Florida Board of Governors

11/19/2012

PRESS RELEASE: Study of online learning in the State University System reveals several expansion options

The Parthenon Group’s report will be presented to the Florida Board of Governors’ Strategic Planning Committee at workshop next month.

TALLAHASSEE — Following months of work, the consultant group tapped by the Florida Board of Governors to study online learning in the State University System has completed its report. The Parthenon Group detailed four options for expansion of online degrees. These options could also be combined in some form:

• Institution by Institution: Institutions continue to develop online offerings on their own, driving innovation in a way that fits each institution’s mission.


• Institutional Collaboration: System-wide online degree program offerings are developed under the direction of a coordinating body and marketed to students across the state.


• Lead Institution: One (or a few) institution is selected by a bid process to drive the development of new online programs in target degree levels and disciplines.


• New Online Institution: An online institution is launched with a mandate to drive the development of new online programs in target degree levels and disciplines.

For each of these options, Parthenon developed a 10-year start-up plan, which includes operating costs, enrollments, degree production and potential revenues. (Click here for the full report, Postsecondary Online Expansion in Florida.)

The report will be presented to the Board of Governors’ Strategic Planning Committee at a workshop at Florida Atlantic University’s Davie Campus on Dec. 17 at 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The workshop will focus on the policy issues surrounding the expansion of online education in Florida, with the goal of developing recommendations for consideration by the full Board of Governors.

The Parthenon Group, from Boston, was chosen out of seven companies who bid on the project, which was made possible through a Legislative appropriation.

Facts about the State University System of Florida and Florida Board of Governors
The State University System of Florida is a constitutional body led by the 17-member Board of Governors. The System has 12 universities and a total enrollment of more than 330,000 students, making it the second-largest public university system in the nation (some states have more than one system). The Board was created in 2003 as a result of an amendment to the Florida Constitution (Article IX, Section 7). Responsibilities include defining the distinctive mission of each institution and ensuring the System’s coordination and operation. Members include 14 who are appointed by the Governor plus a faculty member, a student representative and the Florida Commissioner of Education. The Board appoints a Chancellor who serves as the State University System’s chief executive. For more, including the Board’s Strategic Plan and Annual Accountability Report that reflects key measurements for the System, see www.flbog.edu.

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