FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Babyak |
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced the selection of ten new projects under the Distance Education Demonstration program, which tests new ways of helping students finance their distance education studies. "This administration wants to make sure that no one is left behind when it comes to access to higher education and training," Paige said. "Distance education enables countless Americans to reach their academic goals without the restrictions of time and place that make it difficult for people like working parents, rural students, and students with disabilities to get a college education." These selections are the final set of selections to be made under the demonstration program. The initial group of participants entered the program in July 1999. The 10 new participants bring the total number of institutions in the program up to 111, located in 22 states and the District of Columbia. The department closely monitors the institutions during the program and evaluates their progress. According to a 1999 department report, enrollments in distance education classes more than doubled in three years, increasing from 753,640 in the 1994-95 school year to 1,632,350 in the 1997-98 school year, and the rapid growth is expected to continue A number of statutory and regulatory provisions currently limit the growth of distance education programs at institutions that provide federal financial aid to students. Under the Distance Education Demonstration program, the participating institutions receive waivers from one or more of these requirements in order to give their students greater access to federal financial aid. In addition, some of the participating programs are testing new models for delivering federal financial aid to their distance education students.
Waivers will also be granted for other regulations relating to the administration of federal student aid that will allow institutions to, for example, award credit to students based on achievement of competencies and share courses among consortium members. The projects are expected to continue through the 2003-04 academic year when Congress is expected to consider comprehensive changes to the Higher Education Act. NOTE TO EDITORS: Following is the list of 10 new participants selected in the Distance Education Demonstration Program, including institutions within each consortium. Distance Education Demonstration Program
American InterContinental University Brevard Community College Eastern Oregon University Iowa Regents Consortium JesuitNET Marlboro College Regis University U.S. Sports Academy Walden University University of Phoenix |
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