鶹ƵUniversity has joined a nationwide initiative that will make it easier to bring the University’s distance education programs to more students across the United States.
The University received approval from the New York State Education Department to participate in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA). The SARA consortium establishes reciprocity among states to accept authorized accredited institutions to operate distance education beyond their state boundaries. Previously, the University, along with other higher education institutions, had to seek separate approval from each state to enroll students outside of New York state.
Last week the (NC-SARA), which manages the initiative through a Lumina Foundation grant, confirmed 鶹ƵUniversity’s participation. Syracuse’s membership will be renewed annually.
Participating in SARA helps higher education institutions decrease administrative costs to obtain authorization to provide distance education in states that join. In turn, institutions can offer more students in more states a chance to enroll in their distance educational offerings.
Students benefit from increased access to high-quality distance programs. SARA will also expand the options for students to do internships and field placements in other states.
The opportunity to extend the University’s distance learning programs to many more students is expected to have a positive impact on the University’s distance education efforts. The University provides a range of distance programs that match the rigor and quality of traditional on-campus degrees.
Graduate programs currently include three programs; the soon-to-be offered Executive M.P.A. in the ; an online communications master’s degree in the ; and three online master’s degrees from the . The has offered online graduate programs since 1993, and offers online courses in , as well as its bachelor of professional studies program online.
“Our participation in SARA is an important next step in our distance education programs and delivering a 鶹ƵUniversity education to students across the country,” says Jeff Stanton, associate provost for academic affairs and professor in the iSchool. “Joining the consortium will help us create opportunities for more students to access 鶹ƵUniversity’s excellent programs and prepare for academic and professional success.”
For 鶹ƵUniversity, participation in SARA means that the University now meets authorization requirements in each of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. The iSchool’s distance programs that result in teacher certification will be seeking additional approval required by some states.
To ensure the high quality of programs, SARA institutions agree to adhere to best practices in distance education as outlined in the as approved by the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions.
