Skidmore
Receives $460K from Sloan Foundation to Expand UWW (2001)
Skidmore College has been awarded a grant of $460,000 by the Alfred
P. Sloan Foundation to develop three new baccalaureate-level distance-learning
programs through its University Without Walls (UWW), Skidmore
President Jamienne S. Studley has announced. The new interdisciplinary
programs - American History and Culture, Human Nature and Behavior,
and Communication and the Arts - will be designed so that
they can be completed entirely over the Internet by Skidmore's
UWW students.
"We
believe the keys to success in distance learning are careful,
consistent academic advising and continuous, critical dialogue
between teacher and student, both of which have been the hallmarks
of the University Without Walls," said Studley. "This
timely grant will enable Skidmore to sustain and enhance its leadership
in individualized learning while incorporating new tools and insights."
The three-year grant will support new staff, provide funds to
help Skidmore faculty develop 30 new Internet courses, and pay
for assistance with web-site development, technical support, marketing,
travel, and other costs related to developing the new online programs.
Founded in 1971 as one of several nontraditional programs within
the Special Programs division at Skidmore, UWW has been a pioneer
in providing a flexible, nonresidential degree option for adult
learners, many of whom balance education with work and family.
UWW degree plans are individually constructed to fit the experience
and learning opportunities available to its 220 students. Typically,
UWW students enroll having earned the equivalent of about 60 college
credits elsewhere, in addition to credit for life experiences,
employment, internships, and/or volunteer work. In close consultation
with their faculty advisers, UWW students map out individually
tailored plans to complete their degrees that may
include additional college courses, internships, Internet courses,
as
well as independent research, writing, and artistic endeavors.
With
the creation of the Internet baccalaureate programs, UWW students
will have new options for study and research. "This prestigious
grant from the Sloan Foundation demonstrates how far Skidmore
has come in being recognized nationally as a top-tier liberal
arts college known for both its academic quality and its pedagogic
innovation," said Donald J. McCormack, Skidmore's dean of
special programs.
UWW hopes to enroll an additional 50 students during the grant
period, after which the baccalaureate programs will be self-supporting,
according to Cornel Reinhart, UWW director. "This grant will
help Skidmore extend and deepen the quality of its liberal arts
options for students anywhere in the world, " said Reinhart.
"The Sloan Foundation has recently supported quality Internet
educational programming at leading research universities, and
Skidmore is privileged to be selected as the foundation's liberal
arts college of choice for this kind of award."
Recent technological developments at Skidmore will support the
expansion of UWW programs. This summer the college acquired
Blackboard, a course management system for use by faculty in both
residential and distance-learning courses. Skidmore is currently
in the process of installing WebMail, which will offer web-based
access to email for students, faculty, and staff on and off campus.
Such a system enables people to check email from any location
that has Internet access.
UWW complements Skidmore's traditional academic program, which
enrolls 2,200 students on its Saratoga Springs, N.Y., campus.
With a student-faculty ratio of 11 to 1, Skidmore is known for
an interdisciplinary curriculum that blends the traditional liberal
arts with pre-professional study in fields such as theater, education,
social work, and business.
