Friday, May 17, 2013

CSU-Global Offers Greater Insight Into Out-Of-Pocket Costs of Degree Completion, Access to Tuition Planners

Colorado State University-Global Campus takes a proactive approach in helping students who use Federal financial aid properly plan for degree completion.

Greenwood Village, CO, May 17, 2013 – Colorado State University-Global Campus (CSUGlobal.edu) today announced that it has implemented an innovative practice to help students better understand the out-of-pocket cost of their education and ensure that they have the funds they need to complete their degrees. New students who use Federal financial aid will now receive greater insight into their borrowing history and have access to Tuition Planners available to provide counseling, guidance and support.

Student loan debt in the United States recently surpassed $1 trillion and as an institution with a mission to help adults complete bachelor’s degrees and earn master’s degrees, CSU-Global has seen many of its recently admitted students bring significant loan debt accrued while attending other institutions. To help inform students of their loan obligations beyond Federal loan best practices and requirements, CSU-Global has notified current students of their borrowing associated with Federal loan limits.

Additionally, all new students who have been accepted for enrollment into CSU-Global and who use Federal financial aid, are being provided a statement which reflects their borrowing to-date and the additional funds that they will need to complete their degrees at CSU-Global. Before taking their first course with CSU-Global, new students who are close to their Federal loan limit receive special counseling that integrates their degree plan needs, less expensive credit alternatives than CSU-Global standard course credit, and information on their loan limit status.

“CSU-Global is focused on adult degree completion as a pathway to workplace success. In the area of bachelor’s degrees, we embrace nontraditional transfer students who might not otherwise be able to optimize their previous course work and complete their degrees as they are able to at CSU-Global,” stated Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, President of CSU-Global Campus. “Bachelor’s degree transfer students, and some master’s degree students, bring to us their various credits and their Federal loan history which has accumulated over the years to be at or close to their loan limits. We want to help both our current students and those now seeking enrollment at the university to more proactively manage what remains of their Federal loan funds.”

As part of its role as a public non-profit institution, CSU-Global believes that it is has the responsibility to provide transparency in all of its processes and to provide direct and clear communication to its students. The university conducted a review of all of its students to understand their varying paths to successful degree completion and has reached out to those that appear to have insufficient funds for basic tuition and book costs for remaining credit hours.

“CSU-Global is committed to student success in achieving degree completion. Our Tuition Planners will assist students in understanding their financial loan status and provide information on other financial resources or alternative ways to complete their degrees in a financially responsible way,” concluded Ms. Pamela Toney, Senior Director of Financial Services.

About Colorado State University-Global Campus;
Colorado State University-Global Campus (CSU-Global) was created by the Colorado State University System Board of Governors in 2007 as the first 100% online state university in the United States. CSU-Global is focused on facilitating adult success in a global marketplace through career-relevant education including bachelor’s degree completion and master’s degree programs. Embracing the land grant heritage as part of the Colorado State University System, CSU-Global sets the standard for quality and innovation in higher education through its expert faculty trained in working with adults in an online learning environment, and through its dedication to student retention, graduation, and workplace success. Visit CSUGlobal.edu or call 1-800-920-6723 for more information.

Contact:
Lindsey Read
CSG PR
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
937-408-9321
lread@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Geothermic Fuel Cell™ Prototype Moves IEP One Step Closer to Commercialization

Independent Energy Partners, Inc. (IEP) with partner Delphi Corporation successfully tested an initial single stack geothermic fuel cell™ (GFC) prototype, keeping IEP on track for field testing and initial oil production at a test site by mid 2015.

Denver, CO, May 17, 2013 — Independent Energy Partners, Inc. successfully tested an initial single stack geothermic fuel cell™ (GFC) prototype, keeping them on track for field testing and initial oil production at a test site by mid 2015. The fuel cells will be used to heat underground oil shale formations in situ or in place. Testing confirms the fuel cells will be able to generate the high temperatures needed to extract both liquid and gas hydrocarbons from the oil shale while simultaneously generating clean electricity.


“This is a huge milestone for us as it confirms the concept and sets us nicely on the path toward full-scale prototype and field testing without any unexpected delays,” said Al Forbes, IEP’s President and CEO. “The Delphi team’s deep experience in solid oxide fuel cells certainly helped us meet this milestone confidently.”

IEP has put more than ten years into patenting, designing and developing the geothermic fuel cell technology using the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to help refine the concept and Delphi Corporation’s solid oxide fuel cell expertise to develop, build and test the GFC prototype.

Delphi Corporation was chosen to build the GFCs because of their expertise in solid oxide fuel cell technology and manufacturing capabilities. The partnership is already paying off with this successful first-round prototype passing both internal testing at Delphi and additional outside testing at the Colorado School of Mines Colorado Fuel Cell Center in preparation for the large-scale stack testing later this year.

“It’s exciting—especially in new clean technologies—to have such a successful first prototype,” said Dan Hennessy, chief engineer, Advanced Engineering, Delphi Powertrain Systems. “Our team is already working on assembling the next prototype and anticipating similar success when we test it later this year.”

Geothermic Fuel Cells will expedite nature’s underground heating process to turn kerogen into a producible, usable oil product. Current technologies require either surface mining and crushing the shale or using large amounts of coal-fired electricity to power heating rods inserted in a formation. IEP’s technology becomes self-fueling after brief start-up period. The natural byproduct of the fuel cell is heat, which heats the kerogen in the formation to a vapor that can be transported and collected above ground. Most of the electricity produced by the fuel cells is available as a clean, base load energy source for local utilities.

With US oil shale reserves estimated at more than 1.5 trillion barrels of oil that are not currently viable to recover, IEP’s technology stands to open huge energy reserves in the United States and abroad. The GFCs have many additional applications, including a growing interest in their use in landfill pyrolysis to both reduce landfill mass and create clean, base load energy for municipalities.

Field-testing is scheduled for early to mid 2015.

About Independent Energy Partners:
Independent Energy Partners (IEP) is a clean technology and resource company based in Denver, Colorado focused on the economic and environmentally responsible recovery of unconventional hydrocarbon resources utilizing its patented, breakthrough in-situ Geothermic Fuel Cell™(GFC™) system. IEP was founded in 1991 and has been involved in the development of more than 15 energy projects employing a wide range of technologies. The company holds exclusive rights to broad, patented GFC processes and technology in the U.S. and Canada as well as its own oil shale resources containing more than 2.0 billion barrels of oil. Patenting and technological development has been underway since 2004 and has been vetted by the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. IEP holds strategic partnerships with Total Petroleum, Uintah Resources, Inc., Delphi Corporation and Colorado School of Mines. Learn more about the compan y and its technology at www.iepm.com.

About Delphi:
Delphi is a leading global supplier of electronics and technologies for automotive, commercial vehicle and other market segments. Operating major technical centers, manufacturing sites and customer support facilities in 32 countries, Delphi delivers real-world innovations that make products smarter and safer as well as more powerful and efficient. Connect to innovation at www.delphi.com.

Contact:
Cindy Jennings
Independent Energy Partners, Inc.
TEC Building
11479 S. Pine Dr.
Parker, CO 80134
+1 303-792-0055
cindy@volitionstrategies.com
http://www.IEPM.com