We all want our holiday celebrations to be full of good cheer, but these days if certain subjects are broached a food fight – or worse – could erupt. Kith who want to remain friendly and kin who don’t want to be disowned by the family will scrupulously avoid these taboo topics.
Beating up on higher education has become so widespread it might be perceived as a safe subject to raise.
Should you find yourself chatting over egg nog or at the dinner table, and someone presents, well, let’s charitably call them misconceptions, here are five “Did you knows” that might come in handy.
Did you know that a four-year degree is worth $1 million over a career compared to someone without a college education? That’s according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
Did you know that 39 percent of the undergrads attending SCICU member institutions are eligible for federal Pell Grants? Only the most economically disadvantaged students are Pell-eligible.
Did you know at SCICU’s 21 member institutions a little over half the students (56 percent) take out student loans? That’s because the colleges themselves put up $350 million – that’s more than a third of a billion – in their own institutional financial aid. In fact, of every dollar of financial assistance, more than half comes from the schools and only about 21 percent comes in the form of student loans.
Did you know that about two-thirds of the students at SCICU member institutions come from South Carolina? That’s almost the same percentage as for the state’s public universities.
While the individual campuses may have smaller enrollments compared to public universities, did you know that, collectively, the SCICU member institutions are big business in South Carolina? They employ more than 8,300 faculty and staff and their business operations expenses exceed $1 billion. The campuses are vitally important to the economic well-being of the communities in which they’re located.
Now you’re ready for the holidays. And, please, be polite when your served homemade cranberry sauce instead of the good stuff that comes in a can.