The Chronicle: Colloquy: The question

THE QUESTION

A new distance-education company has approached a number of elite liberal-arts colleges and Ivy League universities to propose an arrangement in which the company would put selected courses online and pay the institutions $250,000 per course. At least three institutions -- Amherst and Williams Colleges and Brown University -- are seriously considering the offer. Should elite colleges consider such arrangements? Would this kind of business plan allow colleges to reach more students, while earning money that could be valuable for a range of activities? Or would it be likely to damage the character of institutions that pride themselves on close personal interaction between faculty members and students? What are the key issues for colleges, and especially for liberal-arts colleges, to consider when approached with such offers?

For further information, see this background article:

Distance-Education Company Woos Bastions of the Liberal Arts (1/28/2000)

: 43 RESPONSES (New 3/6)

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