Accessing the Universe

by Adriana R. Garcia

A SIMPLE CLICK OF THE COMPUTER is all it now takes for students from virtually anywhere in the world to access an online education to the University of the Incarnate Word.

Universe Online is devoted to dynamically educating those students who might not otherwise be able to pursue a college education for any number of reasons, such as geographic location.

The innovative program allows students to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in several academic areas.

The curriculum, which is designed to stress the intellectual disciplines of a liberal studies program, features an accelerated format that allows the students to complete their degrees in a timely manner. It also allows students to enjoy a renowned level of education at an affordable price.

The program debuted in the fall of 2000 with 16 students. Within a year, that figure had skyrocketed to over 500. Universe Online gained national acclaim last fall when U.S. News & World Report cited the online graduate business program as one of the best in the country.

"It's a great tribute to UIW because it shows that our program has both quality teachers and expectations,which result in quality students," said Dr. Cyndi Wilson Porter, Director of Universe Online and Assistant Vice President for Extended Academic Programs.

Universe Online has been so successful in delivering quality distance learning that it was chosen to be part of an unparalleled national consortium of 23 universities offering cyberspace schooling for soldiers in the United States Army through its newly-created program, Army University Access Online, more commonly known as eArmyU.

"We are incredibly excited because when we were chosen, we were only a six month old program," said Dr. Porter. "Currently, we are number eight in terms of enrollment. This is quite an achievement because the colleges ranking one through seven each have a long tradition of working with the Army.

"Our success can be attributed mainly to our ability to deliver quality programming while still maintaining a high level of customer service," added Dr. Porter. "We address their needs quickly, actually request and pay for their transcripts and ensure that they have a soldier-friendly environment."

The Army program is designed to deliver distance learning to over 80,000 enlisted personnel and their dependents during the next five years. The fact that Universe Online was chosen to take part in such a program is further acknowledgement of its quality, particularly as UIW was the only university in San Antonio selected by the Army. Some of the other institutions that are part of the national consortium are Penn State University, the University of Washington and Florida State University.