He notes that in Colorado where the WCET organization is based the University of Colorado-Boulder, Colorado’s popular flagship university, offers little or no online program offerings. In contrast, the Colorado State University (CSU) system launched the CSU-Global Campus as a standalone institution in 2008 to provide online undergraduate and graduate programs for Colorado residents. Poulin warns the CSU-Global Campus, which earned accreditation late last year, could very well go the way of the Illinois initiative rather than that of UMUC if the new institution doesn’t connect strongly with adult learners.
States have grown concerned about making sure their two- and four-year public institutions are competitive in educating working adults, education analysts say. They have noted the successes that for-profit institutions have experienced in the online education market and seek similar results.
“I think (UMUC) has things to offer that all public institutions should take a good look at and see what they can learn,” Mayadas says. “Some of the things they do a good job of are advertising and recruiting. They have a lot of adjunct faculty; they recruit high quality adjunct faculty. They know a lot about student services. These are all things that should be studied.”
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