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Penn State hires former Cal AD to lead program

By WTOP Staff

JIM CARLSON
Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State hired Sandy Barbour as athletic director, a month after she stepped down as AD at the University of California-Berkeley.

The 54-year-old Barbour replaces David Joyner, who announced he was resigning last month. Joyner took over at Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and held the job for two and a half years.

Barbour was given a five-year contract that pays $700,000 per year with potential bonuses worth a potential additional $200,000 per year.

She said she intends to bring a “student-first” approach to the job when she takes over on Aug. 18.

“Creating conditions for success for students and creating a world class experience for them while they’re here impacts the rest of their lives,” she said. “Penn State alumni and athletic alumni experienced that while they were here and I only intend to grow that.”

At a news conference Saturday, new Penn State president Eric Barron said Barbour was the unanimous choice of the university’s screening committee. Barron said Barbour’s salary makes her the fifth-highest paid among Big Ten ADs. She’s the first woman to hold the position at Penn State.

Barbour spent 10 years at Cal and oversaw 19 team national championships, 92 titles in individual events, a Pac-10 co-championship in football, the first men’s basketball conference title in 50 years and the first Final Four trip for the women’s basketball team.

But her tenure was not without its troubles. Cal had the lowest graduation rate for football players among major conference teams, according to data released by the NCAA last fall. In 2010, she approved cutting baseball, women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s gymnastics because of budget concerns. Each of those four sports ultimately received private financial backing to retain varsity status.

“What it really boils down to is I stayed too long,” Barbour said of her time at Cal. “Leading a program like Cal’s, like Penn State’s, in terms of a major conference and a lot of sports and a lot of moving parts, 10 years is a long time.

“If you look around the country there are very few (ADs) that have that kind of length. Ultimately, it’s about having stayed a little too long, but it was about that I was loyal; I am a loyalist. In the end, at some point, you stay too long. I don’t know that this is a fresh start and I don’t know that a fresh start is necessarily a good thing because I bring a lot of experience that I think is going to be really valuable. This is my Penn State start.”

Barbour, a Maryland native, has served as assistant AD at Notre Dame and AD at Tulane. She coached field hockey at Northwestern and competed in field hockey and basketball as a student at Wake Forest.

At Penn State, Barbour will oversee 31 varsity sports and more than 800 athletes, including a football program that remains on NCAA probation that includes no postseason bowl-game participation through the 2015 season. Penn State’s athletic budget is $115 million.

“We are going to aspire to win national championships in 31 sports,” Barbour said. “We’re going to look at what it takes to be successful in football, men’s basketball, lacrosse, fencing — you name it.”

The university also has been fined $60 million by the NCAA because of the Sandusky scandal and the athletic department is making five payments of $12 million each.

“All of us that cared about college athletics followed that very closely,” Barbour said about the sex-abuse scandal that led to the ousters of Penn State’s president and athletic director, along with Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno.

“As Dr. Barron said, we are committed to being life-long learners, we want to learn from other situations so maybe we don’t have to learn from our own mistakes. I watched it very closely,” Barbour said.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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