One way in which universities can signal the growing importance of their online divisions is by appointing a chancellor to lead them, which is what Washington State University did when it made David Cillay chancellor of the university’s Global Campus. In October, Washington State became one of several public colleges in the country to adopt that high-level leadership structure for its online campus.
In his new role, Cillay is at the same level as chancellors of the university’s four other branch campuses, and he reports directly to the university president, Kirk Schulz.
Among other public colleges with online divisions, Purdue University has a chancellor overseeing its new Global campuses, and Colorado State University Global Campus has its own president. The University of Maryland Global Campus, formerly University College, has long had its own president at the same level as other institution presidents within the University System of Maryland.
Leading an online division comes with particular challenges, but hearing directly from students how Washington State’s Global Campus has helped transform their lives is one of the most rewarding aspects of Cillay’s new job. “We get to provide opportunities to students who probably wouldn’t have those opportunities otherwise,” he says.
In the past three decades, and especially in the past 10 years, distance education has evolved with technology to create online campuses that can operate at the same level as traditional, physical campuses. Roles like Cillay’s at the chancellor or president level, he says, signify a high level of dedication to these students and to online education from the university’s top leadership.
While he does not interact with students on a daily basis, the student experience is the guiding principle of Cillay’s work. “We can select technologies and solutions that best benefit the institution, but really that focus needs to be on students and identifying solutions that benefit students and help lead to their successes,” he says.
Adaptability is key, says Cillay, but he cautions against chasing the “shiny new thing” in technology. “You come to find a couple years later that it has changed to something new and shiny.”
The Global Campus, Cillay says, is built on the unique strengths of Washington State University. “Our online students feel a strong connection to WSU,"he says “They’re part of the family.”
Just like a physical campus, Washington State’s Global Campus has a student government, whose leaders meet virtually with Cillay once a month. He and his assistant vice president also get feedback from students through a faculty awards program, based on student nominations.
Certain aspects of the remote-classroom relationship are similar to that in the physical classroom, but Cillay says Global Campus faculty members have an added challenge. Students and faculty do not have the benefit of a face-to-face interaction, he says, and they are not always taking and teaching courses at the same time.
Other online or global units are led by the leader of the main campus, with a lower-level administrator handling day-to-day issues. UF-Online, at the University of Florida, for instance, is led by an assistant provost and director.
Penn State-World Campus, whose academic programs are overseen by Renata Engel, vice provost for online education, has also changed its leadership, in this case to raise its academic profile. Formerly led by a vice president for outreach, the World Campus moved its leadership to the office of the provost in 2017.
Having a deep understanding of the institution and how it can support learners of all kinds, says Engel, is important for leaders of online programs. Everything Penn State’s leaders are thinking about to provide the best experience for their students on the campus, whether it’s academic advising or career services, Engel is thinking about for remote students, she says.
Collaboration between Engel and the rest of the university’s academic leadership is built into Engel’s role. She co-chairs the Penn State Digital Learning Academic Council, which includes associate deans and program directors at the University Park campus who provide input on strategic planning for the World Campus.
For Engel, there is nothing like seeing students achieve their educational goals through the World Campus, even as they juggle other responsibilities. Some of them are on active duty in the military, or parents pursuing a degree online to encourage their children. “They are incredible role models.”
