MEMORANDUM                                                                                      September 18, 2000     September 17, 2000

TO: Board of Regents

FROM: Joyce A. Scott, Deputy Commissioner for Academic & Student Affairs

SUBJECT: Level I Announcements & Approvals

Since the July Board of Regents meeting, the Office of the Commissioner has been contacted by the following groups planning to do business in Montana:

1.  Dr. Dan Harrington reports that Interactive Technology Group, an Oregon corporation, will relocate to Butte to offer pre-clinical, pre-med courses with 75 percent on-line and 25 percent on site.

2.     Dr. Jim Benton plans to relocate his institution, the University of America, from Germantown, Tennessee to Superior and to offer doctoral degrees in a limited number of fields.

3.     Dr. Stephen Bettinger indicated that Virtual Academics, currently operating in Florida, will establish itself as a private institution in Montana.

Montana State University-Bozeman

Approveda request to change the current number of credits required for the Master of Science inHealth and Human Development (with an option in Family and Consumer Sciences) from 30 credits to variable 30 to 42 credits.  The variable credit is to accommodate Certified Financial Planner (CFP) graduate students who will be pursuing post-degree certification in Family Financial Planning by sitting for the certification examination through the National Certified Financial Planning Licensing Board.  To qualify to sit for this examination, students must complete the additional 12 credits. The M.S. in Health and Human Development with the additional 12 credits has registration from the National Certified Financial Planning Board.

Montana State University-Billings

Approveda request to offer selected teacher re-certification courses on-line for in-service professionals and initial certification courses on-line for the changing career individual beginning fall semester 2001.

Approved a request to offer the Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts electronically.

Montana State University-Northern

Approved a request to grant the Master of Science degree in Learning Development in the state of Alaska. The degree will be offered in a cohort group format. The Master of Science in education, learning development option, assists K-12 teachers interested in improving their classroom teaching skills. The degree has been offered on MSU-Northern's interactive television system and in a cohort format in Great Falls via partnering with Performance Learning Systems (PLS). The same model and format will be adopted to provide the degree to Alaska teachers.

University of Montana Missoula College of Technology

Request to place the College of Technology Human Services program on moratorium. The College of Technology Human Services program enrollment has not and does not appear likely to meet an expected and justifiable SCH production level anytime soon.

 

cc: Commissioner Crofts
      Chief Academic Officers
      Sherry Rosette