Minerva offers new paradigm for university education

Twenty-year-old Li Yige never feared the adventures in finding a suitable education program before she started her exploration of Minerva.

For many peers, the young Beijing native's decision to attend Minerva, a new model university, instead of applying for traditional ones, was risky.

Li disagrees. She values Minerva's theme of providing students with customized education rather than pumping out degree holders.

"The course design follows a logical and comprehensive way," Li said of her first two months of study experience.

Li is one of 28 students in the first class of the Minerva program, which started in 2014.

The four-year program, named for the Roman goddess of wisdom, was founded by Ben Nelson, former CEO of photo site Snapfish, and aims to revolutionize higher education - no campus, no classroom, but still a solid and close relationship with classmates and professors.

All courses are conducted through live online seminars. Students will spend the first year in San Francisco and then travel around the world in the next three years. Nelson believes this will enrich students' global experience.

The model also greatly reduces the cost. Ivy League universities in the United States charge about $60,000 a year for tuition fees. Minerva charges $10,000 for tuition. Housing, meals, and other expenses are estimated to be $18,000.

The other revolutionary change comes from the design of the curricula.

"It is a world of information. There is no need for students to pay thousands for some introductory courses," Nelson said, adding that the core curriculum should teach students to think and make decisions.

He believes that traditional universities fail to provide students with that training.

Freshman Li loves Minerva's design, called "habit of mind training".

"It is a comprehensive training for our thinking, not in particular segments but from an overall view," Li said.

What impressed her was a music topic in the course.

"The professor played classic works such as Chopin and Mozart, and guided us to analyze the works from the angles of recognition and appreciation. Then we worked in teams to produce a three-minute music clip, using techniques and effective methods to express a piece of music," she said, adding that she learned how to pass on emotions even through music.

The program is accredited in partnership with the Keck Graduate Institute in California and the admission process is highly selective.

"We admit students based on their academic merit and exceptional achievement, no matter where they are from," Nelson said.

Previous reports showed that other Chinese students have turned away offers from Georgetown University, Bowdoin College and the University of Chicago, and chose Minerva.

"We are really only competing with top universities, such as Harvard, Stanford and some Ivy Leagues," Nelson said, who hopes the Minerva model can catch the attention of prestigious universities and eventually change higher education.

The school waives four-year tuition fees for all students in the first class. Nelson expects to have 250 to 300 students for the 2015 Class and double the size every year until it reaches several thousand students.

luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 12/01/2014 page4)