Time for a Blog Break

I'm off on vacation, I'll probably be back by early December.

Enjoy the archives, or take another look and give some thought to the future.

There is probably some serious unpleasantness coming with the death throes of the industrial age, be careful out there.

Allan

Squidoo For BFU

There is now a new lens for Bastiat Free University over at the Squidoo playground.

Please go take a look, take the poll, and if you wish come back here and give an opinion.

If you find a mistake please let us know - it is better to hear about it from friends.

What the Squidoo lens will allow is a one page, up front, in your face summary of BFU.

It still needs some work, it will even have to suffer with a picture of me. It may have to be a line drawing as the cameras keep breaking.

The emphasis is on BFU as an alternative to standard colleges and their standard rhetoric.

In fact it may come off as a bit of a rant, we will see what plays out and if I tone it down a bit later. Probably not - this will be a good place to send those people that want an argument - give them some information so they understand what they are fighting.

I would rather fight long and hard without reward for a good cause that will eventually succeed, than win easy victories in a worthless cause that will eventually fail.


On to success with Bastiat Free University.

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Your Local Support Group For BFU

A sunset is even more spectacular if you can share it with someone else.

The learning offered at Bastiat Free University is valuable, it will have even more value if shared.

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Proverbs 27:17

If there is a serious fault to be found in self-directed distance learning, it is in the lack of interaction with like minded individuals. You can remedy this yourself, find others that would benefit from BFU courses and meet with them regularly. This does not have to take the form of a debating society or a Toastmasters meeting, although those are good. It can be as simple as meeting for breakfast or lunch once or twice a week.

It will help to have a talking point or two for focusing the conversation, but the informal support of like minded students can also reinforce your education. I'll offer some suggestions, but remember this is you group - do as you wish:

• Discuss courses you are taking

• Discuss the BFU summary

• Talk about a business you would like to start

• Talk about problems dealing with BFU (let me know about those)

• Discuss anything that has changed your opinions recently

You get the idea. This is simply a forum for local students to support each other.

There are two large bonuses from participation in a local student group. You will learn more by hearing other's viewpoints. You will be more likely to complete your education if you share the excitement and tribulations of being a student with others.

I would suggest that you not limit the group to just paid students or no-charge monitoring students. If the primary goal is to learn, that is more important than if a college degree from BFU is also a goal.

As there is value in continuing your education both to yourself and to BFU, we will offer a discount to local support groups using the subscription college format. Contact us with the details of your group at "localgroup at silentpc dot org."

As society changes so is the definition of local changing. In 2008 we plan to establish trans-world "local" groups through The Netcohort Institute. Join us in the adventure - bring your dreams.

You will learn more and you will be more likely to complete your education with a local support group. Form your local support group today.

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An Online College Degree At BFU

If you want to earn an online college degree, Bastiat Free University may have what you need.

There are basically three type of online degrees you can earn, one of which will probably suit your needs and desires.

• The first is normally an online degree offered by a brick and mortar college as a way to extend their market. These B&M schools can monetize their reputation in a very efficient manner by establishing an online college degree program. Their expenses will be less per student, but they can charge close to the same fees.

This brick and mortar college's online degree will be of great assistance if you are considering a scientific field, a discipline that requires licensing by the government, or you just want to impress your family and friends.

• The second style of online degree is offered by colleges that operate solely on the internet. These range from legitimate accredited distance learning universities to computer mills that ask a few questions, then award you a diploma - for significant chunks of cash. The best will have diplomas that compete quite well with those first level colleges. The worst will run off with your money before you see a sheepskin.

These online degrees function quite well if your intent was to secure a promotion at work that requires a degree. As with the first type, learning is seldom as important as completing school and receiving good grades.

• The third type of online degree comes from Bastiat Free University. BFU is Internet based, there is no physical campus. BFU is not accredited and does not intend to become accredited. Basically BFU exists to help you earn a degree; but with a different primary purpose -- learning.

An online degree from BFU will not be accepted by government licensing bureaus, will not be accepted by other universities, and may not be accepted by some employers. In effect - bureaucrats need not apply.

So who would pursue an online degree from BFU?

Consider a person that is very successful at business. They have never attended college, and still feel a need to further their education. Bastiat Free University is likely to be their choice. They will learn a great deal as they self-direct their own educational experience. In the end, they will be able to put their degree on their business card, they will be able to mention that they graduated from BFU, and most importantly they will have been exposed to useful knowledge. They will know that their knowledge is at a quality level second to none. The freedom and personal control offered by Bastiat Free University is a big plus - and fits the entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Another type of student that attends BFU is a foreign student. They can learn English, they can discover the latest information in a field that interests them, and they can earn a degree that BFU will verify to those that they feel should know. Again, it is the learning that is most important - the credential just reflects and acknowledges the effort expended.

Some BFU students are are young and do not yet know what they will do with their lives. Many of these start as free students at BFU and attend several courses. When asked they can off-handedly comment that they attend BFU or perhaps Bastiat University. They discover that self-directed learning suits their lifestyle - and decide to complete the college program and earn a degree. The small cost of attending the degree track at BFU is not a major factor.

Others want guidance in learning, a major factor in brick and mortar schools, but they don't want to pay the inflated fees. The extra effort required to keep yourself on track at Bastiat Free University is a small price to pay for freedom of lifestyle and a much lower educational bill. I suspect we will have even more of these students as word of our subscription college program spreads.

There are other reasons to attend BFU, and other reasons to come here to earn your online degree.

What is your story?

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A PAY-AS-YOU- GO SUBSCRIPTION UNIVERSITY - PRESS RELEASE

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BASTIAT FREE UNIVERSITY CREATES A PAY-AS-YOU- GO SUBSCRIPTION UNIVERSITY

Bastiat Free University creates a new high value plan based on an ancient educational model

(In the prior post we said we were considering such a plan - here is the program)


Date : Monday, November 05, 2006

Bastiat Free University internet based colleges - Press Release


Education/Business/E-Commerce


A subscription university may be the best recent route for offering cost appropriate self-directed learning. This is really a step back toward a far older model of education. There was a a time students went to a university to learn - instead of just hoping to get a better bureaucratic job.

Bastiat Free University may be the first to offer an affordable plan for acquiring a degree in centuries. The Industrial Age spawned institutional structures that served the masses with one size fits all efficiency based organizations.

The Netcohort Age is now technologically enabling individuals. The consumer of products and services benefits, as do the protean Netcohort teams that service them. BFU is applying that same shrinking scale of service by designing student-centric, self-directed learning.

BFU offers an education that emphasizes adaptability, knowledge, action, and reputation. This is an approach that integrates diverse knowledge and proactive research. Instead of forcing learning into separate subject boxes, students use an adult version of unschooling - BFU is just there to help.

Since existing higher education forces everyone into a specialization, BFU students will have great value due to their rarity as generalists (just as honesty has great value in an age of perfidy). Also, pursuing you passions is more fun. The university curriculum requires genuine effort, students earn their college degree. Now however they can earn a diploma on their own terms.

A subscription based college offers maximum flexibility to the student; in exchange for the college student having sole responsibility to follow through. The student can take as many BFU college courses at a time as they feel they can handle. Bastiat Free University's target students, Entrepreneurs and visionaries, should find the freedom and personal control of this approach appealing.

Bastiat Free University is unaccredited and intends to remain unaccredited. The costs and regulations associated with accreditation add great expense but little value - unless the student wishes to become a bureaucrat. If so BFU is the wrong choice for that student.

All government licensing agencies, most colleges, and many employers will not accept credits of a degree from most unaccredited universities. For the BFU student that seeks learning above credentials this is probably not a concern.

For visionaries and entrepreneurs the entrance to this new technology age is the opportunity to let their talents shine. Capability is becoming the hallmark of success rather than credentials and bureaucratic political skills.

Bastiat Free University is a group of experimental colleges offering a renaissance style education created for citizens of the information society. The emphases is on acquiring diverse knowledge and integrating that knowledge with action. Students are encouraged to rediscover the pleasure of self directed learning. Visit here learn more about our efforts to provide renaissance education.

BFU fulfills the desire of those who want to learn, but don't know where to turn. A quality education can be acquired for free, as long as there is no desire for a diploma. If students desire a degree from this unaccredited university, it will be available at a cost appropriate level. Bastiat Free University exists to provide students with a quality education for little or no cost.

People do like to keep score; take away scoring from sports and most sports would vanish. If students find it important to have a goal, we offer Associate, Bachelors, and Masters degrees. Do it yourself types will do it for free.

Why is Claude Frédéric Bastiat the patron philosopher of BFU? Bastiat was a nineteenth century French statesman speaking out for the concepts of freedom and justice. Bastiat understood liberty, and he knew how to speak and write to communicate his views. And what wonderful views!

C. F. Bastiat was Pro consumer, small business, and private education; while being Anti-monopoly and big government. His logic is presented with entertaining, well stated reasoning; and he did like going "over the top." Discover more about C. F. Bastiat and his times.


About Bastiat Free University:

BFU is an educational outreach and auxiliary component of Junior Partner Ministries. It is hoped by JrPM that a rational and cost appropriate approach to higher education will pave the way for similar socially significant outreaches.

Bastiat Free University is free as in free speech, not as in free beer. By a happy coincidence prospective students of BFU can also enroll and monitor courses without charge - although there is still no free beer.

BFU is student-centric. Students can explore becoming a renaissance person and pursuing knowledge for it's own sake. Free is a good thing.

Visit the Bastiat Free University on line campus.


Investigate the subscription college program at Bastiat Free University.


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