Adelphi, MD (July 27, 2001) -- University of Maryland University College (UMUC) enrollment is projected to nearly triple by 2010, primarily because of the university’s focus on adult learners and its expertise in online education, according to State Higher Education Secretary Karen R. Johnson. The figures she cites are included in a report being released today by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

"The rapid growth of ‘e-learning’ is changing the whole enrollment picture for Maryland higher education," said Johnson. "It is clear that colleges and universities will benefit immensely from the web revolution. The growth of UMUC’s enrollment in the past two years demonstrates that the use of the Internet is a powerful vehicle for delivery of higher education programs."

UMUC began offering courses electronically in 1994, and for many years online enrollments at UMUC nearly doubled or tripled annually. Last year, the university surpassed its target of 60,000 enrollments, having about 63,000 online enrollments, a figure that is approximately 15 times greater than five years before.

Because of the university’s recognized expertise in online education, indicated by the remarkable growth in online enrollments and provision of entire programs online – 29 degrees and 40 certificates – some educational analysts have posited that UMUC is the leading "virtual university" worldwide. Unlike many other colleges and universities that provide online courses, UMUC also offers a comprehensive array of online student services, including a virtual bookstore and more than 90 databases in library/information services. The university also conducts research into the pedagogy of online education and in partnership with Verizon provides an online resource for teaching with technology.

"UMUC has excelled at distributed education since its beginning in 1947 because of our experiences providing higher education to students throughout Maryland the metropolitan Washington region, as well as to U.S. military on every continent," said UMUC President Gerald A. Heeger. "With the emergence of the Web, we devised our own delivery platform to overlay our expertise in distributed education with this advanced technology while adapting traditional student services to the medium as well."

Heeger said that because of the great success UMUC has experienced in providing educational services, primarily to working adults in the United States and abroad, online delivery has become an important component of the university’s mission to serve lifelong learners worldwide. For that reason, he cited as UMUC’s greatest challenge the increased need for skilled faculty, administration, and staff to sustain the university’s commitment to academic quality even while sustaining such phenomenal growth.

The Maryland Higher Education Commission report indicates that enrollment at Maryland public colleges and universities is expected to grow by 27 percent – or by 61,000 students – over the next 10 years. The increase exceeds national projections by the US Department of Education of 20 percent.

The report's forecasts for UMUC do not include projections for expansion outside of the United States. The university served over 71,500 students in 29 countries, including the United States, last year.

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Note to Editor: Please include the complete name University of Maryland University College (or the acronym UMUC). Abbreviating the name might create confusion with other University System of Maryland institutions.

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