Correctional Officers Scholarship Program

Transcription

1 Correctional Officers Scholarship Program Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically challenging, learning-focused and distinctively Christian environment for professional success and service to God and humankind. Wayland Baptist University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, and master s levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia or call for questions about the accreditation of Wayland Baptist University.

2 A Brief History of Wayland Baptist University The oldest university in continuous existence on the High Plains of Texas, Wayland began as the dream of pioneers who respected the life-altering value of education. In 1906, the Staked Plains Baptist Association received and acted upon a proposal to establish a school. Dr. and Mrs. James Henry Wayland offered $10,000 and 25 acres of land if the Association and the citizens of Plainview would raise an additional $40,000. The Association and the city accepted both the proposal and the challenge and in 1908 applied for a charter from the State of Texas for the Wayland Literary and Technical Institute. Construction began on the first two buildings on the Plainview campus in 1909, and Dr. I. E. Gates ( ) became president of Wayland, which was then literally only a hole in the ground. Although the main administration building was incomplete, classes began in September 1910 in Matador Hall. From primary grades through junior college, 241 students enrolled that first term in the school whose name was changed the same year to Wayland Baptist College. Wayland continued to grow and achieved full four-year college status in 1948 and university status in Wayland s first experience with distance education came in 1948 when the school operated a language institute in Mexico. The first true external program began in 1972 with law enforcement courses in Lubbock, TX. The first external campus location opened in Wichita Falls in Wayland currently operates 12 external campuses in Lubbock, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, and San Antonio, TX; Altus, OK; Clovis and Albuquerque, NM; Phoenix and Sierra Vista, AZ; Anchorage and Fairbanks, AK; and Mililani, HI. The university also offers a full degree program in Kenya, and a number of full degree programs online. In the fall of 2014, Wayland s total enrollment was more than 5,500 students. 1

3 Correctional Officers Scholarship Proposal Wayland Baptist University is pleased to present a scholarship program specifically designed to benefit correctional officers of Texas. Wayland understands that correctional officers supply a vital component of the larger criminal justice system yet are often overlooked as potential recipients of special financial assistance to pursue higher education. This scholarship program is being presented as a means to make quality, higher education more affordable and, thus, more achievable for correctional officers. Wayland is offering a scholarship to all correctional officers pursuing an online Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) or Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree of any major and specialization. This scholarship will be applied to student business office accounts and will cover post-aid tuition, fees, and book costs of up to $1,000 per 11-week term. To qualify, the following conditions must be met: 1. Students must be fully accepted to WBU before enrolling in courses and receiving scholarship funds. 2. Students must be enrolled in 9 hours (full time) of Virtual Campus courses. 3. Students must enroll in a minimum of three out of four 11-week terms per year. One term of break per year is allowed, though continuous enrollment (four terms per year) is an option. All full-time, 11-week terms attended qualify for scholarship receipt. 4. Students must complete the FAFSA and accept all forms of available federal and state financial aid including subsidized loans. Students are not required to accept unsubsidized loans as these loans are potentially much larger and accrue interest while the student attends college which can result in financial difficulty upon graduation. 5. Students must show proof of current employment with a correctional facility each term prior to receiving the scholarship. 6. In order to apply the scholarship to book costs, students will need to order their books through Wayland s bookstore and charge the amount to their student account. We believe that this scholarship, in conjunction with other forms of federal and state financial aid, will leave the vast majority of correctional officers with no out-of-pocket expense per academic year beyond that of the subsidized loans they will accept each year. In short, under this program, students will be able to complete three academic terms of nine credit hours each (27 total hours per year) with a resulting financial responsibility of $3,500 in subsidized loans per year. 2

4 In order to recognize the knowledge gained through work experience and training, as well as reduce the time needed to complete the degree, Wayland currently offers the following degree plan benefits to correctional officers: 1. Up to twelve (12) hours of upper-level credit can be awarded for work experience. Appropriate documentation is required. 2. Nine (9) hours of academic credit can be awarded for completion of correctional officer training. Appropriate documentation is required. By applying these potential forms of credit to the chosen degree plan, a student could have 21 of 124 required hours for the BAS degree completed before ever taking a class, significantly reducing the amount of time required to complete the degree. In addition to the advantages listed above, the BAS and AAS degrees are inverted degree programs, which means that in addition to being able to award credit for practical experience such as time spent on the job and specialized training, they are designed to accept the maximum amount of transfer work previously completed at other institutions. In addition, Wayland has been named a Military Friendly School by Victory Media, and excels in awarding credit for military experience and coursework. Return on Investment Wayland Baptist University was recognized in a recent Wall Street Journal article as being one of the top private universities in 2014 for receiving a positive return on investment (ROI). Wayland ranked fourth with an 8.4 percent annual ROI. This compilations, based on 2013 numbers, represented the total cost for tuition, room and board, based on 2013 numbers and compared the total cost to 20-year net return on investment as measured by graduates projected net wage earnings. Wayland s 8.4% ranked fourth behind Brigham Young University, Touro College and Harvey Mudd College. The 8.4% ROI would have been sixth best among public colleges and universities. Upon completing their BAS degree, many Wayland students successfully pursue master s and doctoral programs in their chosen fields of study. 3

5 The Bachelor of Applied Science degree The Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree allows individuals to qualify for up to 12 semester hours of credit based on work experience and training that may be applied to the degree plan. The BAS is an inverted degree program which allows individuals to apply a vocational/technical field (i.e., courses, training, or work experience) as credit toward an applied associate s degree and, in turn, to apply the associate s degree toward a BAS degree. Students in this degree program desire to enhance their knowledge, analytical abilities and critical thinking skills for upward mobility in their field. The BAS exists to provide a seamless transition from technical fields to an appropriate baccalaureate program while enhancing the liberal arts component of the student s education. The BAS degree is designed for individuals who have completed occupational/technical degrees and certificates at community, vocational, and technical colleges and schools; individuals who have completed occupational/vocational training in U. S. Armed Services Schools, the workplace, and career training centers; occupational and technical faculty at regional and local public schools; individuals who have received several years of on-the-job training; and individuals entering these technical/career paths. The BAS degree is a minimum 124-semester hour program. A minimum of 36 semester hours must be upper-level (junior/senior level) credit. Major fields of study included in the degree have specific upper-level requirements. The student may select from 10 majors which combine non-traditional credit with a traditional liberal arts background. Majors include applied science, business administration, human services, justice administration, management, environmental studies, early childhood development, computer science, career and technology education, and banking and finance (beginning fall 2015). Each major consists of 36 semester hours, of which 18 must be upper-level credit. The degree also requires a 24-semester hour professional development block designed to provide academic depth or breadth to the major and to provide substantive developmental knowledge for the student s career or personal goals. The degree also includes a 12-semester hour experiential professional development block designed to provide practical experience as an integral part of the student s career development. Finally, the degree includes electives to complete the 124-semester hour requirement. 4

6 Students seeking the BAS degree can major in: Applied Science Banking and Finance Business Administration Career and Technology Education Computer Science Early Childhood Development Environmental Studies Human Services Justice Administration Management Wayland also offers a number of other degrees online, including: Associate of Applied Science Bachelor of Christian Ministry Bachelor of Science in Nursing Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Master of Arts in English Master of Arts in History Master of Arts in Humanities Master of Arts in Management Master of Business Administration Master of Christian Ministry Master of Divinity Master of Education Master of Public Administration 5

7 The Admissions Process The admissions process for degree-seeking BAS students is outlined below: A. The following items are required in order to be considered for admission to WBU: (1) Application for admission (2) One-time payment of $35, non-refundable application fee (3) All official transcripts from all prior institutions attended (4) Joint Services Transcripts (JST) are required for admissions purposes for students who have military experience B. The following are required with less than 24 transcripted hours of earned college credit: (1) Official GED or high school transcript with the graduation date. (2) Scores from either the American College Testing Program Examination (ACT) or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Students who are at least 22 years of age before the first day of class for that academic year will not be required to submit ACT or SAT scores. C. The admissions committee may recommend that BAS students take the Accuplacer Test in order to establish college readiness. This is to help ensure academic success at Wayland by placing students in appropriate, initial coursework. Applying for Financial Aid An individual must be officially admitted into the university and, with limited exceptions, enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program in order to receive student financial aid. Students will be required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine federal and state aid eligibility. The student should contact the Financial Aid Office at (806) for additional information. For more information contact: Daniel Brown, Director, BAS/BCM Office/Associate Registrar 1900 W. 7th Street, CMB 1267, Plainview, Texas