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May 18, 2010 1:55 PM Popularity Contest

By Daniel Luzer

Ivy Tech Community College, the very innovative Indiana community college that is now the second-largest community college in the United States, has a new scholarship program. According to an article in Community College Times:

Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana is using YouTube to distribute scholarships to eligible students. Students are encouraged to create a video explaining why they attend Ivy Tech. The student whose video gets the most views by Aug. 1 may be eligible for a $3,000 scholarship. The second place prize is a $2,000 scholarship and third place is a $1,000 scholarship.

Here’s one entry:

While the YouTube video is apparently very very popular for college promotion, this Ivy Tech idea is new. It’s also a little questionable.

The scholarship apparently doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the video; it’s only the number of hits that determines who gets the scholarship.

Daniel Luzer is the web editor of the Washington Monthly. Follow him on Twitter at @Daniel_Luzer.