A consortium of colleges and universities has offered students displaced by Hurricane Katrina free enrollments
in online college courses to help maintain their education while they are in transition. The Sloan Consortium, together
with the Southern Regional Education Board with a $1.1 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, said it would offer a wide range of courses for students at the community college, university and graduate level regardless of academic discipline. The courses will be given by major universities and other Sloan Consortium members.
‘We know that many colleges and universities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi will not be able to resume their
fall semesters and students are scrambling for alternatives,’ said Dave Spence, president of the Southern Regional Education
Board. ‘With the help of dozens of colleges and universities nationwide, we can now offer students key courses online to
bridge them through this difficult time and eventually allow them to return to their home campuses.’
An eight-week accelerated semester is being funded by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Colleges and universities offering the courses will forgo tuition and fees to help students at institutions disrupted by Katrina. "Online
learning can be an important means of academic continuity in a time of crisis," said Frank Mayadas, program director,
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. "We are getting a tremendous response from both those who want to offer courses and
from impacted institutions that need the help." At this time, the goal is to accommodate at least 10,000 student
enrollments.
For more information visit: http://www.SloanSemester.org.