Senate urges Board to look towards UIS online ed. for global campus

October 29, 2008
By Ashley Rueff
Staff Reporter

The campus senate decided to forward a report containing its opinion of UIS and the Global Campus to the Board of Trustees before its Nov. 13 meeting at UIS.

The senate wanted to weigh in on Global Campus, an online venture by the University of Illinois designed to offer degrees through an online component of the university system. Global Campus began offering online
courses in January through coordinated programs with the other three university ground campuses.

However, the Board of Trustees will consider a proposal at the upcoming meeting to pursue accreditation for Global Campus so the program could issue degrees without coordination from any of the other three universities.

At the campus senate meeting Friday, an ad hoc committee presented a report asking the board to explore another option for growing online education in the university system.

“We believe, as we always have, that there is another option, one that has never been explored, but can result in success,” the report said.

The committee suggested in the report that with additional funding and resources, the online program at UIS could grow to meet the goals of the Global Campus, which are to offer low cost, career enhancing degrees in
high demand disciplines, especially at the undergraduate level.

“If that’s really the goal of the Global Campus, then they have right in front of them, a successful model,” said Pat Langley, campus senate chair and faculty member.

The report detailed UIS’s online education history and development, including it’s recognition and national awards for online learning.

“Given additional resources, the campus is prepared to entertain the opportunity to accelerate enrollments in our current programs, and to expand degrees and certificates,” the report said.

“Expansion, however, must be consistent with the UIS model of online education.”

“We’re saying to the Board of Trustees, there’s still another option, it’s sitting right in front of you, it hasn’t been explored,” Langley said.