Support for the UA System's new online school took another blow Friday when the University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty senate voted unanimously to oppose the venture.
UALR's opposition comes just weeks after the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville's provost notified the online school's leaders that the system's largest campus would not participate in a volunteer governance board for the venture.
On Nov. 12, the UA-Fayetteville faculty senate passed a resolution opposing the online school and asking that the UA System administration and board of trustees delay implementation of the online school eVersity.
The resolutions from UALR and UA-Fayetteville support online learning but say that a stand-alone eVersity would detract from existing online degree programs and courses at the individual campuses.
In March, the UA board of trustees gave the go-ahead on the proposed eVersity, and in October, it approved a $5 million loan from the reserves of the UA individual campuses to pay for startup costs for the online school. Some chancellors and other dissenters opposed the interinstitutional loan.
Michael Moore, the UA System's vice president for academic affairs and the leader of the online school, said in an interview Friday, after UALR's faculty senate vote, that the system respects the differing opinions but that eVersity has "strong, broad-based support." He added that the Arkansas Legislature has passed resolutions supporting the system's online efforts, and "we have received strong backing" from Gov. Mike Beebe.
Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson said Friday at a conference for college and university trustees that the eVersity can play an important role in addressing the educational challenges Arkansas faces.
"The fact remains that Arkansas ranks 49th in the nation in degree completion, and this has adverse economic consequences for our state," Moore said. "We need bold, innovative strategies and solutions to this problem. The UA board of trustees, recognizing this need, made the decision to create and support eVersity, and we're moving forward to make it happen and to help change the lives of Arkansans who need it most."
Some board members contacted Friday did not return telephone calls by the end of the workday.
Andrew Wright, president of the UALR faculty senate, said what the faculty wants most is an open dialogue between the individual campuses and the UA leadership of the eVersity.
The resolution states that "communication on eVersity has restricted participation, debate and discussion."
Wright said it was encouraging, however, when UALR Provost Zulma Toro announced during Friday's meeting that Moore is engaging the vice chancellors of UALR in a continuing conversation about the online school and how the effort can move forward collaboratively.
"Eventually, I think we will get to where UALR comes out in a better position overall," Wright said. "We will keep working until all of us come out in a better position.
"They've got a difficult problem; that's all I can say," he said, referring to the UA System's stand-alone online school. "As far as what they could do differently, we would all say we need more information, more debate and more dialogue. It does slow the process down, but you end up with a better product."
More than 15 percent of UALR's 11,600 students are enrolled in the campus's online-only classes, and more than 40 percent of its students take at least one online course, UALR officials said. The university also offers about 10 academic degrees that can be obtained completely online without students stepping a foot on campus.
The UA-Fayetteville faculty resolution says that campus offers 511 online courses, 25 academic degree and five certificate programs.
Leslie Taylor, a vice chancellor for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said her university's academic senate has not passed a resolution concerning the eVersity, but "leadership of that group has been supportive of it."
"There have also been nominations from the faculty for a person to serve as UAMS' representative on the eVersity Governance Council," Taylor said.
UAMS had the highest number of faculty members who applied to be on the eVersity curriculum development committee. In early November, the administration for the UA System's online school sent notices to the individual campuses asking for volunteers for the committee.
Of the 22 applications received, eight were from UAMS. The other volunteers were from UALR, the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope.
Elisabeth Sherwin, a UALR professor of psychology who teaches the majority of her courses online, said Friday that the UALR resolution in opposition to eVersity was "very thoughtful" and addresses one of the main issues: money.
UALR's resolution said the eVersity directly contradicts the UA System's own policy that duplication of efforts be discouraged, "both on the grounds of efficiency and of cost."
Likewise, the UA-Fayetteville resolution says neither the state nor the UA System "can afford this duplication of existing resources."
"We remain puzzled as to why -- if nationally-reputable faculty, experienced web designers and robust support systems already are in place on existing campuses -- the Board of Trustees would desire to spread a fragile revenue stream even more thinly," the UA-Fayetteville resolution states.
The faculty senates at UALR and UA-Fayetteville asked the board of trustees in the resolutions to -- instead of having a stand-alone eVersity -- create a system where all online courses at each institution be made available to students to earn degrees completely online.
Sherwin said in an interview Friday that the extra expenditures and duplication of efforts come at a time when the system has admonished the individual campuses to "gird up their loins" financially.
"The system should work as a system. That's how I would have envisioned the first move they should have made when exploring an online degree program," Sherwin said. "There should have been a little less rush to action. That might have left many a little less dismayed and increased the buy-in. It's a very tricky thing."
A section on 12/06/2014