UA Board Creates Online University Program

The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved the creation of the UA System eVersity, an online university dedicated serving adult students.

At a meeting in Fort Smith Thursday (March 20), the board endorsed a proposal advanced by UA System President Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt to establish the eVersity and authorized the system administration to begin planning for academic governance of the institution through a consortium of existing UA System institutions.

“The University of Arkansas System has a rich portfolio of talent that resides in the faculty and staff of our 17 institutions and divisions,” Bobbitt said. “I’m confident that we will, and in fact, must, bring this array of talent to bear on Governor Beebe’s challenge to double the number of Arkansans with a post-high-school credential.”

The eVersity will seek to attract adult students who are currently turning to for-profit online institutions and those adults who have completed some college but not earned a degree.

The core principles of the institution include providing high quality courses, affordable tuition and workforce relevant degree programs, along with promoting student success in programs, the university said.

“For many students, the optimum experience is to learn intensively under the mentorship of the exceptional faculty we have at each institution. However, for those students for which that is not possible, the eVersity will provide a much needed option,” Bobbitt said.

A planning phase for governance and academic programming will involve interested faculty from across the UA System.

There are currently more than 80 out-of-state institutions, including many for-profit schools, operating more than 1,000 degree programs in Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, and more such institutions are seeking approval to offer degrees from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board next month.