A new online-only university for older, nontraditional college students won unanimous support from the University of Arkansas board of trustees at its meeting Thursday in Fort Smith.
The UA eVersity will enroll learners who may have children and a job, for example, but still need “a high quality, affordable education,” Michael Moore, the UA System’s vice president for academic affairs, told the 10-member board. The new university will focus on courses only six weeks long that support“career-relevant” degrees, Moore said.
Trustees asked Moore about the lack of an overall budget for the new university.
“I wondered if we’re putting the cart before the horse,” said trustee Jane Rogers
Moore responded that startup costs will be covered by $2 million already approved by Gov. Mike Beebe and $1 million from internal UA System allocations. In an interview, Moore said the $2 million was approved last year and the $1 million comes from the administrative unit of the UA System.
“Effectively, we will be coming back to you with a budget,” said Donald Bobbitt, UA System president, addressing board members. In an interview, Moore said it would likely take $10 million over three years for the new university to reach full capacity.
Moore told the board the resolution backing the university should also help efforts to secure grants.
However, Moore told the board the eVersity won’t rely on per-student credit hour state funding.
“Our business plan is tolive and die on tuition alone,” Moore said.
Trustee Reynie Rutledge asked if eVersity courses might avoid duplication of existing online-only efforts.
Moore said individual campuses will continue to decide what online-only initiatives they want to pursue. He noted that some duplication exists already, describing four UA System online-only nursing degree programs.
“They’re competing with each other now,” Moore said.
The eVersity pitch will be different.
“We’re going to be at a different price point and going after a different audience,” Moore said.
Lower prices than those of for-profit schools will be a selling point, though no tuition costs were unveiled in the presentation.
Afterward, Moore saidclasses will cost more than community college offerings but significantly less than the $570 per credit hour that the University of Phoenix might charge.
Moore emphasized the quality of the courses, with UA faculty members across the system developing and teaching the courses.
Pete Tschumi, a senior instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and longtime faculty senate member there, addressed the board after the presentation.
“I, too, think this is a good idea,” he said. He stressed the importance of a system encouraging faculty members to maintain the quality of specific programs.
“Where we struggle at times is when we do interdisciplinary sorts of things,” Tschumi said, explaining that faculty members traditionallyreceive rewards through their individual departments. “My concern is, how do you maintain that faculty investment in programs when they are very distant, more distant than even an interdisciplinary program?”
The plan calls for the college to seek accreditation. In the meantime, degree offerings would be affiliated with a particular UA campus.
In an interview, Moore said early plans call for associate and bachelor’s degrees to be offered, along with certificate programs and graduate degrees. The exact mix remains undetermined, he said.
As far as admission, Moore said the eVersity will be willing to accept those “who may have spotty academic records” from earlier attempts at college.
“We intend to structure our degree programs so that no coursework is lost as a student moves from one credential to the next,” Moore said.
Also making a pitch for the initiative was former UA-Fayetteville Chancellor Dan Ferritor, who compared the initiative to efforts like the post-World War II GI Bill opening up access to higher education.
“There are hundreds of thousands of Arkansans who are within striking distance of a college degree,” Ferritor said.
Front Section, Pages 1 on 03/21/2014