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Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Graduate test prep program to lose state funding
A state program that provided free test preparation to students at public universities and some community colleges that organizers said has helped some 4,700 students since its launch in February went unfunded in the state budget approved by Illinois lawmakers last month. The program received $10 million in the budget year ending June 30 and provided students with free access to more than 40 test prep courses, including graduate-level admission exams, according to Lynne Baker, a communications director at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, one of the program's partners. Most of the funding, about $8.6 million, went to Kaplan, a long-standing educational services company. The funding won't run out until Dec. 23, when students who rely on the financial help will lose access to the courses, Baker said. Pritzker did not include funding for the program in the budget he proposed in February, so the General Assembly's decision to pass a budget without the money was not a surprise. Nonetheless, state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, said he pushed to secure another year's funding. 'We knew there would be cuts, but I thought that, if anything, it would probably be agreed that a reduction in the appropriation might happen, but not a total elimination,' Ford said. 'It was just assumed that this would be in it, since it was an item that there was no opposition to … this is actually something that we found is taxpayer worthy.' Andres Correa, a spokesperson for the governor's office said 'Illinois made the difficult decision' to eliminate the program as part of the state's larger effort to 'responsibly balance this year's budget.' Correa noted the budget included funding for educational programs such as the Monetary Award Program, which supports Illinois residents in attending some Illinois colleges. Ford said he will continue efforts to get money for the test prep program, and encouraged students to publicly advocate for it. 'I think the governor will listen to his students at public universities and parents, and when they continue (advocating for) just how valuable this is,' Ford said. 'We will begin to see students pretty devastated by having a program that they're relying on to get their license for professions that Illinois needs to increase the workforce — nurses, lawyers, medical students, you name it.' Asa Asad, who graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago in May with a degree in neuroscience, said the free coursework offered by the program convinced him to take the Medical College Admissions Test after studying for the exam on his own last fall left him feeling unprepared. 'Honestly I don't think I would have taken it (the MCAT) without this,' said Asad. 'The MCAT is just such a monster of a test that there's really no way to prepare for it without trying to get some sort of guidance from somebody and a lot of that is behind a paywall or a cost of some sort.' 'This program is free, which helps me be able to fully invest in my education versus having to work to pay for the class,' he said. Asad said he doesn't think a lot of students are aware that funding for the program was eliminated. 'It feels like it's a little hidden away from the population that would really want to use it the most,' said Asad. The opportunity to take free test prep courses was especially helpful at UIC, Asad said, because many students 'come from a background where it's not feasible to drop $3,000 or $4,000 on a course.' Asad, the mentorship chair of his pre-med club in graduate school and a student body president, said he signed up over 200 students for the test prep program. 'I think losing the program is such a blow to our students,' Asad said 'I feel like because the resources needed to actually get into these careers are so limited that only a certain population can really afford to get in, and it's going to be such a loss for representation as a whole.' Baker, the ISAC communications director, said more than 1,400 UIC students registered for test prep courses through the program, second most in the state behind the 1,600 students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who took advantage of the program. Jenny Neef, executive director of the U. of I. career center, said the number of students who benefited from the program in such a short time indicates cost had previously been a barrier to accessing test prep services. The program allowed her to suggest high quality resources to students without worrying about the cost. 'Test prep is one of those pieces that helps us have a highly qualified, highly educated, well-prepared workforce to move into the jobs that are available within the state, and so I see it as part of this continuum of how higher education is part of the whole ecosystem, as it relates to a well-prepared workforce,' Neef said. As of early May, more than 60% of students utilizing the state program were minority students and over a third were low-income or first-generation students, according to Dave Adams, a senior vice president with Kaplan. A Kaplan spokesperson said the company hopes the state will continue funding the program, but 'regardless, we are focused on continuing to deliver the full program.' 'Among its most important impacts, this program jump-starts the pipeline of future nurses, doctors, and other essential professionals, addressing critical shortages across Illinois by getting skilled, motivated students on the path to serving communities and delivering life-saving care where it's needed most,' the Kaplan spokesperson added. Ford said that if lawmakers convene in the next few months to address transportation funding and other issues, he would advocate for using discretionary funding under the governor's control to continue the test prep program. 'We give the governor lots of power and authority over a certain amount of money so that he can decide what he would like to do with it in the case of emergencies,' Ford said. 'He would have some authority to make some decisions, but we will see, as we know that it wasn't in his introduced budget. So, hopefully students will make it known that this is will be a tragedy.'
Chicago Tribune
11-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Graduate test prep program to lose state funding
A state program that provided free test preparation to students at public universities and some community colleges that organizers said has helped some 4,700 students since its launch in February went unfunded in the state budget approved by Illinois lawmakers last month. The program received $10 million in the budget year ending June 30 and provided students with free access to more than 40 test prep courses, including graduate-level admission exams, according to Lynne Baker, a communications director at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, one of the program's partners. Most of the funding, about $8.6 million, went to Kaplan, a long-standing educational services company. The funding won't run out until Dec. 23, when students who rely on the financial help will lose access to the courses, Baker said. Pritzker did not include funding for the program in the budget he proposed in February, so the General Assembly's decision to pass a budget without the money was not a surprise. Nonetheless, state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, said he pushed to secure another year's funding. 'We knew there would be cuts, but I thought that, if anything, it would probably be agreed that a reduction in the appropriation might happen, but not a total elimination,' Ford said. 'It was just assumed that this would be in it, since it was an item that there was no opposition to … this is actually something that we found is taxpayer worthy.' Andres Correa, a spokesperson for the governor's office said 'Illinois made the difficult decision' to eliminate the program as part of the state's larger effort to 'responsibly balance this year's budget.' Correa noted the budget included funding for educational programs such as the Monetary Award Program, which supports Illinois residents in attending some Illinois colleges. Ford said he will continue efforts to get money for the test prep program, and encouraged students to publicly advocate for it. 'I think the governor will listen to his students at public universities and parents, and when they continue (advocating for) just how valuable this is,' Ford said. 'We will begin to see students pretty devastated by having a program that they're relying on to get their license for professions that Illinois needs to increase the workforce — nurses, lawyers, medical students, you name it.' Asa Asad, who graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago in May with a degree in neuroscience, said the free coursework offered by the program convinced him to take the Medical College Admissions Test after studying for the exam on his own last fall left him feeling unprepared. 'Honestly I don't think I would have taken it (the MCAT) without this,' said Asad. 'The MCAT is just such a monster of a test that there's really no way to prepare for it without trying to get some sort of guidance from somebody and a lot of that is behind a paywall or a cost of some sort.' 'This program is free, which helps me be able to fully invest in my education versus having to work to pay for the class,' he said. Asad said he doesn't think a lot of students are aware that funding for the program was eliminated. 'It feels like it's a little hidden away from the population that would really want to use it the most,' said Asad. The opportunity to take free test prep courses was especially helpful at UIC, Asad said, because many students 'come from a background where it's not feasible to drop $3,000 or $4,000 on a course.' Asad, the mentorship chair of his pre-med club in graduate school and a student body president, said he signed up over 200 students for the test prep program. 'I think losing the program is such a blow to our students,' Asad said 'I feel like because the resources needed to actually get into these careers are so limited that only a certain population can really afford to get in, and it's going to be such a loss for representation as a whole.' Baker, the ISAC communications director, said more than 1,400 UIC students registered for test prep courses through the program, second most in the state behind the 1,600 students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who took advantage of the program. Jenny Neef, executive director of the U. of I. career center, said the number of students who benefited from the program in such a short time indicates cost had previously been a barrier to accessing test prep services. The program allowed her to suggest high quality resources to students without worrying about the cost. 'Test prep is one of those pieces that helps us have a highly qualified, highly educated, well-prepared workforce to move into the jobs that are available within the state, and so I see it as part of this continuum of how higher education is part of the whole ecosystem, as it relates to a well-prepared workforce,' Neef said. As of early May, more than 60% of students utilizing the state program were minority students and over a third were low-income or first-generation students, according to Dave Adams, a senior vice president with Kaplan. A Kaplan spokesperson said the company hopes the state will continue funding the program, but 'regardless, we are focused on continuing to deliver the full program.' 'Among its most important impacts, this program jump-starts the pipeline of future nurses, doctors, and other essential professionals, addressing critical shortages across Illinois by getting skilled, motivated students on the path to serving communities and delivering life-saving care where it's needed most,' the Kaplan spokesperson added. Ford said that if lawmakers convene in the next few months to address transportation funding and other issues, he would advocate for using discretionary funding under the governor's control to continue the test prep program. 'We give the governor lots of power and authority over a certain amount of money so that he can decide what he would like to do with it in the case of emergencies,' Ford said. 'He would have some authority to make some decisions, but we will see, as we know that it wasn't in his introduced budget. So, hopefully students will make it known that this is will be a tragedy.'
Straits Times
31-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Record 121 graduate from Duke-NUS Medical School; some had jobs in law, public relations, accounting
This was the largest number of graduates for a class in the school's 20-year history. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Record 121 graduate from Duke-NUS Medical School; some had jobs in law, public relations, accounting SINGAPORE – With no background in science, Dr Faith Wong pursued her calling of becoming a doctor at the age of 40. The mother of one previously graduated with a degree in modelmaking from Arts University Bournemouth and then worked in the animation industry. She had suffered depression as a teenager, which was subsequently diagnosed as bipolar disorder, and the experience led her to want to become a doctor. On May 31, the now 44-year-old fulfilled that wish and was among 121 graduates from Duke-NUS Medical School at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium at Academia located at the Singapore General Hospital Campus. This was the largest number of graduates for a class in its 20-year history. Dr Wong was among the 41 per cent of the 72 doctor of medicine graduates who made mid-career switches from fields such as law, public relations, accounting and mental health support. The other 49 of the 121 graduated with PhDs or master's degrees. When she was 16, Dr Wong suffered from depression, but it was subsequently diagnosed as bipolar disorder. What kept her going was her Catholic faith, therapies and healthcare workers who never gave up on her. She was a senior peer support specialist at the Institute of Mental Health and left in 2021 to attend medical school. She said: 'I found myself deeply reflecting and praying about how best to serve others with this second lease of life. The answer that came to me, very clearly and consistently, was to become a doctor.' One major hurdle was taking the Medical College Admissions Test before entry into the Duke-NUS medicine programme after not taking a major science exam for about two decades. She said: 'For the first three months, biochemistry felt like reading a foreign language.' She spent most weekday nights and weekends studying while juggling her family responsibilities. Clinical rotations were also physically gruelling for her at first, but her stamina improved. 'There were times it felt almost impossible. But what made the difference was the unwavering support I received,' she said. She found hands-on assignments such as dissection work engaging. Her creative thinking skills also helped her approach clinical problems from fresh angles, sometimes offering perspectives that differed from those with more trad itional science train ing . Her ultimate goal is to establish an emergency mental health respite care centre in Singapore, a place where people can walk in and seek help, said Dr Wong. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who was guest of honour at the event, congratulated the graduates and acknowledged that they had taken a longer path to become medical doctors, with some whose first degrees were unrelated to medicine or science. He encouraged them to be resilient and optimistic. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung taking a picture with Duke-NUS Medical School graduates on May 31. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Mr Ong said patient load is high in hospitals, night calls are long, and demanding patients may even file complaints against them with the Singapore Medical Council. He added: 'I want to assure you, this is normal and par for the course. These are the inherent challenges of the profession that you have chosen, and you can overcome (them).' He said Singapore is responding proactively to an ageing world population, medical technological advancements and a global shortage of healthcare workers, which demand healthcare transformation. Besides investing in community care systems and infrastructure, among other things, Singapore is also using more digital and artificial intelligence (AI) technology in healthcare, he said. Mr Ong added: 'They will not replace healthcare workers and the judgment of doctors, but they will remove tedious tasks, augment capabilities and create new opportunities.' He was joined by Duke-NUS dean Thomas C offman and Dr Amy Abernethy, co-founder of healthcare start-up Highlander Health. Another graduate, Dr Loh De Rong, 28, hopes to combine his engineering background and medical knowledge to improve healthcare systems and patient outcomes. He is among the first batch of graduates from a special programme where Duke-NUS offers conditional admissions to pre-university students from other fields to pursue medical studies. Under the programme, which was launched in 2017, interested students can first apply to take undergraduate studies at one of Duke-NUS' partner universities before going on to Duke-NUS Medical School to study medicine at a postgraduate le vel. They undergo undergraduate studies for three or four years, then spend four more years at the postgraduate medical sch ool. A graduate from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, Dr Loh studied computer science, focusing on machine learning and software engineering. He said: 'As medicine continues to evolve in the AI era, I hope to contribute to clinical AI projects and be well positioned to critically evaluate how such tools are applied in healthcare.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
