When students leave Stanford, they are supposed to take with them a thirst for lifelong learning. With three-quarters of its alumni out of commuting range, the University is constantly seeking creative ways to satisfy that craving.
Starting October 1, a new offering will extend Stanford's reach. The University has formed an alliance with Princeton and Yale to create online liberal arts courses for the three schools' alumni, faculty, staff and their families, says Charles Junkerman, associate provost and dean for continuing studies, who will help run the program's Stanford arm. "This is a way for Stanford to be useful to alumni wherever they are," says Bill Stone, '67, MBA '69, president of the Stanford Alumni Association.
The courses won't look like typical online offerings -- low-quality videos of talking heads, Junkerman says. Instead, they will be visually rich with lots of interactive features and crisp video tracks. The program will focus on arts and sciences rather than the professional education market that some other universities are pursuing online. The content will be modeled on Stanford's continuing studies program and an online course offered by Princeton, called Walks in Rome. "I think it will have that same flavor," Junkerman says.
Each school will produce these non-credit enrichment courses separately and then offer them on one centralized website. Stanford initially will provide two courses, both in classics: Archeology and the Greek World and Encountering Homer. Sixteen additional offerings are in the works, including one similar to the interdisciplinary Stanford undergraduate course on light. Registration fees have not yet been established. Administrators expect the courses to generate revenue. But just as important, says Junkerman, is "to fulfill our ongoing, lifelong responsibility to alumni."
The three universities are banding together because their presidents felt they would benefit from the economies of scale. Harvard was initially in on the talks but withdrew before the alliance was finalized. Eventually, Junkerman says, the group may expand to include other universities or offer courses to a market beyond those with a connection to Stanford, Princeton and Yale.
