#StartingUpPA Alumni Spotlight

Jason Meinzer & Tim Ericson  |  Zagster  |  Drexel University

Zagster (formerly CityRyde) began when co-founders Jason Meinzer (top) and Tim Ericson (bottom) used the Paris-based bike-sharing program Vélib. 

Since 2007, Zagster implements bike-sharing systems and consults on the environmental impact of bike use. Zagster assists customers with every stage of their bike initiatives, from conception to implementation. Zagster is the only organization in the world that has created a carbon methodology that can accurately measure the carbon reductions associated with all types of bike use.

Zagster’s Mission:  To enable and maximize the environmental, economic and social benefits of bicycle sharing and rental through consulting and best-in-class turnkey systems that ensure self-sustaining, successful and measurable program implementations.

In the News

The Washington Post: Colleges often give discounts to the rich. But here’s one that gave up on ‘merit aid.’

LANCASTER, Pa. — The open secret of higher education is that private colleges competing for students often slash prices for families wealthy enough to pay full tuition.

Some dangle “merit aid” to lure academic stars. Others use discounts to ensure that they enroll enough affluent students to meet their revenue targets.

Washington University in St. Louis provides grants unrelated to financial need or athletics to 14 percent of freshmen, a Washington Post analysis found. George Washington University gives them to 20 percent, and Tulane University to 37 percent. Those three are among dozens of prominent private schools that offer significant largesse to students without need.

Read more...

AICUP Featured Photos

AICUP member presidents met with Senator Pat Toomey at the AICUP Office on December 19 to discuss the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA).

From left to right: AICUP President Don Francis, Lebanon Valley College President Lewis Thayne, Wilson College President Barbara Mistick, Lycoming College President Kent Trachte, Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), Elizabethtown College President Carl Strikwerda, Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs, Messiah College President Kim Phipps, Harrisburg University President Eric Darr, and AICUP Vice President of Government Relations Mary Young.

AICUP President Don Francis addresses a gathering of education experts during an Interactive Seminar on Investment Opportunities in Pennsylvania, held in Bangalore, India. The group gathered in India in December 2014 to discuss opportunities for partnership between schools in India and the Commonwealth.

Another View: Boost Pell Grants instead of free community college

By Robert G. Duffett, President of Eastern University

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama laid out a new higher education initiative – free community college education for two years for all Americans. Like public K-12 education, the cost to the student will be zero.

Many details have yet to be worked out. Initial reports suggest the federal government would pay 75 percent of the cost, with the states covering the remaining 25 percent. The total dollar amount could be as high as $60 billion over 10 years.

Read more...

Photos from 2014 Pennsylvania Society

Gov. Corbett, University Presidents, lawmakers and other special guests attend the AICUP Pennsylvania Society Gala in New York City in December 2014.

Did You Know?

Top Origins of First-Time, Degree-Seeking Students Migrating to Pennsylvania to Attend a College or University, Fall 2012

In the fall of 2012, a total of 33,673 students traveled to Pennsylvania from other states or from overseas to enroll in a college or university located here. Of those 33,673 students migrating to Pennsylvania, 68 percent enrolled in a private college or university.