Thank You for Our Continued Growth

Posted on April 30, 2008 by David Gray

Today we released our fiscal 2008 year-end numbers.

UMassOnline CEO David J. Gray To the students who have made UMassOnline their first choice for distance learning, the UMass faculty who teach the online courses at a professional level second to none, and the administrative staff throughout the University of Massachusetts system and UMassOnline who consistently help develop, package, and deliver our growing variety of online courses of study, I send you my sincere thanks for yet another year of outstanding growth.

You can review the specifics of our results here at this link. They show that UMassOnline’s growth continues to significantly outpace the national average among online providers. While the specific numbers and percentages are important, greater value is gleaned perhaps from a brief discussion of the reasons why we think UMassOnline continues to grow at this outstanding velocity.

At the risk of sounding a bit corporate, I believe we once again have demonstrated that we provide a better product; that we continuously improve the quality of that product; and that we continue to innovate the ways in which we deliver it. We are also making a big investment in ongoing R&D, with an emphasis over the past few years in gaining a better understanding of how teaching and learning happens best online. While we’re outpacing the national enrollment growth average for online institutions, we are also advancing the scholarship of teaching and learning. I believe the two are linked.

This past year we introduced our first blended learning offerings. We developed and launched new course offerings, some of which are the first of their kind in the nation. And we have persistently sought new and better technologies for advanced delivery systems and more enriching student experiences online.

Again, to all of you who had a hand in our FY 2008 growth, I thank you for your contribution, your advocacy for UMassOnline, and your participation in our continued growth regionally, nationally, and internationally.