Prince George's County Education Notes

UMUC Gets Top Ranking For Service Members

The University of Maryland University College in Adelphi has been ranked as the most popular college or university among active-duty service members by Military Times Edge. UMUC topped 49 other colleges and universities and was lauded for its partnerships, selection of online courses, campuses on three continents -- Europe and Asia as well as in the United States -- and degrees designed to complement military training.

American Public University, Central Texas College, University of Phoenix and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University were also in the top five.

UMUC was founded in 1947, largely to provide higher education to returning World War II service members under the original GI Bill. It educates an estimated 50,000 active-duty service members, dependents and veterans around the world annually.

College Tour Open for Historically Black Schools

The Prince George's County Delta Alumnae Foundation and the county alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority invite high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with a 2.0 grade-point average or higher to participate in a chaperoned tour of 12 historically black colleges and universities Nov. 8-13.

Students will explore the academic, cultural and social advantages of the schools. Admissions staff members will be available to answer questions about admission criteria, financial aid, courses of study and more.

The trip will include guided tours of Claflin University, Spelman and Morehouse colleges, Clark Atlanta University, South Carolina State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Winston-Salem University and other educational institutions in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

The application is available at http://www.pgcacdst.org. For information, e-mail hbcu@pgcacdst.orgor call 301-350-7960.

Bowie State TRIO Program Hires Counseling Chief

Bowie State University has hired Marilyn O'Brien as coordinator of counseling services for the TRIO Achievers program, an educational outreach program that serves first-generation, low-income and disabled students.

The Hyattsville resident will coordinate the services provided to students, including academic advising, monitoring and mentoring, brief counseling, workshops and cultural events. O'Brien has served as a counselor at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, an instructor and tutorial coordinator at the Philadelphia College of Art, a teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and a remedial reading teacher at Central Dauphin School District in Harrisburg, Pa.

The TRIO program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and provides opportunities for academic development, assists students in meeting basic college requirements and helps motivate students to complete postsecondary degrees.

Capitol College Offers Yellow Ribbon Assistance

Capitol College is one of the 14 independent colleges and universities in Maryland that have elected to participate in the new GI Bill's Yellow Ribbon Program, the most generous veterans benefit for higher education since the GI Bill after World War II.