Faculty children reap in benefits
14 students attend Hillsdale under college tuition-exchange program
Kirsten Adams
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: News
Besides homework help and an inside peek at college life, children of Hillsdale College faculty and staff receive an enormous bonus when they finish high school: free tuition to Hillsdale and other schools participating in the same tuition exchange programs.
This year the tuition credit amounted to $19,380, and nearly every employee is eligible for it, Director of Financial Aid Rich Moeggenberg said.
"The program applies to anyone from [President Larry] Arnn to the people cleaning the dorms," he said.
The only requirement is two years' employment by the parent.
The students are required to go through the normal application process for admission into the school, once they are accepted, they are responsible only for the cost of room, board and general fees.
Moeggenberg said most colleges offer free tuition to children of faculty and staff.
But the tuition-exchange programs in which Hillsdale participates differs widely from standard tuition credit.
"Tuition exchange is a separate entity, a different animal altogether," Moeggenberg said.
Hillsdale is a member of both the Council of Independent Colleges and The Tuition Exchange.
Both programs connect more than 586 colleges and universities across the U.S., and enable participating schools to give the children of faculty and staff the same benefits they would receive at their home institutions.
Currently, Hillsdale College is obligated by the CIC to accept three such exchange students a year.
"It's a pretty huge financial commitment," Moeggenberg said. "Part of the pitfall of the CIC is that we can only send students in the same ratio as we import."
When the cost of a Hillsdale College education is more than the cost of tuition at a sister school, Moeggenberg said Hillsdale ends up losing money.
Under the supervision of The Tuition Exchange, though, there are no limits to how many students can be sent.
Right now, Hillsdale College has 25 children of faculty attending other schools through The Tuition Exchange, but is only enrolling 14 such students from other schools.
Joanna Wiseley, director of career planning, has two children who benefited from the program. Stuart Wisely, a senior at Trine University in Angola, Ind., received faculty rates after being accepted into the CIC program.
"It's a wonderful benefit for which we are very grateful," Wiseley said.
Far from being unrestricted, though, Wiseley said that the program is similar to a competitive academic scholarship. Her first child, who applied through the program to John Carroll University of Ohio, did not receive one of the four available spots and ended up matriculating at Hillsdale instead.
In order to retain the benefits of the program, students must remain in good academic standing.
"Let's face it, professors aren't going to get rich teaching at Hillsdale, so this is a nice benefit we can offer," Moeggenberg said.
This year the tuition credit amounted to $19,380, and nearly every employee is eligible for it, Director of Financial Aid Rich Moeggenberg said.
"The program applies to anyone from [President Larry] Arnn to the people cleaning the dorms," he said.
The only requirement is two years' employment by the parent.
The students are required to go through the normal application process for admission into the school, once they are accepted, they are responsible only for the cost of room, board and general fees.
Moeggenberg said most colleges offer free tuition to children of faculty and staff.
But the tuition-exchange programs in which Hillsdale participates differs widely from standard tuition credit.
"Tuition exchange is a separate entity, a different animal altogether," Moeggenberg said.
Hillsdale is a member of both the Council of Independent Colleges and The Tuition Exchange.
Both programs connect more than 586 colleges and universities across the U.S., and enable participating schools to give the children of faculty and staff the same benefits they would receive at their home institutions.
Currently, Hillsdale College is obligated by the CIC to accept three such exchange students a year.
"It's a pretty huge financial commitment," Moeggenberg said. "Part of the pitfall of the CIC is that we can only send students in the same ratio as we import."
When the cost of a Hillsdale College education is more than the cost of tuition at a sister school, Moeggenberg said Hillsdale ends up losing money.
Under the supervision of The Tuition Exchange, though, there are no limits to how many students can be sent.
Right now, Hillsdale College has 25 children of faculty attending other schools through The Tuition Exchange, but is only enrolling 14 such students from other schools.
Joanna Wiseley, director of career planning, has two children who benefited from the program. Stuart Wisely, a senior at Trine University in Angola, Ind., received faculty rates after being accepted into the CIC program.
"It's a wonderful benefit for which we are very grateful," Wiseley said.
Far from being unrestricted, though, Wiseley said that the program is similar to a competitive academic scholarship. Her first child, who applied through the program to John Carroll University of Ohio, did not receive one of the four available spots and ended up matriculating at Hillsdale instead.
In order to retain the benefits of the program, students must remain in good academic standing.
"Let's face it, professors aren't going to get rich teaching at Hillsdale, so this is a nice benefit we can offer," Moeggenberg said.
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