Adrian College is a wonderful place to learn and grow as a person. The faculty and students are a daily source of inspiration and encouragement but Adrian College has made a mistake recently concerning the pricing of credit hours.
Previously students were allowed to enroll in up to 18 credit hours for one standard full-time student price. Although there has not been a formal public announcement, a change has been initiated that will lower the standard full-time student credit range down to 17 credit hours while potentially increasing the price in the next few years. Students are going to be charged the same amount for less value and this disheartens me.
This is not simply a matter of value. Many students are restricted to staying within the realms of the standard full-time student credit range because of the cost. By lowering the credit hour maximum Adrian College is depriving students of classes and learning experiences simply so they can make more profit.
As a liberal arts college, Adrian should be interested in providing students with every opportunity to be involved in as many classes as possible both inside and outside the areas of each student’s personal area of study, in an attempt to create well-rounded people. Adrian focuses so much energy on supporting and growing in the Ribbons of Excellence, but this change is restraining and contradicting exactly what Adrian College claims as its foundation.
Ribbons of Excellence
· Caring for humanity and the world: making socially responsible decisions; providing service to local and global communities; interacting positively with persons of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
· Learning throughout a lifetime: continuing to ask important questions; pursuing knowledge in each new age; remaining open to new learning experiences.
· Thinking critically: developing critical habits of mind; exploring multiple points of view; raising thoughtful questions, identifying problems and solutions.
· Crossing boundaries and disciplines: developing literacy in multiple fields; personifying the liberal arts experience; making connections across disciplines.
· Developing creativity: engaging in creative arts; developing creative talents and skills; recognizing and employing figurative expression
For any student involved in a major with a heavy course load, a double major, a minor in addition to a major, and/or the honors program, this change will make scheduling and graduating on time a monumentally more difficult task than it presently is. Why would anyone ever want to limit student opportunities?
Students are required 124 total credit hours in order to graduate from Adrian College. If a student took the maximum 17 credits a semester for eight semesters (the amount of time Adrian College scholarships last) they would have taken 136 credit hours. This means students only have a leeway of twelve credit hours. We are a small campus and certain classes are only offered at certain times, and often conflict with each other. This means students only have twelve credit hours of free space (approximately four classes) to maneuver through requirements or make mistakes. Furthermore, if a student comes to Adrian College unsure of what he or she wants to study, or changes his or her mind, he or she only has twelve free credit hours to make a decision.
One of the most powerful examples of students this change will severely restrain is the music education student. To graduate with a degree in music education and meet the distributional requirements at Adrian College, a student will need to take 126 credit hours. This leaves only ten credit hours of leeway for these students. They cannot minor or double major in anything and only can take a few classes outside of the requirements.
Making this change Adrian College is holding students back while simultaneously stunting their potential. If you agree that Adrian College should reinstate the previous credit status please sign this petition. In addition to signing this petition you might consider dedicating time to writing a letter to Adrian College Administration at the following address expressing your concerns.
Adrian College Administration
110 S. Madison St
Adrian, MI 49221
Thank you.