Want a free iPhone? Go to Abilene Christian University
Posted by Will on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 12:53 pm under iPhone, Apple, Announcements
Why in the world would the Abilene Christian University need to resort to cheap gadget-giveaway gimmicks to attract a larger freshman student-base? Are they having trouble appealing to the MTV and Hollywood-influenced high school seniors out there for some reason? Well, whatever the reason, ACU is offering new freshman a free iPhone or iPod Touch. The cost of the new gadget is probably padded into the tuition, but hey, it might be easier to score an iPhone by having the costs hidden in tuition than begging your parents for a few hundred dollars.
The iPhone/iPod Touch is intended to allow students to “receive homework alerts, answer in-class surveys and quizzes, get directions to their professors’ offices, and check their meal and account balances.” We’d check the box for an iPhone on our ACU application, but it’s not clear how ACU will be doling out the iPhone or iPod Touches.
So, if you want a free iPhone, send your college application to ACU. It’s totally worth the four year schooling commitment.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
ACU is my alma mater. The iPhone/iPod Touchs are part of an entire initiative to make it easier for students to be more connected. They’ve been pondering the idea of handheld internet gadgets for several years, and this is obviously an opportunity to use one that’s renowned for simplicity.
I doubt if it’s a publicity move, as the school already operates with near maximum student classes each year.
February 27th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Perhaps someone should read the actual story before calling it lame. I agree with Ricky, this is about being in touch. Isn’t that what education is about, being connected with your teachers?
Seriously, watch that video they did ( http://www.acu.edu/connected ) and then try and call it a gimmick. Looks to me like they are trying to embrace the use mobile devices and aint this what this blog is about!
February 28th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I’m a grad student at ACU and have first-hand knowledge of the program. Will read one little article and spat out two whole paragraphs of drivel. Nicely done, Will!
The last comment of your post negates everything you’ve said. Why would someone commit to even one year of private university tuition just to get an iPhone? This is not a gimmick or stunt. It is the next step in a planned out program involving Apple at the highest levels.
Other universities out there wish they could be doing this by next Fall. I’m proud of my university for attempting something innovative.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Will, I’m and graduate of ACU and currently work at the school, so, I’m a bit biased. However, after reading your bio, and knowing what is actually going on at the school, I have to say that I find your comments about ACU’s iPhone initiative to be completely asinine.
Over the past 10 months, a group of about 50 faculty and staff at ACU has been researching the answer to the questions,”Are there intentional ways in which converged media devices such as iPhones and iPod Touches could be used to complement/enhance the academic and student life experience at ACU?” and if so, “What are some specific applications that could be created to do this?”. Each of the participants in the project had to draft a proposal to be approved by a committee. There were 100 proposals submitted and about 40 were funded. The conversation about the use of converged media devices had been started several years before that. This group’s research has caught the attention of Apple and most of the Ivy League schools because we are the only school in higher education engaged in this type of research with these devices at this level.Giving iPhones to incoming freshmen is the next step in this research project. Of course the school’s PR people want students to know about this and hope that it will attract students. Of course they are going to use it in their marketing.
I’ve read several blogs in reaction to this announcement and they have been equally shallow and uninformed. A better story would be to actually contact those at the university who are involved in this research and ask them about it. Ask them about the applications they are creating and have a bit of a blog discussion about these. I’m sure the feedback from those interested in a converged lifestyle would be helpful.