01/10/12 ks
HAYS, Kan.
-- U.S.News & World Report, the news magazine that produces one of the most
popular annual rankings of universities, released today its first-ever national
rankings for online education. Fort Hays State University was among the leaders
in most of the categories.
The news
magazine evaluated online higher education in six categories: bachelor's
programs generally, and master's programs in business, education, engineering,
nursing and computer information technology. Bachelor's programs were evaluated
according to three criteria: 1. teaching practices and student engagement; 2. student
services and technology; and 3. faculty credentials and training. The five
master's categories were evaluated by similar criteria plus a fourth criterion,
admissions selectivity.
Dr. Edward
H. Hammond, FHSU president, talked about the results at a news conference this
afternoon. "Out of the many hundreds of universities in the nation that
offer online education, we were one of only 40 that was placed on an honor
roll, which is the highest designation in the rankings," Dr. Hammond said.
He listed
the categories and criteria in which FHSU was ranked:
Bachelor's
Programs
·
Teaching Practices & Student Engagement -- sixth
in the nation
·
Student Services & Technology -- 10th in the
nation
·
Faculty Credentials & Training -- 35th in the
nation
Master's Programs
·
Business (MBA), Student Services & Technology --
fifth in the nation
·
Business (MBA), Faculty Credentials & Training --
30th in the nation
·
Business (MBA), Teaching Practices & Student
Engagement -- 106th in nation
·
Business (MBA), Admissions Selectivity -- 29th in the
nation
·
Education, Student Services & Technology -- 14th
in the nation
·
Education, Faculty Credentials & Training -- 15th
in the nation
·
Education, Teaching Practices & Student
Engagement -- 22nd in the nation
·
Nursing, Student Services & Technology -- sixth
in the nation
·
Nursing, Faculty Credentials & Training -- 19th
in the nation
·
Nursing, Teaching Practices & Student Engagement
-- 15th in the nation
FHSU was
given honor roll status in the Graduate Education category, which means it
placed in the top third of at least three of the four evaluation criteria. It
was among 14 universities that received honor roll status in that category.
Those 14 universities were listed alphabetically, not in a numeric ranking order.
"These rankings confirm what we already knew, that
FHSU has taken the right path in providing affordable and high quality
education online," President Hammond said. "Our Virtual College
enrollment could not have grown to 4,504 in the fall 2011 semester if the
courses were not high quality, because people will not compromise on quality
when it comes to something as important as their college education."
The confirmation of quality tells only half the story,
however. The president pointed out that about a dozen FHSU online programs have
been recognized by GetEducated.com in recent months as among the most affordable of their type in the
nation. For example, GetEducated.com ranked each of two programs -- Master of Liberal Studies with a concentration in
Justice Studies, and Bachelor of Science in Information Networking &
Telecommunications/Computer Networking --
as No. 1 in the nation for affordability. Four other FHSU online programs were
ranked second most affordable, and a fifth program was ranked third most
affordable.
"FHSU offers online education programs that are among both
the best in the country and the most affordable in the country according to
independent evaluators," President Hammond said. "There is simply no
better choice in the nation than our Virtual College for anyone who is looking
for an online degree."
Dr. Larry Gould, who as provost heads up the academic
division of FHSU, talked about the importance of today's U.S.News & World
Report announcement. "One key to growing any distance education program is
capturing the attention of potential online learners by enhancing your brand and
disrupting the competition," he said. "Institutions that have been offering
online programming for many years are now looking for ways to stand out in an
increasingly crowded marketplace. There is no doubt that this new set of
rankings will go a long way in helping the Virtual College differentiate its
brand and stand out as a leader among distance education providers. Equally
important for me, this announcement is an affirmation of the excellence, care
and commitment our faculty and staff place in the online delivery of affordable
and unique next-generation learning experiences."
Dennis King, director of the Virtual College, noted that
this latest recognition came on the heels being named Military Friendly in
November. "Also, while we are celebrating these results, we are preparing
to launch another major initiative to improve the quality of our online
offerings," he said. An announcement of the new initiative is scheduled
for April.
President Hammond also commended the faculty, staff and
administrators who work hard to create the excellent online environment for
learning. "FHSU's entrepreneurial, forward-thinking culture is being
recognized around the world," he said. "This recognition should serve
as proof to Fort Hays State's graduates, and its current and future students,
that they made the right choice for their education."