Online University Offers to Educate America in Economic Principles – For Free

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Andrew Jackson University has initiated a free video series in economics targeting Americans of all educational backgrounds. University president Don Kassner, an economist by training, is featured on a series of short YouTube videos available online (http://www.aju.edu/educateamerica).

The day the government bailout was announced an Andrew Jackson University shareholder, Jay Hellman, called and suggested the school offer members of Congress courses in economics. Hellman was serious. University executives agreed and subsequently announced that a basic economics course would be available free of charge to members of the House and Senate. Sadly, not even one member of Congress took the school up on the offer, which still stands. But not to be daunted, Andrew Jackson University educators decided they would offer some economic insight to the general public, and the video series Educate America in Economics was spawned.

“Don’t expect some stuffy academic spewing dry economic theory,” said university CEO Joseph Schmoke, “our president, Don Kassner, is not only an economist, but he’s also a laid back guy and a good communicator. In fact, the first video in the series has him wearing a Hawaiian shirt as he sets the stage for some timely and easy to understand economic insight.”

The university plans to produce a new video every week, and in January 2009 will introduce an expanded Educate America program that will offer online courses in economic principles for under $40. A more formal online economics course, for college credit, will be available for less than $100. “We decided to do what we could for America and our fellow citizens without charging big university prices,” stated Kassner, “but we couldn’t do it for free. The free course offer to Congress, however, still stands.”

Andrew Jackson University (www.aju.edu), a for-profit online university offering eleven degree programs, is on a mission to be the most progressive school in the country. In addition to the free economics course offer to Congress and the new YouTube videos, the school recently instituted a sponsored tuition program that effectively eliminates tuition. Kassner and Schmoke feel strongly that the tuition spiral must stop somewhere, and they think Andrew Jackson University is a good place to start.

Contact Information

Don Kassner

President

Andrew Jackson University

Contact via E-mail