Private institutions catching up with state universities

By Megan R. Harrell
Star Staff
mharrell@starhq.com

   Today more and more teens have the opportunity to attend college. Federal and state programs have made higher education a possibility for just about any high school graduate. With the increasing number of private liberal arts universities the opportunity for higher education brings with it major decisions between state based and private universities.
   The biggest determining factor for many parents when they are deciding on a college for their children is the cost of tuition. Although private religious colleges are often categorized as being more expensive than state schools, there are some instances when the opposite is true. Private schools offer on whole more institutional scholarships than state schools, and the myth that you cannot receive federal grants at private institutions is simply untrue.
   With careful research families can hone in on the private colleges that accept federal funding such as the Pell and SEOG grants for students with low expected family contribution figures. Many private colleges accept federal student loans as well. At Liberty University, the nation's largest Christian liberal arts institution, more than 80 percent of the student body receives some form of financial aid. Jennifer Hightower received a degree in Business Finance from Liberty and is grateful for the financial help she received. "Because of my parents' income I did not think I would receive very much federal help, but the school was there to do what it could to reduce the cost for us," Hightower said.
   In the last decade private colleges have made strides to catch up with state based institutions. Many private colleges operate on much smaller budgets so they had difficulty offering as extensive educational programs as state schools. However, many private institutions have become fully accredited offering many of the same undergraduate and graduate courses as state universities.
   There are approximately 150 institutions in the U.S. that carry the unique distinction of being Christian liberal arts universities. Tennessee is home to seven Christian liberal arts universities. Belmont University, Bryan College and Union University are some of the more known institutions that offer a wide range of educational disciplines. Bryan College maintains professors with superb credentials and educations from institutions such as Harvard and Vanderbilt.
   Some of the best information on distinguishing between religious and state based universities comes from individuals that have attended both. Erin Edwards came to Emmanuel School of Religion after completing the Industrial Design Program at Georgia Tech. After coming through a strong campus ministry at Georgia Tech Edwards is seeking a Masters of Art in Religion at Emmanuel. The class size difference was one of the first adjustments Edwards had to make. At Georgia Tech the average size class consists of 200 people where there are only 150 people in the entire student body at Emmanuel.
   Although private colleges are catching up with state schools in size many of them are much smaller in comparison. With a smaller student body professors are able to connect on a more personal level with students. "Professors are actually interested in a personal relationship with their students at Emmanuel," Edwards said. "It is not uncommon for professors to not know their students' names at Georgia Tech."
   Attending a religious school does cut down on the diversity among students. Although there are many different religious affiliations at some private schools there is much less exposure to students from all walks of life. "I enjoyed being in a classroom at Tech with people that had so many different faiths because we could talk about it and people were more willing to come to me with their problems," Edwards said. "One of the best things that ever happened to my faith was to be around people with different beliefs."
   It's hard to gauge the opportunities that lie in front of people that come out of secular institutions to those who come out of private institutions, because a large percentage of students graduating from private institutions go into the ministry. There are plenty of opportunities for graduates of private institutions that go into the ministry, but they are seldom given credit for their success because their pay is much less than that of a secular graduate.
   Helps International Ministries, Asheville, N.C., is made up of highly trained engineers and architects that provide estimates and supervise building projects on both domestic and foreign mission fields. The men and women who serve at Helps have had distinguished professional careers, but serve as an example of thousands of others across the nation that choose to leave the professional world for full-time ministry.
   Whether they are producing individuals in full-time ministry or producing corporate professionals, private religious based institutions have gained ground in offering a well-rounded education. Bible colleges across the nation are fast becoming competitive liberal arts programs that are beginning to give state schools a run for their money.