Feature: MSU Outreach Moves Towards 21st Century

MSU is moving boldly to meet the outreach challenges of the next century and the demands of the Age of Information. 'In times of such enormous societal change, a strong and energetic outreach commitment will ensure that MSU remain closely connected to the public's advanced learning needs.' So declares James C. Votruba, MSU vice provost for university outreach, as he puts together a blueprint for meeting the challenges of the next century. 'In a period of enormous society change,' explains Votruba, 'the challenge to universities is to become more agile and more capable of continuous adaptation and improvement. In this aptly named Knowledge Age, those who have access to learning will clearly have a competitive advantage.'

Accordingly, in 1989, MSU launched a bold new five-year MSU outreach initiative (see Summer 1991, p. 14). Supported by a $10.2 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the initiative was designed to strengthen the university's capacity to address the advanced learning needs of society. Today, Michigan State University is vigorously and creatively reaffirming its commitment to expanding public access to the university's research and problem-solving capacity, as well as increasing access to instructional programs. Through applied research, technical assistance, evaluation studies, policy analysis, credit and non-credit instruction, MSU is reaching out to fulfill its land-grant mandate 21st century style. 'The 1989 Kellogg Foundation grant was an enormous stimulus in getting the university's outreach initiative underway,' says Votruba. 'It helped catalyze the campus. With the completion of the grant last fall, President Peter McPherson and Provost Lou Anna Simon made clear that the university's commitment to expand and more fully integrate its outreach mission across the entire campus has only just begun.'

The results so far have been stunning, and many are immediately measureable. Distance learning technologies and innovative formats, for example, now bring MSU increasingly 'close to you.' Sixteen months ago, the university offered 12 graduate degree programs off campus in 25 locations. In spring term '96, 18 programs were available in 47 locations. The projection for fall 1996 is 24 programs in over 50 locations, representing a doubling of access opportunities in just two years!

A growing number of programs each semester use MSU's satellite and interactive video facilities. On-site classroom facilitators, computer connectivity, fax machines and office hours when faculty members can be contacted by telephone have strengthened campus-community linkages. MSU courses offered at a distance draw upon the expertise of regular faculty members and contain the same elements as courses offered in East Lansing.

To assist working adults in the greater Lansing area to complete undergraduate degrees, MSU has expanded the list of classes available on campus after 4 p.m. In the fall of 1994, only two undergraduate programs could be completed through evening study at MSU. By spring '96, the university offered nine such programs. They include nursing, business, engineering arts, computer science, urban and regional planning, human resources/social science and public policy/social science. At least half of the students entering these extended-day programs are Spartans who have previously attended MSU and are now returning to complete degrees. Several other late-day or evening options are likely to be available this fall.

Twenty-three master's degree programs are available in the evening on campus, too. And 43 people are completing their first year in the university's weekend MBA program. 'The technological revolution is fundamentally changing the university's teaching/learning process,' notes Votruba. 'Until recently, affordability and proximity to the East Lansing campus defined access. Today, MSU is well on its way to developing a 'virtual campus' that is statewide and even global in scope. This year, MSU will offer its first course over the worldwide Internet.'

MSU has always offered a broad array of non-credit instructional programs - - workshops, seminars and conferences -- often at locations around the state. Those learning opportunities continue to be a priority. Responsibility for them resides with departments, schools and colleges, as well as with MSU Extension. A number of units are also developing certificate programs in response to the growing need for more non-credit in-depth professional development. Six regional offices coordinate the expanding outreach programing that serves the needs of Michigan communities. The new instructional initiatives are paying off for both students and instructors. As Michelle Smith, a staff member at Lansing Community College, puts it, 'Being able to complete my degree in the evening has given me a new perspective, one that enables me to avoid stagnation and have a brighter outlook concerning new career opportunities.'

And as Associate Professor June Youatt (Family and Child Ecology), who has been teaching in a weekend graduate program in Port Huron, observes, 'It forces you to rethink how you teach and what you know. While these adult students are interested in theory and research, they are really most interested in the application of theory and research.' Those efforts, however laudable, may not be enough. As Votruba foresees, 'In the 21st century, universities will not only compete with each other for students but they will also compete with companies like Microsoft and Disney who are plunging aggressively into the lifelong learning areas.'

MSU is also increasing its efforts to partner with others to meet the challenges facing Michigan communities (see p. 25, Winter 1995). Through the Applied Developmental Science (ADS) program which draws upon the expertise of 80 faculty members in 30 departments and nine colleges, faculty members and graduate students collaborate with community partners to conduct scholarly activities of interest to both. These partnerships are designed to benefit communities, strengthen student learning and enrich faculty research. According to Professor Hiram Fitzgerald (Psychology), who serves as ADS program coordinator, 'ADS provides innovative opportunities to connect faculty and graduate students to the community to enhance program effectiveness and outreach scholarship.'

Numerous MSU units (among them, the Institute for Children, Youth and Families, the College of Human Ecology, the College of Education, the Business- Community Alliance, Nursing and the medical colleges, MSU Extension's Children, Youth and Family Programs, the Departments of Criminal Justice, Social Work and Political Science, Urban Affairs and the Wharton Center) are working with community-based institutions to enhance the life chances of youth and families of Flint. Project teams are focused on such concerns as evaluating the effectiveness of teen health centers in high schools, exploring an unacceptably high index of kindergarten failure, testing the feasibility of a center for the care of chronically ill children, and conducting a support program for the families of convicted felons and measuring the impact of incarceration on family members.

Dr. Roy Peterson, president of Mott Children's Health Center, is an enthusiastic advocate of the university-community partnership. 'Community-based people deliver direct services as their full-time job and benefit from contact with the academic perspective in matters related to program development, evaluation, training and research,' he notes. In turn, 'the community connection contributes to a better university understanding of real life problems in an urban setting.'