Free tuition program can be lifesaver
Christopher Johnson
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Features
When Bucks threw a lifeline
this winter to workers tossed
from their jobs into the
stormy seas of the economic
downturn, Wendy Nieman
and Kathleen Hart were
among the hundreds who
grabbed on and held tight.
Nieman, Hart, and the
many thousands of suddenly
unemployed in our area are
facing the fact that they must
now look for work while trying
to make ends meet. They
find themselves in a
quandary: They need a
degree or new skills training
to fit into the job market, yet
often don't have the funds
available to pay for the education
they need.
That's where the new
Tuition-Free Program for
Displaced Workers offered at
Bucks comes in.
A customer service manager
for Marriott for nine years,
Nieman, 45, was laid off last
May. But she didn't settle for
treading water. After mailing
untold numbers of résumés
and landing quite a few interviews,
she hasn't yet found a
safe harbor in the professional
world.
Potential employers either
told her she was overqualified
or they took the position
for which she was applying
off the market because of the
worsening economic landscape.
"It's an interesting situation,"
said Nieman.
And then she learned about
the free tuition program.
After graduating from high
school 27 years ago, working
and teaching ballroom dancing,
Nieman is enrolled in
algebra and composition
courses this semester, hoping
to earn her associate's degree
and transfer to a local fouryear
college. She plans to be
a math teacher with a focus
on special education. "I feel
blessed to be able
to take advantage
of the free tuition
program. I love it
every single day I
am on campus,"
she said.
The program could not
have come at a better time.
Nieman's entire family has
been hard-hit by the recession.
Her husband and son
were recently laid off. They
have a mortgage on their
this winter to workers tossed
from their jobs into the
stormy seas of the economic
downturn, Wendy Nieman
and Kathleen Hart were
among the hundreds who
grabbed on and held tight.
Nieman, Hart, and the
many thousands of suddenly
unemployed in our area are
facing the fact that they must
now look for work while trying
to make ends meet. They
find themselves in a
quandary: They need a
degree or new skills training
to fit into the job market, yet
often don't have the funds
available to pay for the education
they need.
That's where the new
Tuition-Free Program for
Displaced Workers offered at
Bucks comes in.
A customer service manager
for Marriott for nine years,
Nieman, 45, was laid off last
May. But she didn't settle for
treading water. After mailing
untold numbers of résumés
and landing quite a few interviews,
she hasn't yet found a
safe harbor in the professional
world.
Potential employers either
told her she was overqualified
or they took the position
for which she was applying
off the market because of the
worsening economic landscape.
"It's an interesting situation,"
said Nieman.
And then she learned about
the free tuition program.
After graduating from high
school 27 years ago, working
and teaching ballroom dancing,
Nieman is enrolled in
algebra and composition
courses this semester, hoping
to earn her associate's degree
and transfer to a local fouryear
college. She plans to be
a math teacher with a focus
on special education. "I feel
blessed to be able
to take advantage
of the free tuition
program. I love it
every single day I
am on campus,"
she said.
The program could not
have come at a better time.
Nieman's entire family has
been hard-hit by the recession.
Her husband and son
were recently laid off. They
have a mortgage on their
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