Supplement to WISR Catalogue for the period:
July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2009
This supplement updates WISR’s current 57-page catalogue (which was initially written for the period July 1, 2004 – June 30, 2006).
There are no substantive changes in admissions, degree offerings, degree requirements, methods of instruction, resources, status of the WISR as an institution, or policies of WISR.
TUITION CHANGES AS OF JULY 1, 2008:
WISR’s tuition is $550/month (students who were admitted in previous years to the partial tuition deferment program will pay $350/month). Students who make semi-annual payments receive a $150 discount for each six month period, or $3,150 for six months. Students who make annual payments receive a $450 discount for the 12 month period, or $6,150. This is our first tuition increase since 2003, and we were able to make the size of the increase modest, largely by also now requiring students to be involved in contributing time to WISR’s development--an average of one hour per week (see point #2 below).
Entering students must pay an initial $600 enrollment fee but will no longer be required to pay last month’s tuition in advance. The re-enrollment fee for students who have taken a six-month or longer break from WISR is also $600.
REQUIREMENT THAT ALL ENROLLED STUDENTS CONTRIBUTE ONE HOUR PER WEEK TOWARDS WISR’S DEVELOPMENT:
In the first few months of 2008, WISR faculty, students and Board discussed options pertaining to WISR’s long-term development and sustainability. It was agreed that WISR’s tuition (which has been set at $6,000/year for five years) is insufficient to meet all of WISR’s future needs for quality education and long-term sustainability. However, in order to moderate the extent of this year’s tuition increase, and to moderate the extent of increases in future years, faculty, students and Board agreed that even a modest collective effort of time and energy by faculty and students can contribute greatly to WISR’s current functioning and to WISR’s ability to thrive for decades to come. Therefore, effective July 1, 2008, all WISR students will be expected to contribute an average of one hour per week to WISR’s development. Students will be given a number of choices for meaningful ways in which they can contribute (regardless of their schedules and places of residence). Here are some prominent examples of areas of contribution to WISR:
1. Outreach to Community Agencies and Other Groups of People Who May Be Promising Sources of Students for WISR.
2. Using the Internet in a Variety of Ways to Publicize WISR to Prospective Students and Others (web-based marketing, publicity, outreach, and dissemination of information)
3. Developing Continuing Education Classes (face-to-face and online) for such professional groups as MFTs, Nurses and Others—and using what is learned from these efforts to make online learning more available to WISR degree students, as well.
4. Writing articles and/or press releases about WISR, and finding places to submit articles/press release for publication.
5. Soliciting Donations and Help from Alumni and Friends of WISR, as well as possibly writing grant proposals to fund scholarships, special programs or projects.
6. Assist WISR faculty in conducting community outreach, participatory research and program evaluation in conjunction with various community projects in which WISR is involved, such aas Sustainable Urban Villages in Oakland (with Eco-City Builders), Youth Violence Prevention in Richmond (with Neighborhood House of North Richmond), and other possible forthcoming projects.
It is anticipated that this modest, but uniformly practiced, level of student involvement at WISR will further enhance the quality of learning at WISR, and the sense of community among learners at WISR. Students should contact WISR faculty member, Vera Labat, or WISR President, John Bilorusky, to discuss the ways in which they might most meaningfully contribute to WISR’s development.
FINANCIAL AID:
WISR’s partial tuition deferment program has been suspended for the time being—those few students who are already participating in this program may continue in the program so long as they remain continuously enrolled at WISR. If WISR is able to generate additional funds for its Revolving Loan Fund, we will again provide the opportunity to defer $200/month tuition—to two or three new students each year.
STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS:
WISR students write their transcripts, based on guidance and consultation from the WISR President, based on the documented credit awarded for each completed learning project in their Learning Portfolio. There is a $10 fee for each officialIy signed transcript. It is WISR’s policy to withholding transcripts for students and former students who owe tuition or fees.
UPDATE, AS OF JUNE 1, 2008, REGARDING THE STATUS OF STATE LAW GOVERNING THE APPROVAL OF PRIVATE COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS LIKE
WISR
1. The previous law expired on June 30, 2007 (as a result of the “sunset clause” that is built into most State laws). The State Legislature has passed, and the Governor has signed an interim bill providing for the continuing of this law through June 2008. For the period July through December 2008, there will be no legislation governing State Approved Schools. It is hoped that a new law will be passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor early in 2009. For the past two years, the State Legislature and the Governor have had difficulty agreeing on the details of the new law that will replace the previously expired law. In particular, the majority in the State Legislature wants a strong law that provides extensive consumer protections. WISR agrees with this general stance. The Governor seems committed to approving a law that is more “minimalist” in the extent of government regulation of private colleges and vocational schools. So, he continues to veto new legislation that is presented to him by the Legislature. Both sides seem to agree that State approved colleges and schools are important to the State of California. They will try again in 2009 to agree on the details. In the meantime, WISR and other previously approved State schools continue to operate legally in California but without the benefit of the official designation of “State Approval.”
2. Nevertheless, WISR continues to abide by all of the consumer-protection provisions of the previous law, and has formally notified that State that it is one of the Approved colleges who will voluntarily comply with previous State regulations. The State is urging that students of all State-approved school and colleges continue to address inquiries, concerns and complaints to the office of the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education, during this interim, transitional period.
3. For the time being, the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) continues to recognize WISR’s MA in Psychology/Marriage and Family Therapy Program, and similar programs operated by other colleges that, like WISR, were previously approved by the State under the old law. There are indications that the BBS may soon extend for as much as three years their recognition of these programs. Most everyone expects that a new law (replacing the expired law) will be in place much sooner.
4. WISR takes the position that consumer protection and student rights are important to a healthy postsecondary education system in California. WISR has an impeccable history of perfect compliance with state law since we were first approved in 1977, and there have been no complaints against us in that entire time. Furthermore, in order to promote consumer protection, high quality education, and institutional integrity and credibility among institutions of private postsecondary education, WISR is taking a leadership role with about a dozen other institutions to form the Association for Private Postsecondary Education in California (APPEC). Another goal of APPEC is to be a constructive, pro-active representative for private postsecondary education in Sacramento as well as statewide.
5. Students and prospective students that wish to receive clarifications about these legal details or the latest updates regarding pending legislation should feel free to contact WISR President, John Bilorusky, who is also Acting President of the Board of the new Association for Private Postsecondary Education in California (APEC).
In addition, the following minor updates to WISR’s previous catalogue may be noteworthy and of interest to some:
1. At the current time, students are not required to pay $2.50 of every $1,000 of tuition into the California State Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF). At a future date, the State may again require WISR students who live within California and who are not receiving tuition monies from outside agencies such as the Department of Rehabilitation to pay into this fund. For more information about STRF, see pages 21-22 of the catalogue.
2. Dr. Nazreen Kadir has joined WISR’s faculty:
NAZREEN KADIR: Executive MBA, Golden Gate University, 1990. DBA, Golden
Gate University, 2004. Dr. Kadir is a Biotechnology/Intellectual Property Consultant,
Clinical and Research Scientist, Educator, and Social Activist. She is editor of the book
entitled A Low-cost Approach to PCR (Oxford University Press) which describes a
highly-successful program to teach individuals with limited resources in Latin America
how to adapt and use sophisticated molecular biology laboratory techniques employing
the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), used in gene splicing. Dr. Kadir has 30 years of
multidisciplinary scientific research, strategic management and policy experience in
healthcare. She also spent 15 years as a staff research scientist/manager with a
multinational corporation. In 1989, she received the Miles Science Award for
Functional and Immunochemical Characterization of Recombinant Factor VIII. At
WISR, her work with students and on special projects focuses on Natural Sciences and
Public Policy. She is from Guyana where she did a clinical sciences internship (1966-
68).
3. Some of the information in the catalogue about current students and alumni is
three or four years out of date. The information about students and alumni on pages 23-42 of the catalogue still provides useful illustrations of the work and community
involvements of WISR alumni and students. WISR’s web site, including the
sections entitled “Catalogue,” “Newsletter”and “Publications” does provide some
more recent information on some of our students and alumni, including some
links to student papers, theses and professional publications.