Big News! US Accreditation for Newlane!!
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Newlane Accreditation!
This has been a good and full summer, sometimes laidback and slow, and sometimes interspersed with big changes and big news. The biggest news: Newlane University just earned US Accreditation!!!!!
Don’t know what the heck Newlane is? In 2017, my husband, Ben Blair, and my brother, Josh Stanley, set out to build a university that was accessible to everyone. It’s called Newlane University. Newlane’s Mission: “To make quality online liberal arts higher education accessible to anyone on earth by breaking down the barriers of cost, schedule, and geography.”
In 2019, they started on the journey to get US accreditation to help assure students that Newlane is a high quality education, and an institution they can trust. Earning accreditation is a HUGE accomplishment, and I could not be more proud of them. DEAC is the accrediting organization, and for those who are curious, you can see Newlane listed here. Here’s a quick FAQ about Newlane:
What is the cost?
Newlane is incredibly affordable! Newlane offers accredited degrees for $1500. Period. $1500 for an Associate degree, and if you already have an Associate degree, then it’s $1500 for a Bachelor’s degree. You pay a $249 registration fee, then $40 per month until you reach $1500. That’s it. You won’t get charged again even if it takes you another year (or years) to finish. And it’s risk free! If you register, try it out, and decide it’s not for you, you have 30 days to get a full refund.
I’m busy. Will Newlane work with my schedule?
Newlane courses are self-paced. This means you can starts and complete your degree according to your schedule, no matter where you live. You can literally sign up today and get started. Newlane has professors around the world who can accommodate any schedule. Need to fit your education around work or family obligations? No problem. In a hurry? You can work as quickly as you’d like. Don’t live near a campus? Doesn’t matter. If you can access the internet, you can complete your degree. Anywhere in the world.
What degrees does Newlane offer?
Newlane offers an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy. Some fun news: Now that they are accredited, Newlane can begin building new programs, degrees, and areas of study. Newlane is currently working on courses in Psychology, Art History, Business, Natural Science, and more. You can begin taking classes today that will count toward any degree they offer in the future.
Are the courses challenging?
Courses are rigorous and competency-based. This means you pass the course only after you’ve learned the material. There’s no sliding by with a B- or C, where you’ve only learned part of what the class covered. Students in typical schools often worry: Will the professor like me? Will I get a good grade? But those questions have nothing to do with actually learning the course work. In contrast, Newlane is explicitly focused on helping you master the course material, and verifying that you have in fact mastered it. It’s a totally different (and better!) approach. Again, you pass the course only when you’ve learned the material.
How do you pass a course at Newlane?
The final step to pass a class is called a Course Hearing, where you meet one-on-one with a professor on a video call for 30-40 minutes. The professor asks open-ended and follow-up questions about the material. Their role is to verify you have mastered all the course goals and objectives. And if you haven’t? The professor will tell you what you still need to review, and then you’ll schedule a follow-up Course Hearing. This means you can’t fail a class. You just review and try again.
What if I’ve already completed some college courses?
You can likely transfer your credits to Newlane, getting you closer to earning your degree faster. And you’re not alone. In the U.S., 40 million people have completed some college, but have not earned a degree. And that number is in the hundreds of millions world-wide. Many schools make it painful and difficult to transfer credits. Newlane does not. Newlane works hard to make this process smooth and efficient. No need to waste time re-taking classes, put those credits you already earned toward your degree.
Apply for Free at Newlane.edu
Newlane is currently accepting students from countries around the world. Feel free to email Newlane with any questions. They would love to hear from you. In the meantime, you can check out testimonials from Newlane students, graduates, and professors.
Founding a university from scratch and earning accreditation was super challenging. I'm so proud of Ben and Josh for making this happen. If you are a journalist, or know a journalist who would want to cover this, please reach out to Newlane. It’s a fantastic story and the more you dig in and learn about Newlane and Higher Ed in general, the more compelling it is.
For those of you who have been following along when I report on Newlane progress, I'm sure you already know how awesome this news is. We are cheering like crazy!!
Cousin Visits
We had fun visitors this week — cousins from London! Cierra & Ben Block, and their five-year-old, Clementine, who goes by Clemmie. Cierra is the author and illustrator of London Block by Block, and her new book, New York Block by Block comes out in September (you can pre-order it now).
It was very rainy and windy and we had lots of low-key kid-friendly days — walks to the playground (when the rain stopped), a visit to the city pool, many hours of playing board games, and mostly just hanging out. Over the weekend, we went to a Vide Grenier, ate saucisse frites, and found a few treasures — including a small framed original painting that somehow made its way to us from South Africa.
Then we stopped at Chateau D’Ô. The Chateau is a private residence, but opens to the public for a few weeks each year. I’ve always wanted to visit but this was the first time I’d had the chance!
You can see the treasures we picked up at the Vide Grenier, and photos from the Chateau, in this Instagram highlight.
We said goodbye this morning as the Blocks headed back to London.
In other cousin-related news, our son Oscar is flying to New York later this week for the first ever Stanley Grown-up Cousins’ Week. Cousins’ Week was started by my sister Sara, and is an annual four-day summer gathering for all Stanley cousins in the 8-18 range. We have a big extended family with lots of cousins and Cousins’ Week has been a wonderful way to keep connected, even when we’re all spread out geographically.
Cousins’ Week has been happening for so long that many of the cousins have now aged out, and this year these grown-up cousins have organized their own Grown-up Cousins’ Week at my sister Jordan’s house in upstate New York, for cousins 18+.
Our daughter Olive has done a lot of the organizing and was telling us about the schedule and it sounds like it’s going to be terrific.
A Few Things
Here are a few things — articles and links — I’ve been saving to share with you:
One of the most important elections of 2023 is happening right now in Ohio. “An Attempt to Fool Voters”: Ohio GOP Sets Up Vote To Weaken Direct Democracy. Republicans rushed an Aug. 8th election in an attempt to change the rules for constitutional amendment referendums. They are doing this to prepare for a potential fall vote on abortion. Know someone in Ohio? Encourage them to vote!
The amazing Róisín Ingle interviewed me about Ejaculate Responsibly for The Women’s Podcast (a podcast of The Irish Times). Click here to listen or read.
SAG-AFTRA, WGA Strikes Are Trying to Topple a Broken Industry. In this op-ed, news and politics editor Lexi McMenamin connects the ongoing TV and film strikes to the rise of reboots and remakes, and asks if we can build something better. This article went through weeks of fact- and legal-checking, as some of the names in the article have pushed outlets to take down negative coverage.
Scientists develop breath test that rapidly detects COVID-19 virus. The device requires only one or two breaths and provides results in less than a minute.
What The Best Places in America Have in Common. The researchers observed that people seem to thrive “when inequality is low; when landownership is widespread; when social connection is high; and when corruption and violence are rare.”
The biggest US hospital chain uses an algorithm to select patients "likely to die," so the they can "discharge them" and claim reductions in their "mortality rate." it's America’s healthcare capitalism, not "socialized medicine," that is the driver behind actual "death panels."
Richard Hanania, Rising Right-Wing Star, Wrote For White Supremacist Sites Under Pseudonym. Hanania is championed by tech moguls and a U.S. senator, but HuffPost found he used a pen name to become an important figure in the “alt-right.”
There was a hospital in San Antonio that eliminated employee infections at the height of Covid with elastomeric masks. I read that there are many varieties for good fit and great comfort, making this is a cost-effective option.
After the Covid vaccine came out, the adjusted excess death rate in Ohio and Florida was 43% higher among Republican voters compared with Democratic voters, this study found. There was no such gap based on political party before the vaccine.
We’re now finding out the damaging results of the mandated return to the office–and it’s worse than we thought. “Nearly half (42%) of companies with return-to-office mandates witnessed a higher level of employee attrition than they had anticipated. And almost a third (29%) of companies enforcing office returns are struggling with recruitment.
Move Over, Men: Women Were Hunters, Too.
A research effort led by the University of Michigan and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has resulted in a nasal vaccine that stops covid infection in both young and old mice.
If you feel better near salt water, you're not making it up. It's called thalassotherapy.
The Green Card Game — a tool disguised as a game on how unbelievably difficult it is to immigrate legally into the United States. Try it out. See you how you do.
Tickets for the 2024 Alt Summit went on sale and they are already half gone! Space is limited and the event is definitely going to sell out this year, so if you’d like to join in, be sure to secure your ticket sooner than later.
A Little Shopping
Among the shopping picks I shared on Instagram this week, these three items were by far the favorites:
Staub Stoneware Set
Available in 6 different colors.
Was $89.99, now $49.99!
Do you know Staub? It’s a premium French enameled cast iron cookware and bakeware manufacturer. And their products are beloved. Saks Fifth Avenue is having a big sale including lots of Staub items.
Gucci Lipstick
In the prettiest floral packaging.
So many messages that this is a favorite.
$45
Staub Dutch Oven
Available in nine colors — the green seems to be everyone’s favorite.
Was $429, now $329!
That’s all for now. I hope you a wonderful start to the workweek. Feel free to comment on anything I mentioned above, or whatever’s on your mind.
kisses,
Gabrielle
I wish Newlane immense success in pioneering this breakthrough paradigm and replacing the current broken system of higher education! Would love to know how faculty were recruited. I bet you could find some stellar profs who are fleeing DeSantis-land!
Congrats on Newlane!!