Description of the Alamo essays

Description of the Alamo essays The Alamo, one of America's most famous landmarks, was actually a mission to convert foreigners into Christians. The Spaniards built it and called it San Antonio de Valero. It was constructed in the northeast part of Mexico called Texas. The mission began to be called the Alamo mission because in Spanish, Alamo means popular. After about seventy-five years, the mission was abandoned and parts of it crumbled into ruins. In 1821 Mexico won its freedom from Spain and they were now able to vote for leaders as the Americans could. Also, in 1821 an American lawyer named Stephen Austin moved to Texas. Mr. Austin believed that if enough farmers settled the land it could become very prosperous. The settlers agreed to be good citizens and good farmers. They also agreed to build towns and schools and make Texas a safe place to live. The Mexican government liked the idea of the Americans taming the wild, barren land. After all, no one else wanted to even try. In 1824 Mexico adopted a constitution much like the American constitution. This Mexican constitution promised that when Texas got to the point that when there were enough people living there, it would be a separate state with its own capital and government. Later politicians and military leaders began fighting over who should run the government, and the constitution was soon ignored. Leaders, one after the other, came into power. The amount of Americans living in Mexico was rapidly multiplying. Mexico began to worry, especially when America offered to buy Texas from them. The Mexican government passed a law forbidding any more Americans to live in Mexico. Shortly afterwards an extremely powerful military leader named Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna seized leadership of the Mexican government. Santa Anna strongly opposed the Mexican constitution and threw it out. He decided that the people could not and would not elect their leaders any more. Steph...

Definition of a Public University

Definition of a Public University The term public indicates that the universitys funding comes partly from state taxpayers. This is not true for  private universities. Its also worth noting that many states do not fund their public universities adequately, and in some cases far less than half of the operating budget comes from the state. Lawmakers often see public education as a place to cut back on spending, and the result can sometimes be significant increases in tuition and fees, larger class sizes, fewer academic options, and longer time to graduation. Examples of Public Universities The largest residential campuses in the country are all public universities. For example, these public institutions all have more than 50,000 students: University of Central Florida, Texas AM University, The Ohio State University, Arizona State University, and the University of Texas at Austin. These schools all have a strong focus on faculty and graduate research, and all have Division I athletic programs. You wont find any residential private universities that are nearly as large as these schools. All of the schools listed above are major or flagship campuses of the state systems. The majority of public universities, however, are lesser-known regional campuses such as the University of West Alabama, Penn State University Altoona, and the University of Wisconsin. Regional campuses often do an excellent job controlling costs, and many offer programs suited for working adults who are trying to earn a degree. Features of Public Universities A public university has a few features that distinguish it from private universities: Size - The size of public universities varies widely. As mentioned above, however, the largest universities in the country are all public. Youll also find regional public universities of just a couple thousand students.Division I Athletics - The great majority of Division I athletic teams are fielded by public universities. For example, all but one member of the SEC (Vanderbilt) are public universities, and all but one member of the Big Ten (Northwestern) are public. At the same, time, there are numerous Division II, Division III, and NAIA athletic programs at public universities, and some public institutions that have no intercollegiate athletic programs at all.Low Cost - Public universities typically have tuition that is considerably lower than private universities, especially for in-state students. Out-of-state tuition can vary widely, and some schools such as those in the University of California System and the University of Michigan have out-of-state tuition that is as high or h igher than many private institutions. Also keep in mind that many public universities dont have the resources for robust grant aid that youll find at top-tier private universities, so if you qualify for financial aid, you may actually find that a top private university will cost you less than a top public university, even if the sticker price is tens of thousands of dollars higher. Commuter and Part-time Students - Public universities tend to have more commuter and part-time students than private colleges and universities. This is particularly true of regional public universities. The flagship campuses of state systems tend to be largely residential.The Downside - Read the profiles of universities carefully. In many cases, public universities have lower graduation rates, higher student/faculty ratios and more loan aid (thus, more student debt) than private universities. Public universities share many features with private universities: Undergraduate and graduate student focus - Large public universities have significant masters and doctoral programs just like top private universities.Graduate degrees - At large public universities, advanced degree offerings such as an M.A., M.F.A., M.B.A., J.D., Ph.D., and M.D. are common.Broad academic offerings - Students can often choose courses in the liberal arts, sciences, engineering, business, health, and fine arts.Faculty focus on research - At big-name public universities, professors are often evaluated for their research and publishing first, and teaching second. Teaching may take priority at branch campuses and regional public universities. A Final Word on Public Universities The most selective colleges in the country are all private, and the colleges with the largest endowments are also private. That said, the countrys best public universities deliver educations that are on par with their private counterparts, and the price tag of public institutions can be as much as $40,000 less per year than elite private institutions. The price tag, however, is rarely the actual price of college, so be sure to look into financial aid. Harvard, for example, has a total cost of over $66,000 a year, but a student from a family that earns less than $100,000 a year can go for free. For in-state students who dont qualify for aid, a public university will frequently be the more affordable option.