North Carolina-Pembroke And Distance Education

The University of North Carolina-Pembroke issued the following press release:

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is going the distance taking higher education to students in its region and beyond.

Five years ago, distance education was something somebody else did. Today, UNCP is a leading provider in North Carolina of online courses especially distance education MBA courses at its satellite campuses. The rapid growth shows no signs of slowing down.

At a recent UNC distance education forum, data from 2004-05 and rankings for the 16 member universities were released. UNCP is the third most productive provider of distance education in the UNC system, trailing only East Carolina University and North Carolina State University.

For 2005-06, tentative enrollment data indicates continued acceleration. In the 2004-05 academic year, UNCP enrolled 3,259 students (unduplicated headcount) in distance education courses, and in 2005-06, the University had an estimated enrollment of 5,396, an increase of 65.6 percent.

Distance education enrollment is defined as all students enrolled in one or more online courses or courses in off-campus classrooms. These students may also be enrolled in traditional classes at the Pembroke campus. This applies for distance education MBA too.

With the goal of taking higher education to students, the growth of distance education is making education accessible to more North Carolinians than ever, said Dr. Charles Harrington, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at UNCP.

"With distance education programming, we are extending the reach of the University beyond our traditional service area," Dr. Harrington said. "As a result, we are making a college education possible for many North Carolinians that otherwise would never have been able to think such a thing possible,"

"As we look to the future, we will continue to develop and implement quality online courses and programs that compliment the mission of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke," he added.

UNCP trails two much larger universities, but is well ahead of its nearest neighbor in the region. Fayetteville State University reported enrollment of 1,831 students in distance education courses for 2004-05.

In unveiling the new rankings, Dr. Collie Coleman, associate vice chancellor for Continuing Education, noted the strong growth potential for distance education in the future at UNCP.

"As a regional University supported by the taxpayers, our obligation is to reach out to as many students as possible who may be unable to come to our campus because of jobs, family responsibilities or other obstacles," Dr. Coleman said. "I have tried to build on a solid foundation, but it is really our faculty who should get the credit for the growth and quality of our programs."

"We have made a concentrated effort to move distance education into the mainstream of University life and into the fabric of academic life - that is the teaching and learning process," Dr. Coleman said. "Higher education is rethinking its mission at a time when technology and demand are available, and we are moving quickly to meet demand."

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