Just two years after its inception in 1947, University of Maryland University College was already an undisputed leader in the field of distance and adult education when it made higher education easily accessible for thousands of U.S. servicemembers stationed overseas. Because of that impetus 50 years ago — and our record since — UMUC is well on its way to becoming a truly global institution. Through our European and Asian Divisions, we provide education to lifelong learners in more than 30 countries on seven continents. Students from 45 countries attend our residential campus in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.

Today, the Internet is the best method of providing education to lifelong learners worldwide. Indeed, since 1994, when UMUC began offering courses electronically, the university’s online enrollments have doubled or tripled in each succeeding year. We expect to surpass 40,000 online enrollments this year.

Busy adults everywhere appreciate the convenience of pursuing their education when and where it suits them. They choose our university because our students and alumni speak so highly of the university’s expertise in delivering quality higher education and student services.

Even those for whom a broad variety of higher education institutions is easily accessible appreciate the convenience of pursuing their education when and where it suits them, through online education. Adult learners have become especially adept at managing conflicting responsibilities with the advancements in technology that aid them in their remarkably complex lives.

But despite having a new worldwide, integrated system to ensure continued quality delivery, we have come to realize it is not enough. Online education, developed and delivered properly, is exceptionally expensive, demanding a complete institutional commitment and a deep infrastructure to be successful in the long term.

Add to that the increasing rivalry from hundreds of new competitors that can inject enormous amounts of private capital and marketing investments into the global online education market, and one can envision the challenges we face.

So in December 1999 we did something leaders do: We started along a new path never taken by any other public university nationwide and created a for-profit company to assist the university in its strategic goals for growth in online enrollment. We are also using the commercial enterprise to help us design effective, customer-friendly services for our students. Keep in mind that the company will not replace any part of the university. It will enhance the entire enterprise by allowing us to reach more people more effectively.

While this may seem revolutionary to some, this is really nothing new for us. Forging ahead toward our vision has always been UMUC’s specialty. We’ve never accepted "We can’t change because this is how it’s always been done." If that were the case, 70,000 alumni worldwide would not have chosen UMUC when pursuing their dreams.

Our new path is an investment in the future of the university to continue providing excellence in adult education. In a short time, you will see an even brighter UMUC on the horizon, even as we say, "But we were always that way!"

Gerald A. Heeger
UMUC President