American Sentinel is Looking for Mentors

American Sentinel University's mentor program was developed to assist students who needed a little extra help with a course and to give other students a chance to share what they had learned with other students. We still think this is a good idea, but in the last year we have had only 5 requests for mentors and no volunteers to fill those requests, because all of our previous mentors have graduated!

Frankly, we don't know if the reason no one is volunteering is because not enough students know about the program, if students aren't sure how it works and how much time is involved, or if there is another reason. Before we consider making any changes, we want to be sure everyone knows about and understands what the mentor program is. By doing this, we hope to generate some interest from students wanting to serve as mentors.

Why would you want to be a mentor?

The mentor relationship is a great way to extend your academic studies and build your confidence. As a mentor, you can help other students find their way through difficult courses and clarify their thinking about complex concepts.

As a mentor, you can also help a student deal with the isolation they might experience studying alone, as well as add an extra element to the student's academic success.

Your relationship with a student can be extremely fulfilling. The experience you gain by mentoring someone can also facilitate your own professional growth, making you a greater asset to your organization.

So what does a mentor need to do?

Commit to contributing adequate time and effort toward the mentor relationship. This could be up to an hour a week or less for the duration of the course (8 or 12 weeks).

Work with each student on a one-to-one basis, offering suggestions for particular problem areas and helping the student to gain a better understanding of the concepts.

Encourage the student to persevere and to become actively involved with all student services, the faculty, and their course work.

Are you qualified to be a Mentor?

- Do you have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher?
- Have you completed at least three courses?
- Are you making good progress toward your degree?

If you answered yes to each of these questions and want to benefit from working with other students, please complete the Mentor Application.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for improving the mentor program, email Mary Adams. We want to continue this program, but we need mentors to make this work.

Re-Enroll Before Tuition Increase

American Sentinel strives to keep tuition as low as possible for its students. Our tuition is still one of the most affordable among online universities. Like all other schools, our cost to bring you the best in education is rising every day, but unlike those schools with announced increases of 30% and higher, we are committed to keeping our tuition among the most affordable.

On January 1, 2008, American Sentinel tuition for degree program re-enrollment will be the following:
- Associate of Science Degree - $180 per credit hour
- Bachelor of Science Degree - $270 per credit hour
- Master of Science Degree - $330 per credit hour
- MBA and MS Business Intelligence Degrees - $390 per credit hour

Single course and military tuition rates remain unchanged.

Re-enroll before January to take advantage of 2007 tuition rates! Save up to $360 on your next set of classes by registering now.

Undergraduates:
December B registration starts Nov 29th and classes will begin Dec 17th; January A registration starts Dec 13th and classes will begin Jan 7th.

Graduates:
January registration starts Dec 13th and classes will begin Jan 7th.

If you have any questions concerning tuition, contact your Student Services Advisor or contact Lucy Robinson at 800-767-2427, ext. 2215.

Student Satisfaction Survey Results Are In!

American Sentinel University is committed to transparency. We believe the more you know about us, and the more we know about ourselves (through surveys such as this), the better we both will perform. We are publishing, unedited, our October 07 student satisfaction survey results.

A brief analysis of some key results is provided. Where I believe an explanation or comment is required, my comments are in bold.

In our upcoming annual report, we’ll show you the complete results for 2007, as well as the trends from last year.

Next year, we’ll conduct a student satisfaction survey each quarter.

It is critical for us -- and you -- that students take the time to tell us how we are doing. As we intend to apply for regional accreditation, it is important that we know when, how, and where to help you succeed. The student satisfaction survey is one of the most important documents in guiding our efforts.

Mary Adams
President, American Sentinel University

New BS in Web Design and Development

With more web sites added to cyberspace everyday, web site design development is a safe career to pursue. Yes, there are many who dabble in web site design and development for the sheer fun of creating a web site for themselves. Look at the popularity of web sites like www.myspace.com and www.xanga.com.

But training and experience are two essential components of being successful in the web site design development career. To help you succeed, we are offering a Bachelor of Science in Web Site Design and Development, starting in April 2008.

This program introduces students to the web page design and creation in HTML, and XML. Students will gain a working knowledge of web site development using multimedia, image, graphics, and animation tools to encourage user productivity and user interaction. The curriculum also offers courses in e-commerce solutions and networking fundamentals.

Students who successfully complete the program will be prepared for the parts of the World Organization of Webmasters’ Certified Professional Webmaster certification. You'll have a degree in one hand and be prepared to sit for a CIW certificate. And with the degree comes more earning power. According AIGI/AQUENT, the national average starting salary of a web designer is $65.000.

Ernie Eugster, Ph.D.
Associate Provost

Email us:
services@americansentinel.edu
American Sentinel University
2101 Magnolia Avenue, Suite 200 || Birmingham, AL 35205
385 Inverness Parkway, Suite 310 || Englewood, CO 80112