ISU Distance Education News

Geoffroy Places Renewed Focus on Distance Education

President Geoffroy has directed Iowa State University’s new Vice Provost for Extension and Outreach, Jack Payne, to “significantly grow the university’s overall continuing and distance education program.”

This charge reflects the Board of Regents’ recent emphasis on distance education. The board adopted a distance education strategic plan in spring 2005 and requested two follow-up reports, one on DE technologies and a cost study. Board members are commited to making Regents institution education more widely available and accessible to place-bound and other non-traditional students.

The Provost’s Distance Education Council at Iowa State is currently implementing strategic initiatives to improve distance education. Key initiatives are
• Develop a shared vision of continuing and distance education (C&DE)
• Develop networks and improve communications among those engaged in C&DE
• Improve marketing and promotion of C&DE, especially Internet-based marketing
• Stimulate the development of C&DE products, especially in areas of high demand and Iowa State expertise
• Develop technological capacity and efficiency for conversion and development of C&DE content to digital delivery

The president’s full charge on continuing and distance education.
Significantly grow the university’s overall continuing and distance education (C&DE) program; establish specific growth targets and a timeline for achieving them. Develop ways to create C&DE offerings in areas with high market demand. Disentangle the C&DE budgets from the rest of extension and set C&DE up as a completely separate business enterprise with the goal of making C&DE completely self supporting, without subsidy from state appropriations or tuition revenues other than those generated by C&DE.