Online Learning: A Battle Appears to be Brewing

Several days ago I was talking to a client and mentioned that I just completed my graduate studies at Regis University. I mentioned that Regis University is a private, Jesuit institution that was founded in the late 1800’s. He responded, “wow…I didn’t know that about Regis. I thought Regis was another University of Phoenix or something like that.”

Several days ago the University of Phoenix placed a full-size page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal. The advertisement was an appeal by the institution’s President to its students, faculty, and other stakeholders to band together and stand strong while the school defends its legitimacy and academic integrity as an alternative (and for-profit) institution.

While there is no doubt that the adult learning space is growing, and the way that traditional institutions are conducting business is changing, “online learning” carries a certain pejorative connotation in the business marketplace. I was saddened that my colleague equated Regis (and my education) with something “less than” what is deemed respectable.

How can we – as alumni, students, and educators – work together to build a solid perception of the Regis brand? I argue that outreach to the business community is critical at this juncture in time. Not only to build awareness about the quality of our program, but to position ourselves to defend the fact that the University of Denver, CSU, and CU Denver & Boulder have regenerated their strategies to offer their traditional curricula to adult learners in the evenings and, in some cases, online.

I would rather that Regis be compared to these institutions given its local merits and accomplishments, rather than its national reach. How can we contribute to this effort?

Posted by: Christian G. Bosse