USA (2007 study tour)

USA 2007 Travel Award Report 18-30 June 2007

Executive Summary In June 2007 I undertook a 10 day study visit to investigate and report on the diverse higher education system of the United States of America. I investigated the sector by research prior to the visit, institution visits and by attending the AAUA conference. This enabled me to identify key challenges facing the US Higher Education sector and to learn from their good practice. I recommend a study visit to any higher education administrator who wants to learn more about global challenges, and conclude that there is much to be learnt from the USA. Sarah McGowan, AUA Member, Assistant Partnerships Manager, Open University

Acknowledgements AUA/AAUA AUA Travel Award Committee Dr Ian Creagh, University Secretary, City University Caroline Auty, Head of Communications, AUA Dan King, General Secretary AAUA Richard V. Hurley, Acting President, University of Mary Washington.

Wayne Brumfield, Vice President of Student Affairs, University of Louisiana at Monroe Carolyn Collins, Dean, University College, Louisiana State University Theresa Madonna, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Fisher College Pedro Martinez, Provost, Winston Salem State University Dr Shizuka Modica, Business Manager, University of Virginia Kit Leighton-Kelly, Assistant Registrar, Bristol University Abour Cherif, DeVry University David Overbye, DeVry University Lyn Stefurak, DeVry University David Spence, Southern Regional Education Board Open University Worldwide Ltd and Open University Sara Pierson, Director of Partnerships and Product, OUW Antony Gribbon, Managing Director, OUW Vicky Amos, Director Business Implementation, OUW Julie Welsh, Partnerships Team, OUW Jackie Thrush, Travel Team, OUW Val Holliday, Finance, OUW Anita Bateman, Finance, OUW Liz Armitage, Secretary for Curriculum and Awards, OU Martin Watkinson, Director of Strategy, OU Community College of Philadelphia Dr Stephen M. Curtis, President

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Lynette M. Brown-Sow, Vice President, Marketing and Government Relations Maritza Rodriguez, Executive Assistant to Lynette Brown-Sow Dr Judith Gay, Vice President Academic Affairs Dr Samuel Hirsch, Vice President Student Affairs Thomas Edison State College Dr George Pruitt, President Esther Paist, Executive Assistant to the President Beverly Dash, Assistant to Esther Paist Dr Mary Ellen Caro, Dean Dr Henry Van Zyl, Vice Provost for Directed Independent Adult Learning Dr Penelope Brouwer, Vice President for Planning and Research Sylvia Hamilton, Vice Provost for Strategic Partnerships Marie R. Power Barnes, Associate Vice President for Marketing Raymond Young, Vice Provost Learner Services Dr Daniel Negron, Director of ACE programs University of Pennsylvania Amy Gutmann, President JoAnn McCarthy, Assistant Provost for International Affairs Elva Power, Office of International Programs Marcia W. Henisz, Overseas Program Manager Beth Ann Leshko, Assistant Director of Transfer and International Admissions Kate Zheng, Associate Director, International Student and Scholar Services Middle States Commission on Higher Education Jean Morse, President Barbara Samuel Loftus, Vice President Margaret Robbins, Executive Assistant to the President University of Maryland University College Mark L Parker, Executive Assistant to the Provost

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Contents 1. Purpose of Visit 2. Objectives 3. Higher Education in the USA 4. Distance Learning in the USA 5. University Visits 5.1.

Community College of Philadelphia

5.2.

Thomas Edison State College

5.3.

University of Pennsylvania

5.4.

Middle States Commission

5.5.

University of Maryland University College

6. AAUA Conference 7. Organisation of the Trip and Reflection 8. Conclusion 9. Professional Biographical Details 10. References

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1

Purpose of Visit

The overall purpose of my visit was to investigate and report on the diverse higher education system of the United States of America.

2

Objectives •

To research the Higher Education system in the USA

•

To attend an International Conference - AAUA

•

To visit various institutions to:•

Discover examples of good practice and lessons learned

•

Examine different modes of study

•

Investigate the use of collaborative international delivery and varying models.

•

Look into how they look after their international students needs

•

Learn how they attract their students

•

Examine their approach to business development overseas.

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Higher Education in the USA

3.1

Introduction

Many of the world’s top universities are in the US according to rankings such as the Times Higher. In 2006 Harvard was ranked as the World’s Best University1.

The American Council on Education (ACE) describe the US Higher Education system as “decentralised, diverse and inclusive”2. The Department of Education is the national government body but each of the states is responsible for education within its borders. There is no equivalent of this system and autonomy is highly valued. The Department of Education’s areas of concern are finance, legislation, curriculum development and special programmes e.g. planetary science.

1 2

The Times Higher Education Supplement, October 5 2006 American Council on Education (2001), A Brief Guide to US Higher Education, p.1

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US Higher Education is worth around $197 billion and consumes approximately 3% of gross domestic product.3 Around 2% of the US workforce is employed in Higher Education and a third of this figure is teaching staff. Approximately 70% of students receive some form of financial aid and most work part time to cover the cost of their studies.

In 2004-5 post secondary education institutions enrolled more than 20 million students.4 The body of students is changing from traditional full time 18-22 year olds to older students studying various different modes of study.

This brief introduction has outlined the scale of the sector. I will now go on to cover the type of institutions, structures, administrative areas of interest, accreditation and quality, and current issues in the sector. This will be followed by information gained during my visits.

3.2

Types of Institution

There are over 40005 Higher Education Institutions in the USA. Approximately 75% are private institutions. However, public institutions enrol 75% of college students6. Table 1 outlines the split of institutions.

Classification

Percentage

Association of Arts Colleges

35%

Tribal Colleges

1%

Specialised Institutions

32%

Baccalaureate Colleges

13%

Master’s Colleges and

14%

Universities Doctorate Universities

6%

3

US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2000, Table 331, 31.

4 Council for Higher Education Accreditation (2006) The Condition of accreditation: US accreditation in 2005.

5 US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2000, Table 172, 173.

6 Fishburn, A. (2005) Uni in the USA, The UK Guide to US Universities, Lucas Publications, p.3

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Table 1.

Post Secondary Institution Types7

Private institutions are usually non profit and do not receive funding from the government or state. Public institutions are governed by boards and ultimately the state. These institutions do receive some funding from the state.

There are three main categories of postsecondary education in the US. These three areas include both private and public institutions.

1

Two Year Colleges

2

Four Year Colleges

3

Comprehensive Universities

3.2.1 Two Year Colleges These colleges are usually called community, junior or technical colleges.

There are approximately 17278 community colleges in the US of which 652 are private.

These types of colleges offer four types of programmes.

1

Transfer Programmes

This involves studying the first two years of a programme and then transferring to a four year college to complete a baccalaureate degree.

International students often use this type of programme to make the transition to American Higher Education.

7

US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS) Institutional Characteristics Survey, 2005 8 US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2000, Table 5

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2

Development or Remediation

These programmes help students

Programmes

improve their basic skills. Often these students are not native English speakers.

3

Continuing and Adult

These are generally programmes for

Education Programmes

students with special interests. These programmes attract older students which some see as having a negative impact on the social aspects of studying at a community college

4

Occupational/Technical

These are certificated programmes to

Programmes

help students who want to move into a profession. This area accounts for around 60% of two year college students.

Table 2.

Types of Programmes offered at Two Year Colleges.

The advantages of attending a community college are the lower cost of tuition, transfer programme opportunities, smaller class sizes and open door admission policy. One disadvantage is that most community colleges don’t have on campus accommodation which is an issue for international students.

The average age of students in community colleges is 29, 59% are women, 34% are from minority groups and 8% are non-US citizens. Around 100,000 international students attend community colleges currently. The most popular courses are registered nursing, law enforcement, practical nursing, radiology and IT. The average annual tuition fee is $2272 compared to $5836 in four year colleges.9

9

www.aacc.nche.edu

8

The OU did have collaboration discussions with Lansing Community College in 2004 but nothing was pursued due to time restrictions. Community Colleges can be viewed as having similar aims and objectives to the Open University. A report on my visit to Philadelphia Community College is included in section 5.1.

3.2.2 Four Year Colleges These are the original undergraduate colleges. Students are admitted and choose their major subject after one or two years of study.

3.2.3 Comprehensive Universities These institutions incorporate undergraduate, postgraduate, doctorate and professional programmes. The undergraduate programmes consist of two year liberal arts study followed by two years of intense concentration in a major area. This wider choice of courses has its advantages for students as they are not so restricted and, it can be argued, receive a wider education.

Baldock argues that “There is little doubt that the four years at an American college bring a fuller educational experience with greater cultural and social coherence, combined with outstanding athletic facilities...�10 Ivy League schools are the equivalent of Oxford and Cambridge. Please see my visit report on Ivy League School University of Pennsylvania in section 5.3.

3.3

Structure of Institutions

Obviously the structure is affected by the size of the organisation, its philosophy and objectives. The hierarchy is not always clear and is often termed shared governance.

3.3.1 The Board The highest level is the Board who share responsibility with the President and other bodies. This Board appoints the President and creates overall policies.

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Baldock, S. quoted in Fishburn, A. (2005) Uni in the USA, The UK Guide to US Universities, Lucas Publications, p.xviii

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3.3.2 The President The President is the Chief Executive Officer who overseas the day to day running of the Institution. The President works with the university’s stakeholders and ensures policies are implemented. In the US an important part of the role of the President is fundraising. This is an increasingly important role in the UK and the UK sector could learn from this process. I was fortunate enough to meet the President of Thomas Edison State College to discuss the challenges his institution faces – please see section 5.2.

3.3.3 Academic Vice President or Dean The next level is the Academic Vice President, Dean of the College/Faculty or Provost. This person is the Chief Academic Officer and is responsible for administrative policies, appointments and reviews. Institutions often have several Vice Presidents for other areas e.g. planning, student affairs, strategic partnerships, external affairs. I met several Vice Presidents when visiting the Community College of Philadelphia and Thomas Edison State College.

3.3.4 Graduate Dean The Graduate Dean has overall responsibility for Graduate Programmes and research. Within this, for example, there is responsibility for research funding, programme evaluation and supervision of graduate faculty.

3.3.5 Dean of Students This post involves looking after areas outside the academic life of students.

The Dean looks after the accommodation and campus discipline, for example.

3.3.6 School Dean Each Faculty or School is headed by a School Dean.

3.3.7 Department Chair The Department Chair is the liaison between the School Dean and Academic Vice President. The areas of responsibility are staff pay, classroom needs and recruitment. With the unionisation of academic staff in the US the Department Chair has an important role.

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3.3.8 Other Areas Other areas include student record keeping and administration by the Registrar. The Chief Development Officer is responsible for external relations, including fundraising and alumni relations. Government Relations Officer is self explanatory. The Faculty and Senate perform the same function as within the UK Higher Education system. A PhD is usually essential for Faculty members. A Masters can be sufficient within a Community College.

Faculty are normally titled Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor. An Instructor would typically be without a PhD and training towards one. An Assistant Professor is usually a PhD without teaching experience. After 5-7 years the Assistant becomes an Associate Professor.

As per the UK a Professorship is bestowed on an individual who has a significant impact on the development of the institution and subject area. The tenure system is important in the US. 3.4

Admissions Criteria

As per the UK this varies by institution. Many community colleges and some universities have an open policy. Admission does not mean that the student will automatically get their desired major. This often depends on performance.

There are several entrance exams. Most undergraduates take one or more tests run by either the College Entrance Examination Board or the American College Testing Programme.

1

The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) – multiple choice test

2

The American College Testing (ACT) Program – four tests

3

The Graduate Record Examinations – half day general tests

4

Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) – administered with the SAT

5

Various professional e.g. LSAT – Law School Admission Test

Students from outside the US are required to submit their TOEFL results as per the UK. The admissions process for a student from outside the US is lengthy and application should start a year before the programme start date.

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This is mainly due to visa requirements and the time required arranging the tests. Students also need to prove that they have funding for their studies as little or no financial assistance is available.

Many students transfer within the US Higher Education system so this forms an important part of the admissions process.

3.5

Teaching

The academic year usually runs from August/September to May. This can be split into two semester or quarters. With regard to credits, 1 hour per week for the period, equates to 1 credit. An undergraduate programme normally consists of 15/17 credits per semester/quarter. A graduate does 9-12 credits per semester/quarter. The usual method of teaching is an interactive lecture or seminar. Student assessments are marked from A-F. An average of a C is expected for an undergraduate and B for a graduate. An A is worth 4 points and all of the points are added to create a Grade Point Average (GPA). The examination requirements vary by course and institution as per the UK. The types of Award vary:1

Associate Degree Two year colleges and some four year colleges award Associate Degrees for 60 credits of study (usually 2 years). This degree is usually accepted for transfer.

2

Bachelor’s Degree This degree is worth 120-128 credit hours of study and is normally 4 years.

3

Master’s Degree This is awarded following a further 1-2 years of study.

4

Doctoral Degree As per the UK this is the highest academic degree.

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3.6

Tuition Fees

The average annual tuition fees vary by institution. The average annual fee is $18,00011. Students also have to pay for accommodation, books and fees for extras such as insurance.

International students pay the same as US students. However, there are limited scholarships offered under schemes such as the Fulbright Program for foreign graduate students.

With the increase in tuition fees in the UK the two systems are moving closer together.

3.7

Accreditation, Quality and Standards

State governments provide licences for higher educations to operate.

However, it is accreditation that results in academic legitimacy. This process is non governmental and is not compulsory, though pretty much essential to get students and faculty as it is linked to financial aid. UK students who look to study in America are told to ensure that the institution is accredited to ensure credit transfer and recognition when returning home.

Accreditation can be institutional or specialised (e.g. journalism, medicine).

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) overseas the system and helps ensure an independent and consistent process. The review process is similar to the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency. However, due to the amount of institutions and scale of the country there are regional and national associations that accredit.

The Observatory on Borderless Education12 reported that accreditation in the US has been accused of lacking transparency and insufficient rigour.

Criticisms also include the drawbacks of the federal system. It seems many 11

Fishburn, A. (2005) Uni in the USA, The UK Guide to US Universities, Lucas Publications, p.12 12 The Observatory on Borderless Education, The international value of US accreditation – CHEA database reveals range of non-US universities with US accreditation, quoted in th obhe.ac.uk/cgi-bin/news/, May 6 2005

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institutions seek accreditation for the status rather than for the quality assurance processes required. Accreditors and institutions are keen to retain their independence and any move to centralise the processes are strongly opposed.

I visited the Middle States Accreditation in Philadelphia. The OU is accredited

by Middle States - See section 5.4.

3.8

Current Issues in USA Higher Education

3.8.1 Funding The cost of education has raised issues about affordability. Institutions have had to look for other ways to raise money such as fundraising. The Spelling’s Commission report on the Future of Higher Education was announced in September 200613. This report argued that the current system was too confusing and complex. Work is underway to simplify this. Several colleges have launched programmes to help students.

On 9 May 2007 the House of Representatives passed the Student Loan Sunshine Act by 414-3. This bill places strict limits on institutions preferred lender lists to protect students and parents from exploitation. Previously institutions had received gifts from lenders to secure loan business. This is now forbidden. The student loan industry is worth $85 billion.14 The CEO of the Department of Education’s federal student aid office resigned accused of lax control of the student loan industry on 9 May 2007.

3.8.2 Quality and Assessment As already mentioned there are concerns over who should be responsible and accountable for quality assurance and if there should be national or even international standards. Most agree that this should be controlled independently.

13

Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, 26 September 2006 14 Acenet (2007) House Passes New Loan Ethics Bill; Federal Student Aid Administrator Resigns, 9 May 2007

14

The main areas under scrutiny are student learning outcomes, finances, graduation rates and the balance of teaching and research. These issues were raised following the September 2006 Commission on the Future of Higher Education.

3.8.3 Access The amount of students from minority groups is still a concern as this affects the standard of life for these groups of people. 34% of white adults have a bachelors degree in the age range 25-29 compared to just 18% of African Americans and 10% of Hispanics.15 The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) released a report looking into these inequalities in November 2005. This report revealed that the US is becoming more diverse, that nations are competing with the US for the most educated nation and that the achievement gap between whites and minorities has increased.16 The Spelling Commission found that low income and minority groups still find it hard to get into Higher Education as they cannot afford the fee and are academically unprepared. Data about universities is also hard for potential students to find and evaluate. There are currently concerns that students leaving university are not proficient in literacy or arithmetic. The Commission are working on improving secondary education and increasing the financial aid available.

3.8.4 Governance Due to the structure of institutions there can be conflict over responsibility. Of course this varies by institution.

3.8.5 Technology The growth in the use of IT in technology has raised other issues. Distance education has grown substantially. This results in greater competition,

15

US Department of Education, Action Plan for Improving Higher Education: Improving Accessibility, Affordability and Accountability, September 26 2006 16 The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems report quoted in the NACAC Research Update, November 14 2005

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accreditation and quality issues. Distance learning is still regarded as lower quality – section 4 is discussed further.

3.8.6 Accountability Public funding of many of the institutions and increase in fundraising has resulted in calls for greater accountability. This has made some institutions fear a loss of autonomy which could affect quality and creativity. The Spelling Commission has recommended that a database is created to collect information on institutions and funding. This attempt to centralise information is strongly opposed.

3.8.7 Internationalisation As with the UK this is a major issue. In the US there is a concern that students are not equipped to compete on a global scale due to the lack of language and multi cultural skills. New initiatives, such as the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), are trying to combat this by offering incentives to encourage the study of certain languages.

Strategies to attract international students have included the agreement with China (December 2006) to sponsor 5000 US bound Chinese students.

September 2006 saw a new educational exchange programme launched to send 15,000 Saudi’s to study in the US from 2007. This programme comes following the harsh treatment of Saudi students who wanted to study in the US post September 11th.

Universities are running specific outreach strategies to attract international students. These include recruitment trips and hiring specialist staff trained in international admissions practices. Education USA represents Higher Education in the US as the British Council represents the UK. In June 2007 a bill was passed in the House of Representatives to widen study access abroad. Currently 200,000 US students study overseas. This

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will be increased to one million annually over the next decade.17 $80million will be made available annually to help towards the cost of the study programmes. The aim is to give the next generation an understanding of the histories and cultures of other nations.

The US attracts many international students. However, since September 11th 2001 visa rules have been tightened. Several of those involved in the terror attacks are believed to have entered the country on student visas.

Anyone travelling on a student visa is subject to strict regulations and is monitored by the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Service (SEVIS).

Finger printing and mug shots are now compulsory. This has resulted in a decline in international student applications. Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, statements reveal the issues.

“Foreign students have always been – and still are – welcome to study in the United States. The tragedy of 9/11 showed the importance of emphasizing national security, but that does not mean we want to discourage legitimate students from coming here to study. We value the diversity and richness they bring to American campuses and society. Although long-standing visa laws and regulations are followed rigorously, and new procedures have been introduced since 9/11, the impact on students is always carefully considered.”

“Visa policies are designed to maximise security of the United States while encouraging legitimate visitors, including students, to come to this country.

The twin goals of secure borders/open door are nowhere more meaningful than in our desire to attract the best students worldwide to the United States.

We hope they and their home countries will benefit from the knowledge and outstanding education America’s universities can offer the world.”18

17

Simon, P. House Widens Bill to Study Abroad Access, American Council on Education, June 7 2007 18 Harty, M. quoted in Fishburn, A. (2005) Uni in the USA, The UK Guide to US Universities, Lucas Publications, p.231-232

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The US Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report entitled “Global Competitiveness: Implications for the Nation’s Higher Education System” (January 2007) revealed the need to change the visa system and for a national strategy to attract international students. In December 2006 The Association of International Educators (NAFSA) also issued a proposal to Congress calling for improvements to US policy to remain competitiveness overseas. These improvements also covered areas relating to visa reform.

Statistics are starting to reveal that student numbers are recovering post September 11th. The International Education’s (IIE) Open Doors 2006 report on mobility revealed that numbers are poised to bounce back. In 2005 142,935 international students entered institutions compared to 131, 945 in 2004.19 India sends the largest amount of students. The Council of Graduate Schools20 (CGS) also reported increases in the number of international students offered places on 2006 compared to 2005.

In April 2007 it was reported by the Council of Graduate Schools that applications from overseas students were up. However, the rate of growth is slowing. Applications have risen by 8% since 2006. The largest areas of growth are engineering and physical sciences. The main subject area remains business. Applications from China have risen 17%, India 6% and applications from the Middle East are also up.21 In May 2007 the Financial Times reported that a talent shortage in the US has forced the issue of visa reform. The US needs to be able to offer international students visas to work after they complete to keep them and their skills in the country. Robert Carraway, Dean of Students at Darden School of Business, argued that “This will hurt us in two big ways: one, we wont be able to attract the best and the brightest from overseas, and two, our US students won’t be prepared to work in a global workplace without the presence of these

19

Institute of International Education (2006) Open Doors Report Council of Graduate Schools Press Release, August 9 2006 21 Council of Graduate Schools, April 16 2007 20

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international students�.22 Institutions are hoping for improvements to the foreign worker visa policy.

In May 2007 it was reported that US schools are losing out on the top students.23 France, Canada, UK and Australia are spending more on graduate education and have launched recruitment campaigns. Overall foreign student applications still lag behind their 2001 level.

3.8.8 Security Following the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech institutions are more aware of the need to review their policies on how to respond to such events and reviews are currently underway.

3.8.9 Lifelong Learning This area is becoming an important issue in public policy. More than 90 million adults (over 25) are estimated to be in post high school education.

Around 6.5 million are studying towards credit programmes.24 The Lifelong Learning Account was recently introduced in several states to aid adult learners financially. Institutions such as the American Council on Education offer Prior Learning Assessments to aid adult learners’ completion.

3.9

Glossary

UK

USA

1st Year

Freshman

2nd Year

Sophomore

rd

3 Year

Junior

4th Year

Senior

Public School

Private School

State School

Public School

22

Carraway, R. quoted in Talent shortage spurs US call for visa reform, Financial Times, May 11 2007 23 Knight, R. US Schools lose out of top students, FT.com, May 4 2007 24 Paulson, K., & Boeke, M. (2006) Adult Learners in the United States: A national profile, American Council on Education

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Uni

School

Year Group

Class

4

Distance Learning in the USA

Distance Education, as in the UK, has been criticised and regarded as second best. It has been seen as a threat to traditional institutions, as damaging interrelationships, and a threat to quality assurance. This has not been helped by fraudulent operators. However, distance education has opened the door to students who were previously unable to study.

Distance Education providers were created as a result of a demand for adult education, post the two world wars. The Carnegie Commission recommended the creation of universities focused towards adults. Initially only three were created – New York Empire State, Thomas Edison and Minnesota State College. This expanded with Excelsior and University Maryland University College (initially existed solely for the military).

This expanded with new proprietary businesses. For example, The University Phoenix was founded in 1976. Phoenix is a profit making business. Most distance learning providers try to differentiate themselves from Phoenix and focus on their own quality. Feeling amongst the people I met was that Phoenix had exceeded its capacity and that the market was saturated. Many regard Phoenix as having quality issues. This is a major issue for distance learning providers as Phoenix has a presence throughout the US and affects perceptions of distance learning. This is discussed further below.

As well as public and private institutions training colleges and some private colleges offer distance education.

4.1

What is available in the US

The three main operators are UMass Online, University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and the University of Phoenix. Please see section 5.5 for information on my visit to UMUC.

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There have been significant developments recently. For example, the University of Illinois announced in November 2006 that they were going to launch an online division to be called the Illinois Global Campus.25 Illinois are creating this division in response to the growing popularity of online education and the desire of many students to study with a local institution that they know well. This is useful for other distance learning providers and UK institutions to take into account. Trace Urdan argues that “This is part of a continuing trend where the traditional schools and state institutions are becoming much more competitive…”26 He also says that “while the online market is in some ways national or international – since anyone online can enrol anywhere – there is increasing evidence that online customers still want to root for the home team.” The system will be flexible enabling students to start a course at any point but there will be limited programmes. This institution already has a presence in the market place so is prepared to take the risk. The project is likely to breakeven in 4-6 years. The University of Illinois hope to emulate the practices of other successful distance learning providers.

Phoenix University is regarded as the Open University’s main competitor in the United States. Phoenix is America’s largest for-profit institution and has over 300,000 students27. Phoenix spends its marketing budget in less conventional ways and aims at the mass market. The university spent £75,000 on advertising at the home ground of the Arizona Cardinals ready for the Super Bowl.

Phoenix was founded in the 1970s and pioneered vocational after work short courses and is regarded as offering student friendly education in a competitive environment. However, still suffers from the perception of offering low quality education in a mass market. Entry to courses is year round which has made it very convenient for students.

Tierney, Director of the University of

Southern California’s Center for Higher Education, said that “They’re the

25

http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/08/31/illinois Urdan, T. quoted in http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/08/31/illinois 27 OU Market Intelligence Report, Times Higher Education Supplement, 20/04/2007 26

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fastest growing institution in the US�.28 Course fees at for profit universities are much higher but at Phoenix they are lower than at the average. The annual fee is around $15,539 compared to $28,000. However, the public university average is $7,33329.

Phoenix is currently embroiled in a legal battle. Phoenix ignored a ban on rewarding enrolment staff by the amount of students they enrol. They were also upset by a New York Times article that stated only 16% of students graduate. Phoenix quotes the rate at 50-60% which is comparable to community colleges and state universities.

I had hoped to visit this institution but apparently they are not open to visitors from competitor institutions.

In March 2007 it was announced that Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be the first US University to offer all of its courses free on the internet - around 1800. However, students will not be able to earn a MIT degree. The material is freely available. The Open University is involved in a similar project called OpenLearn.

4.2

Delivery Overseas

Partnerships have been developed between institutions worldwide. For example, The University of South California (USC) has developed a distance education programme with Tsinghua University and a MBA with Shanghai Jiaotong University in China.

US colleges are becoming increasingly mobile. Branch campuses are offering more and more degrees. The ACE report 30on branch campuses

28

Tierney, W. quoted in Phoenix soars but still dogged by turbulence, Times Higher Education Supplement, 20/4/2007 29 Phoenix soars but still dogged by turbulence, Times Higher Education Supplement, 20/4/2007 30 American Council on Education (2007), Venturing Abroad: Delivering US Degrees through overseas branch campuses and programs.

22

reports that institutions are pushing overseas to pursue and diversify their revenue sources, enhance their prestige, advance internationalisation and improve quality, and advancing a service mission. They are being pulled by emerging opportunities such as the increase in demand for higher education, favourable foreign governments, appeal of a global qualification and rise of English-language instruction.

The ACE report (2007), Venturing Abroad: Delivering US Degrees through overseas branch campuses and programs is a useful publication for institutions considering collaborating abroad, as it provides a checklist for good practice within its appendices.

4.3

The Open University in the USA

4.3.1 The Open University of the United States (USOU) The Open University did try to expand to America. The USOU, a separate wholly owned entity of the Open University, opened in the spring of 1999 and closed three years later in June 2002. Considerable investment was expended on the venture by the OU. Meyer31 argues that the failure was due to five main reasons: 1

Loss of Advocate and Support from the OU

John Daniel, Vice Chancellor, was the advocate for the USOU but left the institution in early 2001. The Open University in the UK had experienced a cut in government funding and increased competition within its own national border. This, combined with economic downturn in the States led to the decision that funding for the USOU had to be cut.

2

Curriculum Conflicts

31

Meyer, K.A. The Closing of the US Open University (2006), EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Volume 29 Number 2

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In the UK, the OU’s programmes are made up of modules of 30-60 UK CATS points. These did not fit easily into the US system where students were used to smaller learning chunks. In addition, the European focus needed to be modified to reflect US perspectives. The cost of adapting OU courses to meet these two requirements put huge financial strain on the operation.

3

Challenges of the US Marketplace

Student numbers were a major issue. The OU were competing with nearly 4000 institutions for students. American students were not familiar with the OU brand or its form of supported open learning. These issues combined to create a challenging environment for an unknown brand.

4

Lack of Accreditation

The OU applied for accreditation with the Middle States Commission and was initially given candidate status until the process was complete. Full accreditation was required in order to engender credibility and confidence in the institution in the US market place. Also without accreditation financial aid was not possible. This accreditation should have been applied for much earlier. Accreditation was subsequently successfully achieved and the OU is one of only 2 UK institutions to be Middle States Accredited.

5

Business Planning

Relying on tuition fees and therefore student numbers without additional external sources of funding to make the business viable made it vulnerable.

Students regarded the price as too high. The financial basis of this venture could have been improved through other sources of funding.

Following my study visit I would also add the fact that American students who study online want to study with a local institution that they know well.

Jarvis, Chancellor of the USOU, has said since that given time the venture would have become profitable and given the underserved people in the US access to Higher Education.

24

The OU has learnt from this venture. Now more time is spent understanding the market place. It is vital to analyse competitors, student requirements, accreditation and possible models in the approval stages of all new projects.

Of course this has resulted in an understandably more cautious approach to the setting up of new schemes overseas at the OU. The USOU was not the only venture to fail during this period of economic decline. New York University’s Online and Columbia University’s Fathom also closed due to unsuccessful marketing, overpriced programmes, limited courses, unrealistic student numbers, costs and a failure to win faculty over to the projects. It should be noted that these are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the official view of the Open University.

4.3.2 Thomas Edison State College www.tesc.edu Thomas Edison helped the OU ‘teach out’ students who were part way through the USOU programme. The OU now has a licensing partnership with Thomas Edison. This means that the OU sell course materials under licence to Thomas Edison to use as part of their own programmes. There were problems initially when Thomas Edison had to reversion the course materials for their students and clear third party rights. Another issue arose as the students in the US buy the books separately from a supplier. Damaged stock was reaching the students. Thomas Edison immediately terminated the course. After 5 months Thomas Edison decided to continue using the materials as all re-versioning work was already complete. Currently Thomas Edison use materials from two level 1 Arts courses. Thomas Edison advises of student numbers twice yearly and then the OU charges per student per course. The contract with Thomas Edison runs to April 2010.

Thomas Edison is working on developing their own courses. They had many issues when working with the Open University. They felt OU courses were too long and had to be chopped to fit the requirements of the US market, as also reflected through the USOU experience. Other issues included who to clear the copyright for third party materials with OU course materials. This 25

proved time consuming and expensive for Thomas Edison. There were also issues of culture. However, the students love the two OU courses that Thomas Edison licence and they continue to licence them from the OU. The Open University and Thomas Edison had strong relations when the OU operated in the USA. Thomas Edison now has strong relations with UNISA. Thomas Edison views the OU and UNISA as the top distance education providers.

4.3.3 UMUC www.umuc.edu University of Maryland University College had discussions with the Open University in 2006. The OU and UMUC hoped to work together in collaboration as both institutions have a similar mission, quality and scale.

UMUC wanted to adapt OU pre-reg nursing materials and utilise them within their own curriculum. However, the process of adaptation became too complex. The frameworks surrounding nursing in both countries are different.

Within the US it is further complicated by the differing state and professional requirements. The OU material had too much emphasis on social services.

UMUC decided to create their own programme from scratch. The OU curriculum just did not match the State of Maryland’s requirements for nursing. UMUC did appreciate the critical thinking parts of the course which does not really feature in US focus.

Please see section 5.5 for information on my visit to UMUC. 4.3.4 OpenLearn Project www.openlearn.ac.uk/openlearn I used the opportunity to raise the profile of the OU’s Open Learn Project.

The Open University has granted free worldwide access to its course material by putting thousands of hours of course material online. The US William and Flora Hewlett Foundation donated £5.6million to the project to help disadvantaged students across the world. Part of the site, LabSpace, is specifically aimed at educators to enable them to adapt the existing content. I 26

hope the institutions I visited will use the site and contribute to it in due course. US institutions already members of the consortium include John Hopkins and Harvard Law School.

OpenLearn recently won a Platinum Award at the IMS Global Learning Consortium Learning Impact Awards. In January 2007 OpenLearn was the only British winner of a major international award for Technology Collaboration, instituted by the US Andrew W Mellon Foundation, for leadership in the collaborative development of open source software tools.

4.3.5 International Fellowships www.open.ac.uk/international-fellowships I also used the opportunity to mention the International Fellowships available at the OU for Academics and Administrators from international higher education systems. The scheme enables educators around the world to explore the benefits of distance learning for a period of 3-6 months with the OU in the UK. Funding is available to cover travel, accommodation and living expenses. The fellow would use the time researching, training or course writing to establish or expand a distance learning course in their home country. Proposed projects could focus on various aspects of online and distance education; its teaching and learning aspects, assessment and evaluation, logistics, administration or policy.

5

University Visits

5.1

Community College of Philadelphia

1700 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia www.ccp.edu 5.1.1 Type of Institution The Community College is the largest and was the first public HEI in Philadelphia. Since 1965, over 500,000 students have attended studying associate's degrees, certificates, improved workplace skills and lifelong learning. Many students transfer to four-year institutions while others seek 27

employment. The College is very proud that over 90% of graduates remain in the area and seek employment, strengthening the local economy. The College has 4 centres spread by geography and convenience.

The College is funded by the city, state and students. The split is not equal.

When I visited, the College were in discussion with the Mayor’s office with regard to how much funding they would receive. Most students rely on some financial aid to get through college. Also 60 scholarships are available annually.

Accreditation: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Council of Higher Education, Department of Education, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 5.1.2 History Founded in 1964, the College opened for classes in 1965 in a former department store while a permanent campus was being sought. In 1971 the College acquired the building at 1700 Spring Garden Street that had housed the third Philadelphia Mint.

Mission: Community College of Philadelphia is an open-admission, associate-degreegranting institution which provides access to higher education for all. To help address broad economic, cultural and political concerns in the city and beyond, the College draws together students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds and seeks to provide the programs and support they need to achieve their goals.

•

Greater insight into their strengths, needs, and aspirations, and greater appreciation of their own cultural background and experience;

•

Increased awareness and appreciation of a diverse world where all are interdependent;

•

Heightened curiosity and active interest in intellectual questions and social issues; 28

•

Improved ability to pursue paths of inquiry, to interpret and evaluate what is discovered, and to express reactions effectively;

•

Self-fulfilment based on service to others, preparation for future work and study, and enjoyment of present challenges and accomplishments.

Vision: To serve Philadelphia as a premier learning institution where student success exemplifies the strength of a diverse, urban community college.

•

A college environment that values and supports a culturally diverse and intellectually dynamic community and prepares students for global citizenship.

•

Respected liberal arts and transfer programs that facilitate student preparation for the baccalaureate experience.

•

Superior career programs that prepare students to meet current and evolving labour market needs.

•

Innovative developmental and literacy programs that prepare students for more advanced educational and training opportunities.

•

Agile programs that meet the needs of employers and emergent workforce development initiatives.

•

Responsive continuing adult and community education programs that enhance and encourage individual growth and development.

•

An engaged and excellent faculty, staff and administration that enable students to meet their full potential.

•

A teaching and learning environment that exemplifies ongoing and productive communication and collaboration across the institution.

•

Strong and mutually beneficial partnerships with public and parochial schools, community organizations and governmental agencies that model effective community-based educational programs.

•

State-of-the-art technology employed to enhance teaching and learning.

•

Accessible and affordable education designed to optimize opportunities for student participation.

•

A supportive learning community that uses learning outcomes to measure success and guide innovative curricular and program improvements to meet individual and group needs.

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Core Values: Integrity Academic Excellence Diversity Commitment to Teaching and Learning Communication Respect The mission and values of the College are very similar to the Open University.

Philadelphia is a city of the extremes of wealth and poverty and the College plays a vital part in bridging this gap. I found the college to be a very inspiring and interesting place to visit.

5.1.3 Courses and Awards Offered The College offers 70 degree and certificate programmes in art, science, business, technology and liberal arts. 40 of the 70 programmes are career related. Many of the students are in the process of retraining or are recently retired.

They offer three types of associate's degrees: Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.) and Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.).

Over half of graduates continue their education at a four-year institution. They also offer dual admissions programs with eight area colleges and universities.

5.1.4 Modes of Study Classes are held during the day, in the evening and on Saturdays at the Main Campus and at sites throughout the City. Distance education classes are also available. They are either totally online or a hybrid with lab work. In the spring of 2006 a total of 88 online courses were taught by 52 instructors. The majority of distance students are also doing a face to face course. The College has experienced a demand for distance learning but the faculty still have mixed views on the quality of this type of provision and are in the process of ensuring comparability.

30

5.1.5 Marketing of Courses The college website and brochures are the main forms of marketing used in the USA. International marketing focuses on South America and Asia. The focus within Asia is on Korea, Vietnam and China. Staff from the College attend international recruitment fairs organised by the American Association of Community Colleges.

5.1.6 Student Numbers Enrolment (2005-2006) academic year: •

Approximately 37,000 students taking credit and non-credit courses.

•

Approximately 15,250 full-time-equivalent students.

•

Approximately 27,000 students enrolled in credit courses.

•

The majority (53%) are 25 or older and the median age is 26.

•

There are more women (67%) than men.

•

There are diverse groups of students: African American 50.9% White 26.4% Spanish Hispanic 14.6% Asian/Pacific Islander 7.6% Native American 0.5%

•

More than half (59%) are enrolled in transfer or general studies programs; 17% enrolled in career programs; 24% enrolled in noncredit, continuing education coursework.

All students must complete an entrance exam that covers reading, maths and writing. ESL students must complete TOEFL. 5.1.7 International Student Support International students come from 65 countries and the College is proud of its diverse student population.

Student life is an important aspect at the College with over 40 clubs and associations. For example the clubs include African Student Union, 31

Community Involvement and Korean Association. An annual international festival is held. This festival started in the 1980s as a way of bringing cultures together. It is held in April every year to coincide with New Year in Laos, Cambodia and South East Asia as well as Easter.

The College has its own study abroad programmes. For example, students can study English literature in London or Spanish in Costa Rica. These programmes are run in partnership with non profit Centers for Academic Programs Abroad. This was a major achievement for the College as many of their students had not been outside the state let alone on an aeroplane.

International students are encouraged to share their experiences. For example, law students make presentations on how legal systems compare.

All liberal arts students are required to take two international courses.

International students tend to remain in Philadelphia after completing their programme.

International students are responsible for making their own arrangements, which is a disadvantage.

I think UK HEI’s could learn a lot from the College’s approach to internationalisation.

5.1.8 Best Practice and Lessons Learned Interesting projects that the College have been involved in include ‘Opportunity Now’ and ‘Advance at College’. ‘Opportunity Now’ was an initiative setup post September 11th for the unemployed. Students are given access to free courses for one semester. Since 2002, 889 workers have participated in the programme. The ‘Advance at College’ programme was for students who wanted to gain college credit while studying at School. The College selected these students by attendance not results as they wanted motivated and committed students. The College also run Summer Schools to prepare high school students for college. The ‘Gateway to College’ 32

programme allows selected Philadelphia high school drop outs, aged 16-20, to take college level classes as they complete the high school diploma. The College expect to enrol 360 students over the first three years. These students will receive individual support from advisers and coaches.

The College has recently been in the press following a strike of its teaching staff. The College is highly unionised and the strike was not unexpected. The College was forced to close for 2 weeks causing many problems for the staff and students. The semester had to be cut in half and the administration team had to work hard to adapt the timetables.

The College has just undergone a re-branding exercise. The College surveyed their various stakeholders by phone (500 households, 400 businesses and 400 students) to assess their needs and challenges to formulate the brand. The research resulted in the slogan “pathway to possibilities� which is a message suitable to all key audiences.

The Pathways are:A college degree A good job A new career A skilled workforce A city that works A lasting legacy The new brand was launched at an event involving banners, newspaper articles and post it press adverts, radios adverts, TV commercials and bus posters. The College started the launch day with a corporate breakfast followed by a talk to school students and transfer students. The Chamber of Commerce and International students also attended. Four alumni presented at the launch. These were a state representative, mother and daughter, organisation president and a Latino principal. This was followed by a careers fair and an outside event run by a local radio station. The event got a lot of press and was regarded as a great success.

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The President hosts parties for the Consulates in Philadelphia to improve relations with international organisations and students.

The legislature asked the College to host an event run by prisoners who wanted to give their story to try and improve the crime rates in the city. The event was a great success with 1500 attending.

The College has strong links to the business community. The Center for Business and Industry provides standard courses as well as customised versions for businesses. Part of the College’s aim is to enhance the region’s workforce.

5.1.9 International development The College strongly believes in preparing their students for their place in the global economy and as such internationalisation is a major part of the College’s strategy. Many of the faculty are international and offer programmes such as a range of languages and courses such as African Cultures and Civilisation. Faculty exchanges and collaboration are important to the college.

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service use the College buildings to hold naturalisation for new citizens and the College is very proud of this.

The College was mentioned in a NAFSA article in 2003 which was a major achievement for the college. NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a member organization promoting international education and providing professional development opportunities. NAFSA has over 10,000 members from all 50 states and over 150 countries. A large majority of NAFSA's members can be found working as foreign student advisers and admissions officers, study abroad advisers, directors of international programs, teachers of English as a second language, administrators of intensive English programs, overseas educational advisers, community volunteers, and administrators of sponsored exchange programs.

34

Like the OU, the College is also a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. This is the professional organization for advancement professionals, at all levels, who work in alumni relations, communications, and development.

The College is also involved in the Youth Advocate Programme whose mission is to provide individuals who are, have been, or may be subject to compulsory care, with the opportunity to develop, contribute and be valued as assets so that communities have safe, proven effective and economical alternatives to institutional placement. This organisation works across the globe.

It is clear that the College does have a strong internationalisation strategy that I think UK institutions can learn from. However, in reality faculty tend to work alone, rather than collaborate, in the US let alone internationally.

5.1.10 Challenges •

Keeping Costs Down

•

Faculty have 100% of their healthcare paid – this is unusual

•

Balancing flexibility and quality

•

Recreating the community post the strike

•

Improving security procedures – in the process of installing phones in all class rooms.

5.2

•

Considering offering 4 year degrees

•

Need to offer transferable degrees

•

Need to remain competitive

•

Working with High Schools to ensure students are prepared for college

•

Retention of students Thomas Edison State College

101 W. State St. Trenton, NJ 08608-1176 www.tesc.edu

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5.2.1 Type of Institution State College, New Jersey Public There are 12 public institutions in New Jersey that are all competing for funding. State funding covers around 24% of costs.

5.2.2 History In 1972, Thomas Edison State College was created by the state to develop flexible, high-quality, learning opportunities for self-led adults. Today, Thomas Edison is one of New Jersey's 12 senior public institutions of higher education. Thomas Edison originally focussed on prior learning assessment.

The College’s official aims are to: •

Provide curricula and degree opportunities of appropriate level and composition consistent with the aspirations of our students, the public welfare and the highest qualitative standards of American higher education.

•

Create a system of college-level learning opportunities for adults by organizing collegiate and sponsored non-collegiate instruction into coherent degree strategies.

•

Make available educationally valid learning opportunities which serve as alternatives to college classroom study and which are appropriate to the varied needs and learning styles of adults.

•

Develop and implement processes for the valid and reliable assessment of experiential and extra-collegiate college-level learning, and to provide appropriate academic recognition for knowledge so identified consistent with high standards of quality and rigor.

•

Serve higher education and the public interest as a centre of innovation, information, policy formulation and advocacy on behalf of adult learners.

•

Fulfil the public service obligation inherent to American institutions of higher education.

36

•

Conduct its affairs in a manner which acknowledges the maturity, autonomy and dignity of its students; assures a portal of access to higher education for adult learners; and celebrates the values, diversity and high qualitative standards of American higher education.

Accreditation: Middle States National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission Alpha Sigma Lambda, a national honour society for adult students 5.2.3 Courses and Awards Offered The College offers 16 associate, baccalaureate and master's degrees in more than 100 areas of study to students in every state in the United States and more than 70 countries around the world. Most international students are soldiers deployed overseas. Thomas Edison has many students studying in Iraq. The majority of the other students are based in New Jersey. The contract with the military is renewed annually and it is very important to Thomas Edison to keep this.

An example new course is the New Masters Degree in Education Administration for upper school administrators Thomas Edison do not offer an MBA programme as the market is saturated.

They offer a MSc in Management.

The college are operating a new scheme to train nurse educators from minority groups.

5.2.4 Modes of Study Students earn degrees through a wide variety of academic methods that can be customized to meet their needs. Identified by Forbes magazine as one of the top 20 colleges and universities in the nation in the use of technology to create learning opportunities for adults, Thomas Edison State College is regarded as a national leader in the assessment of adult learning

37

Methods of earning credit include:-

•

Guided Study

Independent study courses using textbooks, video/audio

•

Online Courses

Classes via computer

•

ePack

Courses that encourage self assessment

•

Tests

•

Prior Learning Assessment

•

Military/Corporate Education

•

Transferred Credits

5.2.5 Marketing of Courses Thomas Edison have a corporate choice programme, which the development of is a major part of their 2006-2010 strategic plan. The college are in the process of building partnerships with community colleges, professional organisations, corporations and the military. They now have successful partnerships with UPS and McDonalds. They have also created a fitness and wellness certificate programme for an international fitness franchise. Staff within the college who are responsible for corporate relationships have been given the additional title of College Relationship Administrators. Thomas Edison created a DVD to market the programme and sent it out to prospective clients.

The marketing techniques that Thomas Edison uses are newspaper, radio, train posters, website, and search engine key word buys.

Word of Mouth is the most important generator of business. This is true for the military. Thomas Edison has a physical presence on the military bases.

Thomas Edison has an excellent call centre with a very low turnover of staff.

This is due to the training, pay and development opportunities that they provide.

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Alumni receive a monthly newsletter and can join the Alumni Ambassador Programme. As a member of the programme you receive a kit to promote the institution in your own workplace.

5.2.6 Student Numbers •

13,000 current students

•

400 tutors

•

300 full time administrators

•

Average age 36

•

Approximately 50% are New Jersey residents

•

Students come from all 50 states and 76 countries;

•

56% male, 44% female

Students are admitted on a rolling system. This contrasts with the OU standard start dates. Students must be 21 and have completed the High School Certificate to register.

5.2.7 Overseas Partners Thomas Edison and UNISA, University of South Africa, have a partnership to develop two programmes. This is at an early stage of development. The first is a Thomas Edison Environment Studies degree which involves studying 3 years with UNISA and 1 year with Thomas Edison. The student would then receive a degree from both institutions. This brings obvious benefits to African students who would also achieve a US degree.

The current issues are the lack of liberal arts courses within the UNISA degree and which institution the student will pay. Thomas Edison have a 3 year contract with UNISA which is already in year 2 so the partners are moving quickly despite the financial issues.

The other programme is energy utility but this is at an earlier stage. Thomas Edison does not have forecasts for either of these programmes yet but they are anticipating a high demand for both.

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The partners hope to also collaborate on public service and setup faculty exchanges.

5.2.8 Best Practice and Lessons Learned New developments within Thomas Edison are the creation of a new School of Public Service. The College hopes to expand this area.

Thomas Edison plan to use cameras to monitor students during exams. This is similar to Troy University in Alabama who will film distance learning students on webcam as they take their online exams from autumn 2007. The webcam will be able to identify noise and movement. The student will not be able to access the internet and includes finger print authentication.32 Thomas Edison staff can take any undergraduate course for free. Graduate course admission requires justification.

5.2.9 International Marketing and development Thomas Edison is targeting South Africa, East Africa and will then focus on South America. They have some funding issues as due to their state funding they cannot employ people outside the state of New Jersey.

5.2.10 Challenges •

Competition for State Funding

•

Politics of State Funding

•

Protect themselves from themselves i.e. focus on the customer not what is convenient for staff

5.3

•

Unionised Staff

•

Intense competition from other providers University of Pennsylvania

3451 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 · 215-898-5000 www.upenn.edu 32

Times Higher Education Supplement, Webcam takes over US invigilation chores, 29 June 2007

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5.3.1 Type of Institution Ivy League University, Pennsylvania Private 5.3.2 History Penn was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin and is one of the Ivy League Schools. It is regarded as an institution with a laid back attitude and as highly tolerant. For example, this was the first Ivy League School to have a female President. It is also regarded as the only Ivy League school with school spirit.

Penn’s history is very important to the faculty and students. Benjamin Franklin founded the school to retain scholars as the best students were going back to Europe to study. The concept of liberal arts was born at Penn. It was the first institution for the professions other than the clergy. Franklin wanted to create an institution that provided students with practical skills that could make an impact on the world.

Nine members of Penn alumni, faculty and trustees signed the Declaration of Independence. Eleven signed the US constitution. Penn was the first institution in the USA to formally bear the name “university”.

Accreditation: American Nurses Credentialing Centre’s Commission on Accreditation (ANCC) Middle States 5.3.3 Courses and Awards Offered Penn's four undergraduate schools, with their Fall 2006 student populations: The College at Penn (School of Arts and Sciences), 6,433 School of Engineering and Applied Science, 1,545 School of Nursing, 507 The Wharton School, 1,841

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Penn is linked to Wharton School which is a highly regarded business school in the US The most popular undergraduate majors include finance, economics and anthropology.

Graduate and Professional Schools Penn's 12 graduate and professional schools, with their Fall 2006 student populations: Annenberg School for Communication, 92 School of Arts and Sciences, 2,390 School of Dental Medicine, 599 Graduate School of Education, 1,271 School of Engineering and Applied Science, 1,059 School of Design, 581 Law School, 864 School of Medicine, 1,495 School of Nursing, 448 School of Social Policy & Practice, 366 School of Veterinary Medicine, 446 The Wharton School, 2,210 5.3.4 Modes of Study The 12 schools provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education.

PennAdvance is a distance learning opportunity that allows qualified students to earn credit for Penn courses through their home computer. Courses are completely Internet-based, with communication, learning tools, and academic resources available through a course website. Class sessions include live lecture and discussion delivered with real-time video and chat. Between classes, the learning experience is extended through office hours, threaded discussions, pre-recorded videos, and more.

They also have online learning programs in engineering (master's), continuing medical education, continuing nursing education and executive education.

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5.3.5 Student Numbers Penn has a highly selective admissions policy and a history of innovation in interdisciplinary education and scholarship. Only around 20% of applications are accepted to Penn and around only 13% of international applicants are accepted.33 Today Penn is home to a diverse undergraduate student body of

nearly 10,000, from every state and all around the globe. Admissions are among the most selective in the country and Penn consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual US News & World Report survey. In the 2007 America’s Best Colleges survey the University is ranked number 7.34 Another 10,000 students are enrolled in Penn's 12 graduate and professional schools, which are national leaders in their fields.

Students35 Full-time:

19,492

Part-time:

4,251

Total:

23,743

Full-time Undergraduate: 10,138 Full-time Graduate/professional: 9,354 (as of Fall 2006) Facts36 Enrolled:

21,729

Undergraduates:

9,133

International:

4,484 (including 114 non degree/exchange and 249 lang.)

Location:

Urban

Male/Female:

51/49

Financial Aid:

48%

It is also multicultural as 40%37 of the student population are from minority groups including American-Asians and Hispanics.

33

Fishburn, A. (2005) Uni in the USA, The UK Guide to US Universities, Lucas Publications, p.184 34 America’s Best Colleges 2007 www.usnews.com 35 www.upenn.edu 36 st Fiske, E. B. (2005) Fiske Guide to Colleges, Sourcebooks Inc, 21 Edition, p.506-507

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Penn competes with other Ivy League schools for the best students. It uses incentives such as free healthcare to attract students. However, this is what other Ivy League schools do. Improving financial packages is a challenge.

Penn has a “need-blind” admissions policy to ensure student applications are considered regardless of the need for financial aid.

5.3.6 Overseas Partners Penn’s programmes can be studied overseas in countries including Italy, Scotland, Japan, France, England, Nigeria, China, Spain, Germany and Russia.

Wharton works with universities in India and Singapore. These are also not branded. Singapore Management University collaborates with Wharton but only offers local qualifications.

Penn’s future plans are to work with China on the environmental challenges they face. Penn is working with India on the India Alliance ‘think tank’ to consider democracy and ethnic issues. Penn also is working in Latin America focussing on public health and the environment.

Penn believes in the global workforce and of the benefits they can provide international students. They believe that education is needed within the US to deal with the racist issue of those opposing immigration. They also believe that US foreign policy has resulted in education losing vital homeland resources as well as lives. It is believed that it will take US education a generation to recover from the impact of the foreign policy and two generations for the US to recover respect in the global context.

Penn is in collaboration with Kings College, UK and the University of Melbourne. It is hoped that these collaborations will create joint projects in the developing world.

37

Fishburn, A. (2005) Uni in the USA, The UK Guide to US Universities, Lucas Publications, p.178

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5.3.7 International Student Support A total of 3,030 international students applied for admission to Penn’s undergraduate schools for Fall 2006, and 426 (14%) received admissions offers. More than 11% of the first year class are international students. Of the international students accepted to the Class of 2010, 16.3% were from Africa and the Middle East, 42% from Asia, 0.07% from Australia and the Pacific, 12.3% from Canada and Mexico, 15.9% from Central/South America and the Caribbean, and 12.6% from Europe. Penn had 4,462 international students enrolled at all levels in Fall 2006.

Penn runs a Diversity Awareness Program for freshmen to help students from various backgrounds to blend more harmoniously.

The University of Pennsylvania's College of General Studies offers a variety of unique opportunities for international students to study through a variety of degree and non-degree options. The College of General Studies assists international students combine academic English instruction with credit courses in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences.

International students take courses with Penn students, earn college credits that can be transferred to other universities, and receive an official transcript from the University of Pennsylvania. The College of General Studies, the English Language Programs and other departments at Penn will assist international students with questions regarding the application process, visas, and school transfers.

The International Office provides an orientation for new students to the USA and Penn. They also arrange social activities such as bowling and scavenger hunts. The international office at Penn is incredibly busy. Penn is a part of NAFSA (Association of International Educators), who run training and development sessions for international office staff. Visa paperwork has become a very big part of the work in the international office.

Penn offers students opportunities to study abroad on more than 125 programs in 37 countries. Penn ranks first among the Ivy League schools, and seventh nationwide among research institutions in the number of students

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studying abroad.38 In 2004-05, 1,744 students participated in study abroad programs.

Penn does run study exchange programmes with the UK. However, these are less popular as UK institutions tend to want the fees that international students will bring in so exchange is not a popular choice. Penn study abroad programmes involve students transferring for a period of time. Penn covers the students’ tuition as part of the existing fees. Students are required to pay for accommodation and extra fees. Penn students need a language to graduate so often this language is linked to a study abroad programme.

Penn encourages students to study abroad as they believe that an international perspective is essential for future leaders.

5.3.8 International Marketing and development Philadelphia is a city of contrasts and in the 1980/1990s Penn wanted to make a difference. In West Philadelphia Penn ran numerous projects with schools and government. In 10 years their work has helped to transform the area and reduce the crime rate. This model is now being replicated in the developing world. In Botswana Penn run a medical centre to help research and treat HIV. This work is not branded or promoted. Other schools, as well as Medicine, are also involved in this project as Penn believes it is essential to look at the overall picture and try to help improve the country as a whole.

Community service work is a very important part of undergraduate studies.

Penn travel overseas visiting schools to meet potential students. In the UK they visit Eton and other similar private and selective schools. As part of the marketing campaign they also travel to Europe, Turkey, India, Caribbean, Canada, Middle East, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Africa and Australia.

Fall 2006 top 9 sample international student numbers:India:

38

621

Institute for International Education, 2006

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Korea:

565

China:

546

Canada:

343

Taiwan:

290

Japan:

174

UK:

132

Singapore:

109

France:

100

Penn are working with Beida (Peking University) to offer the study abroad programme. Beida is also a partner of the Open University so it was useful to compare how each institution worked with a Chinese partner. It was agreed that working with a Chinese partner requires additional resources and support. It is a high maintenance partnership.

5.3.9 Challenges •

Recovering from US foreign policy economic consequences

•

Collaborating to make a difference in the developing world

•

Recruiting and retaining the best academic staff

•

Improving financial packages for students

•

Maintenance of the traditional merit based admissions process versus those not being able to afford the fees. 50% of Penn’s students receive some form of financial aid.

•

International office staff find the lack of time to provide a consistent service frustrating.

•

Government regulations and compliance electronic system for visas is time consuming.

•

Limited financial support available for international students. It costs around $50,000 per year for four years.

•

Provide unified and integrated experience to avoid separate groups forming i.e. international students.

•

Tradition is very important at Penn and the university arranges alumni reunions and history sessions for students.

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5.3.10 Best Practice and Lessons Learned One negative comment in independent guide books is that students often feel that they do not receive enough guidance on their choice of major and often make the wrong choice. Fiske argues that Penn is regarded as “lacking the intellectual intensity of some of the top Ivies, and you can even detect some undercurrents of anti-intellectualism. But most accept it for what it is: a first rate university where you can live a relatively normal life. Penn is one Ivy League school where no one apologies for having fun.”39 I found my visit to Penn hard to reflect upon. I find their community work in West Philadelphia and Botswana and global perspective incredibly inspiring but I found their selective approach difficult to agree with, mainly due to my Open University mindset! I personally do not agree that students from Eton are more eligible or prepared than students from other schools within the UK. Of course Penn need to prioritise schools to visit so I struggled with this concept and am still struggling…

5.4

Middle States Commission

3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.msche.org I visited the MSCHE to learn more for AUA members, to understand the benefits of accreditation and to understand how the accreditation process works for overseas institutions. The Open University is accredited by this body.

5.4.1 MSCHE information The Commission on Higher Education is the unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region, which includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto 39

st

Fiske, E. B. (2005) Fiske Guide to Colleges, Sourcebooks Inc, 21 Edition, p.510

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Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and several locations abroad. The Commission examines an institution as a whole, rather than specific programmes.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a voluntary, nongovernmental, peer-based membership association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer-evaluation and accreditation.

5.4.2 What does it mean to be accredited?

Being accredited means that the institution has been through a formal accreditation process. This involves a candidacy period, self study, peer review visit and subsequent recommendations. US institutions are required to accredit to ensure that their students are eligible for financial aid, can transfer credit and to assure quality. Potential students can review the status of institutions accreditation online on the Middle States website.

5.4.3 How does it link to other accrediting bodies in the US There are several regional accrediting bodies.

•

New England

•

Southern

•

Higher Learning Center-North Central

•

Northwest

•

Middle States

•

Western Associations

A lot of international institutions fall under the Middle States due to the tax implications of being based in Delaware. The Open University was accredited by the Middle States as part of a pilot scheme that included international institutions for the first time. This accreditation took place as a result of the OU operating in the US. The OU and London Metropolitan University were the only two included from the UK. 5.4.4 How is MSCHE regarded within the US and internationally There are also professional accreditors. US institutions accredit by region and as such where you are geographically located is where you accredit. The 49

Southern body is regarded as the most strict informally and the Middle States is regarded as the most open to different modes of study.

Part of the reason for my visit was also to assess the value of this accreditation to the Open University. I discovered as part of this visit that the Middle States are currently reviewing whether they will accredit any further international institutions due to the cost and as such this accreditation provides competitive advantage for the OU. Currently no other international institutions can apply for accreditation. The OU is due to be reaffirmed shortly and it is anticipated that the process will involve a particular look at how partnerships in translation are managed as this is currently not included in the Middle States international policy.

5.4.5 Benefits to members As already mentioned there are numerous benefits to the OU of being accredited:•

International Benchmark achieved

•

Quality Processes approved by both the QAA and Middle States

•

Transfer enabled to the US so that OU students can study in the US easily. Quality is transferable and enables flexibility.

•

Transparent Process enables students to view the OU’s accreditation status

•

OU and London Metropolitan are the only accredited institutions in the UK. Therefore, accreditation provides a source of competitive advantage. Brian Roper, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of London Metropolitan University, is quoted on the London Met website: ‘This is an excellent achievement for us. International recognition of universities is increasingly important and this recognition gives a huge boost to our students, many of whom are increasingly internationally mobile, both as students and in their careers after graduation.’

‘Gaining regional accreditation in the USA enables us to transform USUK academic partnerships in ways that have not been possible

50

hitherto,’ said Dr Bob Aylett, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of London Metropolitan University.40 •

OU students’ qualifications are recognised by US employers

•

A specific example is that OU courses have been approved by the Tertiary Education Council in Botswana and a reason cited was that the OU have Middle States accreditation.

•

UMUC also told me that Middle States accreditation was one of the main reasons they wanted to partner with the OU as the credit transferability is essential to a partnership.

•

The accreditation can be mentioned in marketing material.

However, this process is not cheap and the OU must ensure that it gains the most benefit possible from being accredited. The accreditation process is also time consuming as the paperwork timing does not combine with that of the QAA resulting in twice as much work. The OU is required to meet US quality assurance standards which may not match those of the QAA. The QAA and Middle States are both members of INQAAHE, International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education, which should ensure a consistency of process.

5.4.6 Current Challenges The US Department of Education review of quality assurance processes obviously has an impact on a body such as Middle States. Middle States and the institutions are keen to maintain a self regulatory process. There is a feeling that Margaret Spellings does not have a sufficient Higher Education background.

Middle States are also in the process of reviewing the international accreditation process and value.

40

http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/news/latest-news/london-metropolitan-university-achieves-usregional-accreditation.cfm

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5.5

University of Maryland University College (UMUC)

3501 University Boulevard East, Adelphi, Maryland 20783 www.umuc.edu 5.5.1 Type of Institution Distance Education, Maryland Public University 5.5.2 History The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) regards itself as the Open University of the State of Maryland and of the United States. The University focuses on the educational needs of the non-traditional student.

The institution provides access to higher education for minority students, army personnel and higher education opportunities for working adults. UMUC was founded in 1947 to cater for adult learners, specifically veterans returning from World War 2.

UMUC is 1 of 11 degree-granting institutions in Maryland. UMUC has 21 sites in Maryland and at military bases around the world. UMUC aims to provide access to high quality education.

Accreditation: Middle States Commission.

Awards: Won Sloan Consortium Award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Asynchronous Learning Network Programming in 2001.

5.5.3 Courses and Awards Offered •

UMUC offers 29 Bachelors programmes. 20 of which are wholly online. These include business administration, information systems management, finance and biotechnology.

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•

UMUC offers 20 Masters and all of them are available online. These include an MBA and Master of Distance Education in collaboration with a German institution

•

The Doctor of Management (DM)

•

Certificates

•

English only language courses

5.5.4 Modes of Study UMUC primarily services adult and part time students through online or a hybrid of online and face to face learning. The Office of Distance Lifelong Learning (ODELL) is responsible for the online students.

UMUC offers innovative educational options, including online instruction, accelerated academic programs, and classroom-based courses taught during the daytime, evenings, and weekends.

5.5.5 Marketing of Courses Most students are army personnel as UMUC has a military contract. Most of the international students are US citizens based overseas.

41% of UMUC undergraduates were enrolled at a Maryland community college prior to attending UMUC. The institution has arrangements with 11 community colleges.

5.5.6 Student Numbers UMUC is the second largest university in Maryland, and will soon be the largest. It is a world leader in online education and a global institution. In 2005, UMUC’s overseas divisions offered on site classes in 22 countries throughout the world, enrolling 47,291 individual students in undergraduate and graduate programs. UMUC operates in 25 of the 50 US states and in over 70 other countries. It serves over 80,000 students. the Fall of 2006 the student headcount was:

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Full Time

Part Time

Total

Undergraduate

3356

19542

22898

Graduate

276

9922

10198

Total

3632

29464

33096

Undergraduate

2215

3894

6109

Graduate

19

15

34

Total

2234

3909

6143

Undergraduate

2888

4710

7598

Graduate

0

57

57

Total

2888

4767

7655

Undergraduate

8459

28146

36605

Graduate

259

9994

10289

TOTAL

8754

38140

46894

USA

Asia

Europe

Worldwide

Table 3.

Student Numbers Fall 200641

Table 3 reveals that most students are in the USA. The split of male/female of the total is 47/53%. The majority of full time undergraduate students are aged 25-29. The majority of full time postgraduates are also 25-29.

However, the majority of part time postgraduates are 40-49. Most students are in the bracket 25-29. UMUC has over 2,000 faculty worldwide. Almost 50% of UMUC undergraduates are first in family college students.

UMUC enrols more African American students than any of the states four historically black institutions and is very proud of this fact.

41

Fall 2006 UMUC factbook

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UMUC enrols more than 60,000 active duty military service members, veterans and their families worldwide. Around 8400 active duty service members are based in the USA. 5.5.7 Overseas Partners •

Campus in Schwabisch, Germany for full time students

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Multinational Organisations

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Foreign Universities

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Far Eastern State University, Russia

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Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia, Spain

•

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

•

ChinaCast – satellite undergraduate programmes

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Programmes in Uraguay and Kosovo

•

US Government Agencies

•

US private companies

UMUC had a campus in Germany that closed in 2001 after 10 years.

Some sample joint programme collaborations are with Tec de Monterrey (Mexico), Irkutsk and Vladisvostok (Russia) and Carl von Ossietzky Universitat (Germany). This latter collaboration is to offer the Masters of Distance Education Degree. This course has won awards and enrolled international faculty. UMUC and German faculty have been studying this course since 1999.

5.5.8 International Student Support Support is provided on the army bases and at the Maryland branches.

Students tend to be US citizens based overseas rather than a typical international student.

5.5.9 Best Practice and Lessons Learned

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UMUC cannot achieve some types of accreditation such as AACSB as it is not a research institution. This could present an opportunity for collaboration.

For profit companies develop the curriculum for UMUC so this could be an area for collaboration.

UMUC MBA students study as a cohort online. This process involves study visits and international projects. Of course, this is costly and results in continuation issues but this could be an area of collaboration.

UMUC has impressive technical support. It has a new PeopleSoft student tracking system. They have outsourced 24 hour technical and library support.

UMUC also have a TV channel. I was able to view their WebTycho student portal system which was impressive.

I had the great honour of attending a session run by the new President, Dr Aldridge, called “Bold Global Leadership� to launch the new mission and 10 strategies. All staff were invited and the session was very well attended. The President outlined the huge growth that UMUC had experienced in the last 5 years. Enrolments were up 27% overall and 285% up online. The 10 strategies were to be responsive, increase student numbers, be a leader in distance education, retain and recruit excellent faculty, empower and support staff in developing their careers, grow and enhance leadership in military education, improve the finances, diversify the revenue portfolio, provide Marylanders with affordable access and differentiate their position in the market.

The President went on to congratulate all staff graduates and successful sports teams personally. The new President has introduced salary incentives for staff graduating in any subject.

The new President had cut costs since

she had arrived so this event seemed a morale boosting exercise. There seemed great community spirit at UMUC and I am sure this type of event could be replicated at UK institutions.

5.5.10 International Marketing and development

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The President announced a new office in Djibouti, East Africa, for the US military.

UMUC see collaboration as the way forward but this policy was not documented only hinted at.

5.5.11 Challenges UMUC need to retain their military contract. It is up for renewal shortly and there is competition. UMUC do have contingency plans as a result of diversification but it would be a huge blow to them if they lost the contract.

Dealing with the perception of distance learning in the USA is a challenge. It is regarded by some as of lower quality and an assault on the tenure system.

Diploma mills have not aided this perception.

UMUC, like Thomas Edison, work hard to differentiate themselves from Phoenix. They are unable to compete on financial terms but as a public institution UMUC focus on quality over quantity and profit. Competition is a major challenge.

UMUC have stopped offering non credit CPD courses as this was the market of the community colleges but they are rethinking this decision.

Staying up to date with technology is a challenge UMUC face as student expectations are also growing. They are continuously working on new technologies.

Only 6% of costs come from state funding. This is very low compared to other institutions in Maryland. The state have also capped tuition fees. UMUC are in the process of requesting more funding and to be excluded from the fee cap.

The amount of native Spanish speakers is increasing and UMUC are considering the impact of this.

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5.5.12 Collaboration with the OU UMUC see collaboration as the way forward. They worked with the OU as previously mentioned on trying to develop a nursing programme. However, this did not come to fruition due to the regulatory frameworks and local accreditation requirements. The material was too UK focussed. UMUC agreed that this project had been too ambitious and would like to look at other areas for collaboration in the future.

6

AAUA Conference

6.1

Theme

The 36th Annual National Assembly – “Leadership in a Competitive Environment”, June 28 – 30 2007, Charleston, South Carolina 6.2

Sessions Attended and Lessons Learned

Leadership During Times of Transition Richard V. Hurley, Acting President, University of Mary Washington.

This session covered the sudden transition between two Presidents due to the result of personal circumstances and what lessons the institution had learned.

I learnt from this session that a thorough background check of potential presidents is essential. Alumni and parents were pleased that the transition was quick and that the welfare of the institution was regarded as more important than the individual concerned. They had been informed by mailings from the Board about the situation, new President and the initiatives that would be continuing. The University is regarded by its stakeholders to have dealt with the situation effectively.

Critical Issues in Higher Education Wayne Brumfield, Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Louisiana at Monroe Carolyn Collins, Dean, University College, Louisiana State University 58

Theresa Madonna, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Fisher College Pedro Martinez, Provost, Winston Salem State University This session covered the Virginia Tech Security outcomes, the need to stay up to date with technology and student retention.

The Virginia Tech discussion was the most interesting. The two main issues raised by the tragedy at Virginia Tech are privacy laws and emergency procedures. Privacy laws are regarded as vague and confusing. A link between the students, parents and institutions was regarded as essential. All campuses require a high level of security and University Police are being trained for emergency response.

Another interesting issue raised within this discussion was that many students are not prepared for university when they leave school. Fisher College is working with schools and corporate partners to prepare school children for college. Fisher College run summer programmes and corporate partners pay the students to attend as part of an internship. This internship is used to embed the importance of attendance and prepare them for college.

Leaders as facilitators of meaningful work in a constantly changing environment Dr Shizuka Modica, Business Manager, University of Virginia This session involved a discussion of what motivates faculty. It was agreed that meaningful work is an important motivator and that institutions must ensure that they provide meaningful work. Suggestions included award programmes and external reinforcement to increase the perception of meaningful.

Career Pathways: Can they lead to improved performance – Report from the UK Kit Leighton-Kelly, Assistant Registrar, Graduate School of Education, Bristol University

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Kit outlined the new positions of Professorial Teaching Fellows at Bristol University and the new induction scheme. The idea of which is to raise the profile of teaching.

Student Development Transcript University of South Carolina, Sumter South Carolina have developed a system that records students’ activities while they are enrolled. This is a certified record of activities, programs, and services that, along with an official transcript, presents a more complete description of a student. These activities include community service, communication skills, leadership development, physical development, volunteer work etc. The student informs the transcript officer of activities that have taken place by submitting a formal document. The student can then use this transcript as part of job applications in the future.

Developing a Paradigm for Academic Leadership Development in Higher Education Abour Cherif, David Overbye, Lyn Stefurak, DeVry University DeVry University have developed a Leadership Programme to produce Academic Leaders. This programme involves recruiting potential leaders (PhD/Masters graduates) and providing them with written materials, a mentor, publications, presentations, electronic clubs, and conferences with the aim of developing leaders for the future. This project is yet to reach the evaluation stage but it is regarded as a good way to retain and develop staff.

Academic Leadership in Challenging Times David Spence, Southern Regional Education Board This session involved an identification of current issues. These issues included the introduction of learning outcomes, student retention, affordability, accreditation, readiness of post secondary education, increased mobility across the USA and accountability. This session reinforced my understanding of the issues.

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7

Organisation of the Trip and Reflection

I have always found the prospect of an AUA international study tour as exciting and motivating. However, I have always felt that I wasn’t sufficiently senior or academically minded to write a successful proposal and follow up report to a suitable level. However, on attending a session on travel awards at the Nottingham conference I decided to give it a go.

I started by considering areas I would like to investigate and conferences that this could coincide with. I originally wanted to investigate Higher Education in Australia but on speaking to my employer it was decided that the USA was a more viable as we had existing partners that I could visit and learn from.

The AAUA conference fell at the end of June 2007 and this seemed ideal to attach a series of university visits. The Open University partners with Thomas Edison and UMUC so the visits were scheduled to fit around these locations.

My AUA Postgraduate certificate learning focused on challenges within the UK with regard to internationalisation. My study visit built on this learning by looking at the perspective of the USA and their own challenges I wrote to the partner institutions and a range of institutions nearby that reflected the complexity of the sector. Unfortunately my planned trip to Princeton had to be cancelled as the date was not possible but this date was replaced by a very useful visit to the Community College of Philadelphia.

I wrote the proposal without having agreed any dates for visits. My finances were an approximation that should have included a greater allowance for the high accommodation rates in the USA. I came in on budget due to savings on food. My accommodation budget was half what it should have been. US accommodation is not cheap! The study visit cost approximately £2100. The AUA funded £1000 with OUW funding the rest. I was also given 10 days authorised absence by OUW but did continue to do my usual work from the US by taking a laptop. All research for the project and writing up was done in my own time.

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For me personally a study visit provided an opportunity for personal development. Travelling alone to and around the USA and pretty much cold calling institutions was a huge challenge and provided me with personal and professional development.

I hoped that my institution and the UK sector could learn from my visit. The US Higher Education is so diverse and complex that a study of this kind enabled me to provide an outline. I hope that other AUA members will take up issues raised in my report and additional study visits will result.

I hope that my visit also helped the US institutions. As part of the discussions I covered issues affecting UK Higher Education across the sector as well as within the Open University. I have maintained links with all the institutions I visited to ensure that my learning develops. My presence at the AAUA conference enabled me to represent the UK sector and enabled me to network with administrators from across the USA. I believe that the Open University’s learning from working in the US could help other UK institutions considering working in North America.

I would like to stress that I believe administrators and managers at all levels should consider undertaking a study visit. It is not easy undertaking a visit and anyone who thinks that it is a “jolly� is seriously mistaken. However, it is an experience worth having and a learning journey that you will never forget.

I am happy to discuss my experience with anyone interested in undertaking a study visit in the future.

8

Conclusion

My study visit was setup to investigate and report on the diverse higher education system of the United States of America. My report outlines the education system in the USA and the outcomes of my various visits to institutions and to the AAUA conference. Through my visits to institutions and own research I was able to outline the system and identify key challenges that the sector faces. I was also able to identify examples of good practice and 62

lessons learned. There is much to be learnt from institutions in the United States and I hope that this report has provided enough information for AUA members to gain an insight into the sector.

Overall I was able to develop personally and professionally by undertaking this study visit and learning from the United States highly diverse and complex Higher Education system.

9

Professional Biographical Details

Sarah McGowan •

BA (Hons) History

•

Professional Certificate in Management

•

Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice – Higher Education Administration and Management

•

Professional Diploma in Management, MBA – Currently Studying with the Open University

I am currently an Assistant Partnerships Manager at the Open University within Open University Worldwide Limited with responsibility for six international schemes. I have worked at the OU for over 2 years in this role.

Prior to this I worked at Cranfield School of Management as Programme Manager for the Executive MBA Programmes.

I have been a member of AUA for most of my career and attended several AUA conferences. My professional focus has been on cross cultural collaborations and my Postgraduate Certificate major project focussed on this.

For further information or explanation please contact me directly.

Sarah McGowan

s.mcgowan@open.ac.uk

Word Count: 14685 (Excluding Executive Summary)

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10

References

American Council on Education (2001), A Brief Guide to US Higher Education American Council on Education (2007), A Brief Guide to US Higher Education American Council on Education (2007), Venturing Abroad: Delivering US Degrees through overseas branch campuses and programs.

American Council on Education (2007) House Passes New Loan Ethics Bill; Federal Student Aid Administrator Resigns, 9 May 2007 Council of Graduate Schools Press Release, August 9 2006 Fishburn, A. (2005) Uni in the USA, The UK Guide to US Universities, Lucas Publications Fiske, E. B. (2005) Fiske Guide to Colleges, Sourcebooks Inc, 21st Edition Garennes, C. (2006) UI Moving Forward with Global Campus Initiative, www.news-gazette.com, August 6 2006 Institute of International Education (2006) Open Doors Report Jones, C. (2007) Bills wedge between universities and towns, USA Today, 4 May 2007 Kim, J. J. and Athavaley (2007) Colleges seek to address affordability, Wall Street Journal, 4 May 2007 Meyer, K.A. The Closing of the US Open University (2006), EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Volume 29 Number 2

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MIT to offer its courses free online by year end, Reuters, Boston, March 9 2007 NAFSA (2003) A Two Year College that found its place in the world, Internationalising the Campus, Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities NACAC Research Update, November 14 2005 Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, 26 September 2006 Simon, P. House Widens Bill to Study Abroad Access, American Council on Education, June 7 2007 The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2000), A Classification of Institutions of Higher Education The College Board (2000), Trends in Student Aid The Observatory on Borderless Education, The international value of US accreditation – CHEA database reveals range of non-US universities with US accreditation, May 6th 2005 The Times Higher Education Supplement, Webcam takes over US invigilation chores, 29 June 2007 US Department of Education (2000), National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics US Department of Education, Action Plan for Improving Higher Education: Improving Accessibility, Affordability and Accountability, September 26 2006

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The US Government Accountability Office (2007) Global Competitiveness: Implications for the Nation’s Higher Education System Useful Websites www.acenet.edu www.ed.gov www.educationusa.state.gov www.ecs.org www.nces.ed.gov www.wes.org http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/08/31/illinois www.britishcouncil.org/usa www.fulbright.co.uk www.news-gazette.com www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com www.usnews.com http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/news/latest-news/london-metropolitan-universityachieves-us-regional-accreditation.cfm www.ft.com www.yapinc.org www.case.org www.inqaahe.org Institution Websites www.upenn.edu www.umuc.edu www.msche.com www.tesc.edu www.ccp.edu AUA Report AUA Study Visit to the USA and Canada, September 2002

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