UC Board of Regents endorses online-only program, next year’s student regent at meeting in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO ““ The UC Board of Regents expressed approval of a proposal for an undergraduate online-only degree program at its bimonthly meeting Wednesday.

Despite the ongoing budget crisis, Christopher Edley Jr., dean of UC Berkeley’s law school, presented the proposal in hopes that the university might become the first premiere system to eventually grant such bachelor degrees.

If implemented, the pilot program will offer about 25 to 40 credited online courses, including the most heavily enrolled general education courses, beginning in the fall. The program also could allow students in the community college system to take courses for transfer credit.

“If we can answer the quality issue to the faculties’ satisfaction, we can leverage an enormous amount of experience we already have on the 10 campuses and extension schools,” Edley said.

During the last fiscal year, the university’s Extension programs offered approximately 1,250 online classes, according to released statistics at the Regents’ meeting in San Francisco.

“The (existing) courses have taught us a lot,” Edley said, “and we could build on those, take the best of them and push them further.”

A majority of board members and UC President Mark G. Yudof voiced their support for the program despite the continuing economic uncertainty for the university.

Regent Sherry L. Lansing said such an implementation of a program would come at the right time for current and future students.

“Kids learn differently. I watch children in schools today, and the computer is just part of their life,” Lansing said. “In many ways, it’s second nature to them.”

Lansing added that she feels the university has the opportunity to show the nation how to pull off such a program because it currently retains the best and brightest faculty and students.

However, other regents said not all courses and topics may work with the proposed online structure, and further investigation is needed to identify what should be omitted from the program.

Edley reassured the board that the university’s reputation as a prestigious research institution can separate it from other systems’ former attempts to launch online degree programs.

His proposal comes at an interesting time for the University of California, which faces a precarious fiscal condition, according to Chairman Russell Gould.

Gould said California has a $19 billion budget shortfall, and the state legislature has yet to approve a budget.

In his opening comments, he referred to a Mark Twain quotation: “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”

Despite the imposed furloughs and recent student fee hikes, the university expects to welcome a large incoming undergraduate class in the fall.

Judy K. Sakaki, UC vice president of student affairs, gave preliminary numbers on the fall 2010 admissions to the Committee on Educational Policy.

Approximately 34,116 California residents gave statements of intent to register, a little under 200 less from last year.

Out-of-state and international students will make up about 8 percent of the estimated total of incoming freshmen; non-resident students pay over $20,000 more than resident tuition.

Committee discussion also included the community college transfer statistics. SIRs from resident transfers have increased by 14 percent to 15,718 from last year.

The UC-wide SIR figures also show a slight percentage increase in underrepresented minorities. From 2009 to 2010, the number of enrolled black residents increased from 3.8 to 3.9 percent. The number of enrolled Chicano/Latino residents grew from 20.9 percent to 23.1 percent, marking the largest UC-wide increase among underrepresented minorities.

However, committee chair Eddie Island said the system has not made enough progress regarding black and Latino populations.

He urged the board and the UC Office of the President to consider whether or not the system’s current admissions construct will fulfill the pledge for adequate diversity. Island said he suggests that the current trajectory indicates that the university may not be able to ever meet the mandate.

A more comprehensive report on the fall 2010 admission outcomes will be available later in November.

The Regents also unanimously approved UC San Francisco graduate student Alfredo Mireles Jr. as student regent designate for the 2011-2012 year. The board appointed Mireles Jr. out of a pool of 54 candidates.

Taking his seat next to the current Student Regent Jesse Cheng, Mireles said he is committed to transparency, and he will be available to hear students’ concerns and represent their interests.