North Carolina A&T University News December 2015 DISTANCE LEARNING NOW A&T ONLINE In hopes of increasing enrollment and more effectively market existing online programs, North Carolina A&T State University recently launched the A&T Online<http://online.ncat.edu/> portal to provide a more cohesive home for its online degree programs. The new platform provides a dedicated home for online students and programs. The university currently maintains 16 online programs. New and current students will be able to receive all information and request services through the A&T Online portal. The move comes amidst the university's strategic goals of Preeminence 2020, by increasing the enrollment of non-traditional students, veterans, active duty military and part-way home students. "Online programs allow students to combine work and family responsibilities with educational goals. At A&T, we recognize the needs of non-traditional students and stand ready to help them succeed in their educational plans," said Dr. Sanjiv Sarin, vice provost for research, graduate programs and extended learning, and dean of The Graduate School. Across the University of North Carolina system, about 40 percent of students take at least one online course each semester, and close to 10 percent of students are fully online. "If we're going to help our students compete globally, we're going to have to embrace technology and let technology transform education," said Venessa Harrison, an A&T trustee and president of AT&T North Carolina. A&T's current online programs include bachelor's degree programs in business education and liberal studies, master's degrees in teaching, and two doctoral programs. Officials are constantly looking at ways to increase distance learning enrollment and exploring new programmatic areas that are conducive to online delivery. Additional undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs are considered based on student demand and the university's capacity to offer them. Online areas of expansion could possibly include bachelor's degrees in economics; master's degree programs in English, African American literature, computer science and industrial and systems engineering; and an MBA; all of which are now offered in a traditional classroom setting. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance/ 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.