But in the picture, he's on the campus of Foothill. Why not a picture of him in pajamas?

Good for him!

What a shame James Sommermann didn't get to experience what would be the most positive aspect of college -- interacting with his classmates. From personal experience, I found that these interactions made college truly worthwhile -- and in a number of cases, it was these interactions that allowed me to gain a true grasp of the course material.

One can only hope Mr. Sommermann learns that lesson at UC Berkeley.

It's great that they offer students a choice. Some programs - like San Jose State's Masters in Library Information Science - no longer offer any in-person classes! My wife got that degree and would have rather gone to class. I think they didn't take away in-person classes because they thought it'd be better for students. Instead, they wanted to cram more students through than is realistic for the field, most of them with lucrative out-of-state tuition[*], at a low cost.

[*] I used the common term, but out-of-state tuition isn't just for people who live out-of-state anymore. It's called "special session" now, and they charge higher rates for anyone who doesn't live in zip codes 936xx - 958xx. Web Link

I am very impressed with this young man's drive and discipline, it is not easy to complete an entire degree remotely, especially: one where other students are local, and one that feeds into Cal, one of the worlds best universities. Kudos to Foothill also for offering the program.