Bronenkamp said. "The experience in Guarjila, including meeting Mario, made me realize the potential that was present in El Salvador," Lysek said. "People are overlooked simply because of their social status, and this was very present in Guarjila. It makes me think of what type of untapped potential is present in the small towns of El Salvador, and even in San Salvador and the U.S." Bronenkamp and Lysek's objective this summer is to secure housing for Mario and Chamba so they can attend the University of San Salvador. While the young men can receive an inexpensive education, they do not have the means to pay for room and board in the city. "Our goal is to rent a house or an apartment, or even fully fund a dormitory with utilities and food included, in order to make higher education a possibility for these two bright kids," Bronenkamp said. "In addition to housing, we want to ensure that they are living in a controlled environment with an eye towards not only developing intellectually but also spiritually." This summer, Bronenkamp and Lysek aim to create a business plan, so they can raise the funds needed to educate Mario and Chamba all four years. Their broader goal is to establish a scholarship so more students from small Salvadoran towns can attend university in the country's capital. "Cory and I both realize that merely doing weeklong service projects won't change a country," Lysek said. "Education is the foundation on which a country is built. If you educate the people, they will have the tools to produce goods for their people, and the people of the world. This will enable the people of El Salvador to raise their country in the world with their own hard work, rather than handouts from rich countries."
US SPORTS ACADEMY:
More than 200 Tide faithful braved stormy skies to turn out to see Alabama Head Football Coach, Nick Saban, receive the 2009 Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award on the campus of the United States Sports Academy yesterday. In addition to receiving the Academy's "Order of the Eagle Exemplar" for the Stagg Award, Coach Saban also received a sculpture created by renowned environmental and 2009 Academy Sport Artist of the Year, Bruce Larsen. Created from materials found entirely within Baldwin County, the sculpture depicts a charging elephant, emblematic of the Alabama Crimson Tide Football Team. Also on the program was the dedication by Saban of the Iron Bowl Monument created by Bruce Larsen and unveiled in a January ceremony that featured Collegiate All American football players, Gaylon McCollough, M.D. (Alabama) and Jackie Burkett (Auburn).
CONCORDIA COLLEGE:
Camp Restore New Orleans, housed on the restored campus of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and School in New Orleans East; established in 2006 by LCMS World Relief and Human Care disaster response director, Rev. Glenn Merritt, Laborers For Christ director, Dan Baker, and Southern district President, Kurtis Schultz, is extending an internship opportunity for Concordia Colleg students. Camp Restore will be held during the months of mid-May through mid-August and offers weekly meals and a monthly stipend of $1,000.00. Camp Restore works through mission ministry for "Restoring Faith, Home, and Community to Victims of Katrina."
SAMFORD UNIVERSITY:
Samford University graduated about 800 seniors during a series of commencement programs in May. Graduates from Samford's largest school, the Howard College of Arts and Sciences, along with graduates of the School of the Arts and Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies, received diplomas on Saturday, May 15. About 400 undergraduate and graduate students participated in the program in Pete Hanna Center on the Samford campus.
Another 400 graduates of Samford's Brock School of Business, Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, McWhorter School of Pharmacy and Cumberland School of Law received diplomas on Friday, May 14. Samford's Beeson Divinity School had its commencement exercise and service of consecration on May 5. At the Saturday morning event, Pam Siddall, the new president and publisher of The Birmingham News, challenged graduates to believe in themselves, "even when others don't," and to pursue high standards.
UNIVERSITY OF MOBILE:
Former President of the United States George W. Bush will be the keynote speaker at the sixth annual University of Mobile Leadership Banquet on Oct. 7, UMobile President Dr. Mark Foley announced today. "We build leaders at UMobile, and we are honored that President Bush has chosen to share his insights and experiences as an international leader at an event which raises scholarship funds to prepare those leaders," Foley said. "The University of Mobile Leadership Banquet brings together men and women who represent the best of our community, our nation and our world, who gather to support a university where the future is being shaped today." The banquet raises financial support for the university's annual academic scholarship fund while bringing a speaker of national prominence to the Mobile area. Previous speakers have included former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, former Georgia Gov. and retired U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and best-selling author and motivational speaker Andy Andrews. The patriotic event touches on themes of leadership, service and the importance of graduating men and women who are prepared to make a difference in their communities and the world. Students from the University of Mobile Center for Performing Arts will provide entertainment at the banquet, which will be held at the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center.
BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN COLLEGE:
The Urban Environmental Park at Birmingham-Southern College was selected as one of the first landscapes to participate in a new program testing the nation's first rating system for green landscape design, construction and maintenance in The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES). The park will join 150 other pilot projects from 34 states as well as from Canada, Iceland and Spain as part of an international pilot project program to evaluate the new SITES rating system for sustainable landscapes, with and without buildings. SITES, a partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden, selected the BSC Urban Environmental Park based on its extensive environmentally friendly elements. These sustainable practices include managing rainwater on site and using native and site appropriate plants. The park joins the Smithsonian Institution's African American History & Culture museum, a New Orleans' project to absorb storm water on the streets of the Lower Ninth Ward flooded during Hurricane Katrina, and other projects that include academic and corporate campuses, public parks with hundreds of acres, transportation corridors and private residences of less than one acre. SITES will use feedback from this and the other selected projects during the pilot phase, which runs through June 2012, to revise the final rating system and reference guide by early 2013. More information is available at: http://www.sustainablesites.org.
STILLMAN COLLEGE:
For James A. Muhammad '92, 2010 has already been a phenomenal year. In addition to winning one of the top awards in broadcasting, the Peabody Award, he now has a two- hour documentary in national distribution on the life and work of Dr. Della Taylor Hardman. Muhammad's Peabody Award was for his station's documentary The Great Textbook War produced in partnership with Trey Kay Productions. His documentary on Dr. Hardman, The Black Experience, has been added to the archives of the prestigious Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University. "Great things have happened to me this year and I'm very humbled by the public's response," said James A. Muhammad. "I know that I would not be one of the few African Americans working in this field if it were not for my experiences at Stillman College." Muhammad began his public radio career at Alabama Public Radio in Tuscaloosa as the first intern from Stillman. At the urging of Professor Stephen Jackson, Muhammad pursued and obtained a highly coveted internship from among numerous other students being considered from the University of Alabama. Muhammad's The Great Textbook War documents the 1974 clash between school board authorities in Charleston, West Virginia and members of the local community regarding newly adopted textbooks. Factions of the community began violent protests of the new books they viewed as encouraging children to question authority and disregard traditional values. This event is often cited as the birth of the conservative movement in America. The Black Experience documents the evolution of the 1970's radio show by the same name produced in Charleston, West Virginia. Hosted by Peabody award- winning journalist Charlayne Hunter Gault, the documentary features historical interviews of prominent African Americans like poet Gwendolyn Brooks, entertainer "Scatman" Crothers, singer William Warfield, singer Carmen McRae, baseball legend Clint Thomas, and writer Dorothy West. James A. Muhammad is currently the Director of Radio Services at West Virginia Public Broadcasting. He is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, a board member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, and a board member of Eastern Region Public Media. His wife, Shelia Culpepper-Muhammad '94, is the Senior Vice President of Wesave, Inc. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, The Links, the National Smart Set, Book Lovers, and the Junior League.
HUNTINGDON COLLEGE:
This summer, dozens of Huntingdon students are learning about the world through travel-study experiences. As part of the Huntingdon Plan, full-time day students may elect to participate in a travel-study experience during their junior or senior year, with most costs included in regular tuition and fees. At this writing, a small group is performing mission service in Ecuador; more than three dozen participants are experiencing adventures "mild to wild" in Puerto Rico; and more than forty Huntingdon people are part of groups studying drama or music in London. Earlier this year, another group took a cruise and toured parts of Mexico. There is nothing like travel to open eyes to the similarities of people and cultures, and we can't wait to hear the stories of transformational thinking that accompany the return of each participant.

Maryon Mallory of Talladega, Alabama was a recipient of a $1,000 AAICU Scholarship. Miss Mallory maintains an impressive 3.9 GPA and is majoring in Computer and Information Sciences. Her extracurricular activities include the Miles College Band, Christian Women's Ministry, and Honors Curriculum. In her letter of thanks, she writes, "I am very grateful to be able to apply for your scholarship. I am a very promising young lady with a promising future who plans to achieve great things at Miles College. This scholarship will help me to continue to do great things as I matriculate here at Miles College. Without this scholarship, I would not be able to pay the remaining balance I have with Miles College. I count this scholarship as one of my many blessings. As a recipient of this scholarship, I promise to work to my full potential and represent your organization well."

AAICU is proud to spotlight the JK Lowder Family Foundation. The J.K. Lowder Family Foundation was created in 1995 by Margaret and Jimmy Lowder with the intent of supporting and developing the idea of community and what it means to be a conscious citizen. The Foundation seeks to support local organizations which align with community development, education, youth and family. Beginning in 2008, the Foundation became involved in AAICU's "Matched Savings Program", a grant program designed to provide college financial aid and guidance for underrepresented high school students; teach strapped youth and their families how to better save and manage their money; and provide the accessibility of higher education. The JK Lowder Family Foundation has truly made a significant difference in many students' lives and AAICU is proud to partner with the foundation in providing higher educational opportunities across the state.

In the fall of 2009 70.1 percent of 2008-09 high school graduates were enrolled in college somewhere in the U.S. This was a record high college continuation rates, breaking the previous mark of 68.6 percent set in 2005 and tied in 2008. The college continuation rate is the percent of students that enrolled in college somewhere in the United States during the fall following high school graduation.
The growth in college continuation rates for recent high school graduates has been nearly steady since the early 1970s. The record high college continuation rates was achieved despite declines in the numbers of high school graduates and college freshmen from this cohort.