Homewood Nation

Mr. Green,

I recently came across an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution written by Thomas Friedman (NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/opinion/friedman-come-the-revolution.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss). He wrote about an online venture that will expand college’s reach worldwide. The venture, Coursera ( www.coursera.org ), is collaboration between Stanford, Princeton, Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania to offer free courses online.

Please check this out! I strongly believe that black scholars lack access to the best education. This presents an opportunity for higher learning for free. We need to set up space for students to collaborate in a learning environment.

Also, I noticed that no minority student from western PA received a Gates Scholarship. http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/georgia-winners-get-free-1427545.html The Gates Scholarship provides the recipient a free ride to the college of their choice. It covers everything plus an allowance. 1000 scholarships were awarded; Georgia received 88 (Atlanta = 22) versus Pennsylvania’s 12 (Western PA = 0). The students that receive the awards typically get loads of preparatory help from teachers/mentors. What’s happening in Pittsburgh?

Call me if you get a chance!

Albert Wright