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U of A: Points
of Distinction
- Institutionally accredited by the
Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC),
recognized by the US Department of Education and the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
- One of few American Universities granted
membership in the European Association for Distance
Learning (EADL).
- Qualified and listed by DANTES, the official
organization which oversees Military Funding for higher
education (applicable to eligible US servicemen in
conformity with the regulations established by each
branch of the US Military).
- A member of the Council on College and
Military Education (CCME).
- Listed by UNESCO (the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
[Note: U of A has been entered into UNESCO’s database of
approved Universities and will appear in its official
2009 Directory. As noted on the organizational website,
“UNESCO is the only United Nations body with a mandate
in Higher Education.”]
- Distinguished nationally and internationally for its
first-rate degree offerings, rigorous curriculum and
compelling areas of specialization at both the
Undergraduate and Graduate levels. [Note: Every program
has been scrupulously reviewed, course by course, by
acclaimed field authorities identified and selected by
the institution’s accrediting body and by other external
agencies. The outcome of these systematic assessments is
telling: all programs, without exception, earned the
ranking of 5/5 = Excellent (the highest of five possible
scores and a ranking infrequently issued) in each of
fifteen categories of assessment and by each of the
three to five expert assessors in each field. Unanimity.]
- Student Satisfaction surveys (also anonymously
conducted by DETC) yielded impressively high rates: 94%
positive in 2006, and 100% positive in 2007.
- Every course, in addition to focused content,
underscores (a) enhanced communicative competence; (b)
honed critical thinking skills; and (c) significant
development of global awareness and understanding.
- Distinguished faculty of 285 members:
internationally-recruited -- all with Ph.D. or
equivalent (many with multiple doctorates). No less
noteworthy, every approved or appointed faculty member
has a record of markedly successful online and
traditional teaching experience; a scholarly /
professional agenda of merit; and a salient, unwavering
commitment to student success.
- New, expanded programs under development to include,
once approved, options at the Masters level in Civil
Engineering and Doctoral programs in Business
Administration, Educational Leadership. [Note: Official
approval and launch dates will be announced, as
appropriate.]
- A high-profile administration (many members of whom
are internationally acclaimed scholar-teacher-leaders)
oversee and ensure the quality of all programs.
- Structurally organized into seven schools (or
colleges) within which discipline-relevant programs are
offered and overseen by both senior field authorities
and specialized members of the National Advisory
Council: the School of Business Administration and
Managerial Science; the School of Computer and
Information Science; the School of Criminal Justice and
Law; the School of Educational Leadership; the School of
Health Science and Healthcare Administration; the School
of Human Resource Management; and the School of Arts and
Sciences.
- Strong student support services that enhance the
24/7 learning environment available to students, thus
fostering learning and maximizing academic success.
- A first-rate, proprietary Learn Center (and Learning
Platform), which is unique in that it boasts
sophisticated features, technical options and learning
resources while remaining most user-friendly.
- A self-paced model, which permits those who need
extra time that leeway, while, simultaneously, allowing
those who wish to move more rapidly through their
courses the option to do so.
- The University’s global reach is evidenced by the
establishment of satellite offices in Paris, London,
Beirut and Dubai, a reflection of institutional
commitment to qualified and eager students world-wide.
Such affiliations and geographical expansion will
continue to evolve in the near future.
- The recently-initiated Provostial Fellow Program and
annual Thesis Competition are two of several initiatives
which underscore and reward excellence in academic
performance.
- The University has established a recognized online
journal: Virtualities: International Review of Distance
Learning (sanctioned by the Library of Congress: ISSN #
1941-7373). Inaugural volume to appear Fall 2009. Call
for papers appears on numerous websites and is eliciting
much positive attention and interest on the part of both
prospective contributors and eager readers.
- The University of Atlanta’s First International
Symposium on Online Learning and Teaching, scheduled for
Fall 2010 and announced on ConferenceAlerts.com,
AllConferences.com, CLCWeb (Purdue University), H-NET
(Michigan State University), the Conference and CFP site
sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, is
attracting wide-scale international attention and
promises to be the first of a long series of annual
colloquia.
- The University Trustee engaged in development of
international online consortium. While in its early
stages, this outreach movement has already proven
effective and has yielded both interest and attention.
As the initiative develops, reports will appear on the
University’s website.
- The University participated in the October 2008
GETEX Exhibition, held at the Knowledge Center in Dubai,
UAE. A very successful event and, a vital opportunity to
interact on a face-to-face basis with prospective
students, current students, educators, associates and
the business community in the UAE and with many
attending from neighboring countries.
- The University’s informal affiliation with National
High School (NHS) provides opportunities for students
world-wide, who have not yet completed secondary-level
studies, to pre-enroll in U of A, contingent upon
receipt of the NHS diploma. NHS is fully accredited by
the Accrediting Commission of the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
- A notably well informed team of Admissions Officers
are prepared, able and eager to assist prospective
students through the entire enrollment process: from
initial inquiry through formal admission to official
student status. A valuable asset to students.
- Is constructed such that by its diversity and
cross-national emphasis, it has become an enriched,
value-added repository for expanded learning, wherein
internationalization and cross-cultural exchange
flourish.
- Prides itself on its modes of difference, by which
it stands apart: distinctive in quality, devoted to the
individual learner, contemporary in content and
presentation, attuned to the issues of the day and to
the needs of prospective students world-wide, seeking
always to set each program participant on an
intellectual journey into the future, yet committed
unrelentingly to the core values that have always
underpinned, and continue to underpin, the fundaments of
higher education.
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