query for program directors

[Donna Halper]

I've been hearing a lot of ads for continuing education and night school 
college courses on WBZ and several other stations 25-44 radio stations-- 
University of Phoenix (which has a campus in Braintree), Harvard Extension 
School, U.Mass, Eastern Nazarene, Cambridge College, Quincy College, just 
to name a few I've heard lately.   What's the deal?  I mean, I know that 
some people are out of work and need job re-training, but these ads seem to 
be aimed at getting adults to go back to school and either finish their 
undergrad degree or get a Master's.  Is this just a Boston phenomenon-- 
that is, are colleges in and around Boston trying to get some more adult 
degree students, or have you heard these types of commercials in other 
cities too?  And does anybody have a hot theory about why these colleges 
have suddenly decided to become heavy users of radio?  I can recall when 
they didn't use radio at all...