Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to announce the creation of a new university-wide committee to help us understand all aspects of extended and online educational offerings at UT Austin, including the existing vibrant programs and units across campus. The Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Leadership Council will include faculty, students and staff, as well as leaders from Texas Extended Campus and other key units across campus.
There is a great deal of knowledge and expertise we can harness to help UT Austin be a leader in online education and lifelong learning. This effort will help determine our areas of strength, how we can better support the current and future work of the colleges and schools, and how our central support can improve coordination, incubation, and development of new degree and nondegree programs, with a goal of better serving traditional and nontraditional students.
I have asked Art Markman to help us lead these efforts, and he has agreed to serve as interim executive director of Texas Extended Campus effective January 1, 2021. Professor Markman has played an instrumental role over the course of the past year to adjust our academic strategy through the pandemic. His knowledge of the campus and vision for innovation will be beneficial as he leads this effort.
The committee members will receive invitations to serve in the coming days, and I will ask Art to help keep the campus up to date on their progress.
This is an important initiative for the campus as we consider how we provide educational opportunities beyond our traditional residential offerings. Thank you in advance for being engaged in this process.
Best,
Dan Jaffe