June 21, 2024
University community invited to celebration for Global Campus
Global Campus will host a reception to celebrate its remarkable accomplishments over the years. K-State faculty, staff and students are invited to the Bluemont Room at the K-State Student Union from 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, June 25.
Refreshments will be served as guests mingle, reminisce and celebrate Global Campus's legacy and impact. A virtual card is also available to share memories and commemorate Global Campus's history and achievements.
The university's online and noncredit programs, previously under Global Campus, are being integrated into the Office of the Provost. This new framework arises from the Next-Gen K-State strategic plan to drive academic innovation and excellence across all learning opportunities, regardless of modality. The move ensures the university can nimbly adapt its programs and services to evolving market demands, ensuring all students receive an exceptional, future-focused educational experience.
Kansas State University's Global Campus was established in 1966 by the Kansas Board of Regents as the Division of Continuing Education to provide quality degree programs, lifelong learning and professional development opportunities to students beyond the physical campus. Classes were extended to locations across the state of Kansas, resulting in plenty of "windshield time" for instructors. As new technologies became available, Global Campus was among the first to boost distance education with the addition of courses offered through television, VHS tapes, and CD-ROMs, culminating in the first online course and degree program in 1996. This enabled K-State to provide educational opportunities to learners across the nation and the world. By 2004, a milestone was reached when students were enrolled from all 50 states and 10 foreign countries. This global impact was reflected in the Division of Continuing Education's name change to Global Campus in 2014.
In the past decade, the Global Campus team has ushered in significant growth in expanding educational opportunities for all. This was jumpstarted in 2013 when the Division of Continuing Education reached a milestone of five grant funding cycles, investing a total of approximately $2 million in 168 projects that developed 247 courses, 14 new degrees, 21 certificates and professional development programs, and five new conferences. In 2014, seven new scholarships were launched for distance students. Global Campus took charge of the revitalization of summer school in 2015. Working closely with each academic college, K-State's online presence has grown significantly with the further development of both credit and noncredit opportunities, now totaling more than 275 programs.
Global Campus provided critical support to the university in 2020 when it moved to remote learning during the pandemic, helping classes move online through the Keep Teaching initiative with partners across the university. In 2021, Global Campus piloted fully remote work for all employees, paving the way with remote work agreements and support for employees no longer working in a physical office. In addition to continuing work with funding new online courses via grants, Global Campus provided leadership to onboard both credit and noncredit microcredentials at the university.