College addresses public concerns about rising costs of education, student debt

INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Harrison College (http://www.harrison.edu), a private sector college serving more than 4,500 students at 14 campuses in Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and Online, announced today a groundbreaking tuition reduction plan that will go into effect at the beginning of the college's Winter Term in January 2013.  New and current students in nine selected programs will receive a 10 percent reduction in the cost of their tuition.  Because Harrison College already has a Tuition Freeze program, students will be locked into the reduced tuition rate until their graduation.

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"A lot of people are expressing their concerns about the rising cost of higher education in this country, and we share that concern," Dr. Dennis A. Trinkle, Harrison College Provost and Chief Academic Officer, said. "We decided now is the time to move past the discussion stage and take action.  Harrison College was at the forefront in 2006 in instituting a Tuition Freeze program.  We're taking the lead again in 2012, going a step further by actually reducing tuition."

The programs impacted by the 10 percent tuition reduction are:

• Business Management (B.S. Degree)
• Project Management (B.S. Degree)
• Health Informatics (B.S. Degree)
• Information Technology (B.S. Degree)
• Interactive Media Design (B.S. Degree)
• Logistics (A.S. Degree)
• Network Administration (A.A.S. Degree)
• Paralegal (A.A.S. Degree)
• Help Desk Technician (Certificate)

Trinkle said that the programs that were chosen for tuition reduction have been identified as areas that provide training for careers that will help drive the state's economy in the coming years.  "We know, for example, that there are hundreds of jobs available today in Health Informatics that are going unfilled because Hoosiers lack the education to fill those jobs," Trinkle said.  "And that thousands of Logistics jobs are projected to become available in the next five years.  We want to do our part to make sure Indiana's workforce is appropriately educated so that we can keep those jobs in the state and, hopefully, help attract new employers to Indiana."

Harrison College garnered national attention earlier this year with the launch of KnowU, an innovative learning environment for the college's Online students.  KnowU, touted by many as the "future of online learning in higher education," creates a virtual campus for the college's Online students and allows them to interact with one another in a Facebookesque social media setting.  Sophisticated analytical engines suggest learning resources based on the students' personal preferences.

For more information about Harrison College's tuition reduction program, visit www.harrison.edu/TuitionReductionProgram.

About Harrison College
Harrison College is a contemporary, career-focused institution of Higher Education serving more than 4,500 students throughout the United States and Internationally.   Harrison College has 12 campuses in Indiana and Ohio, two culinary schools in Indiana and North Carolina, and also offers courses online at harrison.edu. The institution grants Associates and Bachelor's degrees across five schools of study: Business, Health Sciences, Information Technology, Criminal Justice, and Veterinary Technology, as well as its culinary division, The Chef's Academy.  Harrison College offers students a variety of learning environments including online, traditional classroom, or a combination of both. Harrison College is accredited by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) and is dedicated to excellence in higher learning.  In addition, the College is currently a Candidate with The Higher Learning Commission and an affiliate of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA).  Harrison College was founded in 1902 as Indiana Business College, and is celebrating its 110^th anniversary of preparing students for their chosen professions.

MEDIA CONTACT
Mark Apple, Director of Public Relations
Mark.Apple@Harrison.edu 
Office: (317) 447-6112 Mobile: (317) 605-0937

SOURCE Harrison College