Conservative Education Effort Launched Out of Gainesville

Conservative educator and businessman Richard Bishirjian is set to launch a new higher ed initiative based out of Gainesville. Bishirjian, an editorial adviser for Modern Age, founded Yorktown University in Colorado (full disclosure, I worked for that school briefly back in 2006) and Yorktown University of the Americas here in Florida.

In his latest effort, Bishirjian is launching EDUCourses, currently noncredit college courses, but he is looking to expand his outreach to offer traditional education online at reasonable prices. Bishirjian is looking for investors including using the Internet to locate possible supporters.

Bishirjian sent out an email on Monday as he prepares for his latest task, launching a rally to find supporters for his newest effort. "I'm leading the rally to create a college education for Americans concerned about limited government, free markets, American history and the Constitution of the United States," Bishirjian wrote. "When fully developed we can offer a two-year college education for $799 to $999. I hope you will be inspired by this campaign.

"Massive, Open, Online Course (MOOC) management systems are the latest development in Internet-based course delivery technology and are designed for massive enrollments," Bishirjian continued. "A typical MOOC ... can manage enrollments of 10,000 to 40,000 students per course!

"Too much emphasis has been placed on a college diploma, and not enough emphasis has been given to demonstrating what has been learned after two, four or even six years of an expensive education. And, unfortunately, in the mad-rush to earn a degree in order to get a good job, some students have skipped courses that once were required of a college-educated citizen," Bishirjian added. "As citizens of the United States, we have an obligation to understand American history, the fundamental law of the United States, how the Constitution originated, the system of free enterprise that has made the United States an economic powerhouse and how important it is that we comprehend that we are participants in the civilization of the West."