UWW students and alumni invited to open forum March 26

University Without Walls (UWW) students and alumni are invited to an open forum Wednesday, March 26 at which Jeff Segrave, interim dean of special programs, will discuss the recommendation to begin closing the program. The forum will begin at 7 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium in Palamountain Hall.

The recommendation to begin closing UWW, the pioneering bachelor's-level distance-learning program that Skidmore launched in 1971, was circulated to the Skidmore community early this month and is now a matter for faculty deliberation through the College's governance system. Any recommendation for closure also will need to be approved by the Board of Trustees and subsequently by the New York State Education Department.

In recent communications to UWW students, Segrave has pledged to work with UWW staff and the UWW Committee in determining a timeline for the completion of all UWW degrees. "If the recommendation for closure is accepted, we will begin a phase-out that proceeds at a pace that is, within reason, determined by the needs of our current students."

"We will also work with other distance-learning institutions, such as Empire State, or programs such as School of General Studies at Columbia University or Sarah Lawrence College Center for Continuing Education, to enable the transition of those of you who would like to transfer to another institution," he says. "We still plan at this time to try to find a way of continuing the current program with our students in Antigua and Barbuda."

The College has created a new Web page where news of continuing developments regarding the recommendation will be posted.

The College also has created an online discussion board to support ongoing communications with UWW students and alumni.