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02.08
IEEE
Partners with College Parents of America
By IEEE Financial
Advantage Program Staff
IEEE understands how stressful
and expensive it is for parents today to plan
and pay for their children’s college education.
The admissions processes at American colleges
and universities can be complex, confusing and
extremely competitive – and all the more so for
international families.
The reason for this is simple
economics: over the past several years, the
number of students seeking advanced degrees has
far outpaced the capacity of the country’s
higher learning institutions. High school
graduates recognize that their life-long
earnings potential increases by an average of 40
percent with a college education – and that the
demand for skilled labor is greater than
unskilled labor.
With this increase in demand
comes an increase in cost. And, in the case of
college tuition, the cost continues to outpace
the rate of inflation. The typical public
university now costs approximately $12,000 per
year, while private colleges average $30,000 per
year in tuition. This does not include room and
board or other necessary living expenses.
It is no wonder that college
aspirants and their parents face the college
application and financial process with
trepidation. That is why IEEE has partnered with
College Parents of America, the only national
membership association dedicated to advocating
and to serving on behalf of current and future
college parents. Established in 1998, College
Parents of America members include not only
parents, but also colleges and universities,
local school systems, corporations, associations
and other organizations dedicated to making
higher education accessible – and successful –
for all.
This partnership entitles IEEE
members to free membership in College Parents of
America and free access to all of the resources
and services it provides in the way of
information and guidance; discounts on products
and services; and representation in legislative
and regulatory matters.
For information and guidance,
College Parents of America offers a one-stop
shop for parents during the years leading to and
through their children’s college graduation. The
“Parent Resource Center” provides comprehensive
information on everything from college savings
plans and test preparation to on-campus security
and career planning. The “Decade of Decisions”
quarterly e-newsletter provides timely
information, resources and deadlines that
correspond with children’s school years, from
7th grade through college graduation. And “Ask
the Experts” enables members to receive personal
advice from nationally recognized authors,
educators and college consultants.
College Parents of America also
helps parents to minimize the cost of preparing
and sending their children to college by
offering thousands of dollars of discounts on
useful products and services. These include
savings on financial planning services, tutoring
and test prep courses, study abroad programs,
student health insurance, emergency
transportation services and much more.
Finally, College Parents of
America provides parents with leadership in
Washington on issues like increasing tuition tax
deductions, raising the cap on federal student
loans, reforming student health insurance
policies and making college more accessible.
Members stay informed on the key issues that
affect their families and children through
weekly e-mail reports and a blog by the
president of College Parents of America.
Sending a child to college is a
formidable undertaking today, and with so much
invested and at stake, parents of future and
current college students are far more involved
in their children’s college preparation and
performance. The good news is that studies show
that parental involvement can contribute to
children’s success, both academically and
emotionally, along the path to and through
college.
IEEE and College Parents of
America want to encourage and support this with
easy and free access to key resources and
services that help members to make the best
choices for their families.
Sign up for membership today. To
get more information about this or other IEEE
Financial Advantage Program products and
services, visit us on the web at
http://www.ieee.org/fap.
Comments may
be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.
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