Academics

World Campus 15th anniversary symposium to be streamed live Dec. 2

In 1998, Penn State became one of the leaders in online education with the establishment of its online World Campus. Throughout this year, the University is holding a series of events to celebrate this anniversary.

The University community is invited to participate in the symposium “Penn State World Campus — Past, Present and Future” from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2. Penn State Public Media will stream the discussion live from The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel at http://wpsu.org/live/convocation13/.

Christian Brady, dean of Schreyer Honors College, will facilitate a discussion with panelists: Donald Birx, chancellor of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; Anna Divinsky, lead faculty, Digital Arts Certificate Program, School of Visual Arts, College of Arts and Architecture; Paula Milone-Nuzzo, dean, College of Nursing; Kyle Peck, 2013 Fellow Professor, College of Education, and co-director, Center for Online Innovation in Learning; and Al Turgeon, emeritus professor of turfgrass management.

The event will include a welcome by Nick Jones, executive vice president and provost; a video vignette of World Campus students; and closing remarks by Craig Weidemann, vice president for outreach and vice provost for online education.

About 200 administrators University-wide, faculty members who teach online, Board of Trustees members and members of University committees are expected to participate in the Dec. 2 invitation-only event. In addition, a Faculty Convocation will be held Dec. 2–3 to give Penn State online instructors the opportunity to improve their teaching skills and strengthen connections with students.

The World Campus’ anniversary is a significant milestone in the University’s distinguished distance education history, which began in 1892 with a correspondence course for farmers delivered by Rural Free Delivery. In January 1998, the World Campus launched with 41 students enrolled in five academic programs. By 2013, 13,287 students from every state and countries around the world were enrolled. Today, the World Campus offers more than 90 graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs.

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated January 10, 2014

Contacts