We request a change in the Statement of Affiliation Status to allow Michigan Tech to offer degree programs at new sites. This proposed change falls under the Commission's policies on "new degree sites" [6.1D, p. 136]. For maximum flexibility in our offerings, we request the change to read: "No prior Commission approval required for offering courses and degree programs at new sites."

Reasons for Institutional Change

Michigan Tech's corporate partners, which include both global corporations and professional societies, want to offer their employees and members opportunities for life-long learning. In particular, they want to provide them access to Michigan Tech's quality educational programs. These partners are located at a considerable distance from Michigan Tech, often in multiple locations around the State, nation, and globe. Demanding work schedules of full-time employees, compounded by family obligations, require a flexible learning environment that our residential programs, which require multiple weekly on-site class meetings and laboratory sessions, cannot offer.

To respond to our corporate partners' requests, Michigan Tech decided to offer existing degree programs via distance delivery to sites requested by these partners. These sites could be in Michigan, or at national or international locations. Currently, we offer three programs, for which we are now asking NCA approval:

1. a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree with a concentration in Mechanical Design,
2. a Bachelor of Science in Surveying (BSS), and
3. a PhD in Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics.

Offering distance delivery of our science and engineering programs improves our ability to fulfill our legislative mandate and mission to promote the welfare of the industries of the State by providing highly qualified graduates (see Chapter 2). Several of our partners are international corporations which require seamless access to quality educational opportunities for their global workforce. Improvements in technology for distance delivery (see "Physical Resources" below) and the growing demand for continuing education of a worldwide workforce combine to make distance delivery a logical development for Michigan Tech.

Distance delivery of existing programs grows directly out of institutional strengths and was anticipated by the 1988 NCA Evaluation Team. In its report, the Team noted that Michigan Tech's College of Engineering was in transition and expected that enhanced interaction with industry would occur "in the context of extending and maintaining what MTU already does exceptionally well, namely undergraduate engineering education" [6.1A, p. 34]. The Team also noted the growing interest in Michigan in "increased availability of graduate education through television networking" and that "such televised education supports the mission of the University to make technological education available..." [6.1A, p. 62]. The Team expressed a concern, however, that the demands on faculty to participate could interfere with the on-campus mission of teaching and research. To address this concern, procedures for monitoring and controlling faculty workloads associated with distance delivery have been developed (see "Human Resources" below).

Planning for Institutional Change

Several planning documents identified distance delivery of education as a way to meet our purposes:

• The 1975 Long Range Planning Committee C Report [2.1A] recommended the development of academic programs to supplement and update professional skills.
• The 1992 vision statement [2.1D2] called for "more education for students, using nontraditional methods of delivery and development (distance learning)."
• The 1995 Strategic Plan [2.1D2] called for the University to "promote...distance learning opportunities throughout the year."

These documents provide the institutional foundation for developing distance education programs at Michigan Tech.

Distance delivery at Michigan Tech is based on the specific needs of established corporate partners. A needs analysis is performed when a partner identifies and defines a need for distance education. The BSS is offered at multiple sites in Michigan in response to needs identified by the Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors (MSPS). The BSE with a concentration in Mechanical Design and the PhD in Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics are offered by the College of Engineering at specific corporate locations in response to specific corporate requests. These programs are described in more detail in the next section.

NEXT