UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Outreach and Online Education Office of Compliance and Contracts, along with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), will hold a free virtual workshop on Nov. 18 on state authorization, specifically addressing issues of interest for Pennsylvania institutions that are members of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).
It is the sixth year Penn State has co-hosted the annual PA Distance Education and SARA Workshop — and the second time it has been offered at no cost in a fully virtual format. The workshop will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 18.
Registration is currently open.
“Despite ongoing challenges due to COVID-19, we were able to again create an event that will be offered online and free of charge to participants so that this important event can continue to be offered,” said Teri Spence, director of the Outreach and Online Education Office of Compliance and Contracts.
The event brings together higher education professionals from across Pennsylvania who work in the field of state authorization, compliance, and reciprocity for distance education, to hear news and updates from national and state leaders and to network and ask questions.
This year’s speakers include Gina Wetten, higher education associate from PDE; Marianne Boeke, senior director for research and state support for NC-SARA; Jeannie Yockey-Fine, general counsel for NC-SARA; and Cheryl Dowd, director of the State Authorization Network (SAN) for the Western Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET).
“We are excited to be able to once again offer the workshop free of charge and virtually to accommodate those who are still facing budgetary and travel restrictions due to the pandemic” said Shawna Cassick, compliance specialist in the Office of Compliance and Contracts.
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements provides a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. States that join SARA agree to follow uniform processes for approving their eligible institutions' participation and for dealing with other states' institutions. More than 2,200 colleges and universities participate in NC-SARA.
Visit the workshop’s website to register and find more information.