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Press Release - March 9, 2006
Penn State to Offer Programs through New Army Portal
Thursday, March 9, 2006
http://www.goarmyed.com/ is a One-stop Virtual Gateway to Postsecondary Education and Tuition Assistance for Soldiers
The U.S. Army has asked Penn State to offer education programs through its new virtual portal http://www.goarmyed.com/, launching April 1. The Army Continuing Education System (ACES) developed the program in response to staff reductions at Army Education Centers worldwide. The GoArmyEd portal will make it easier for nearly 500,000 active-duty soldiers to find a college or university education program, enroll in courses, arrange for tuition assistance, review degree plans and check grades ‹ all at one online location.
"The Army Continuing Education System is launching GoArmyEd to standardize, streamline and automate routine processes in preparation for manpower reductions," ACES Director Dian Stoskopf said. Soldiers will be able to use the portal to manage their education and tuition assistance benefits, she added.
Penn State's invitation to participate in GoArmyEd continues the University's longstanding relationship with the military. Penn State pioneered research in the use of film for Naval training during World War II. The University also was one of the founding institutions for Army University Access Online (now called eArmyU) and offers four online programs to soldiers through this initiative: master of education degree in Adult Education; baccalaureate degree in Letters, Arts and Sciences; and associate degree programs in Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.
According to Dr. Gary E. Miller, associate vice president for Outreach and executive director of Continuing and Distance Education at Penn State, "Distance education is a natural match for the military, because soldiers can learn whenever and wherever it's convenient." Miller, who was instrumental in developing Penn State's World Campus (see below), which opened in 1998, also points out that soldiers from Pennsylvania can begin their studies through distance education while deployed and then finish them at one of Penn State's 24 Pennsylvania-based campuses when they complete their enlistment and return home.
Ginny Newman, senior client development manager with Penn State Outreach assigned to work with the military, added, "More than 100 Army personnel enrolled in Penn State online courses during the 200405 academic year." But this figure underreports enrollment numbers, she said, since it is based only on voluntarily reported information about military status.
One of these student-soldiers is Lt. Shawn G. Talmadge. While stationed in Iraq last year, he enrolled in a Penn State noncredit course on nonlethal weapons designed for the military. "It was Web-based, so access was relatively easy from Iraq," Platoon Leader Talmadge said. He studied whenever he had downtime, and he shared what he learned with his team.
With the launch of GoArmyEd, soldiers will have access to nine Penn State programs, including the four already available and two baccalaureate degrees in Organizational Leadership, and Law and Society; two postbaccalaureate certificate programs in Geographic Information Systems, and Supply Chain and Information Systems; and an associate degree in Business Administration.
An essential element of the GoArmyEd program is the Centralized Tuition Assistance Management initiative, Stoskopf said. One benefit to soldiers choosing to study at participating higher education institutions is online access to tuition assistance 24/7. The Army's tuition assistance program provides $4,500 annually to eligible active-duty soldiers.
Other benefits to soldiers include the ability to register for college courses and drop or withdraw from courses online; access to information about more than 1,000 degree programs, admission requirements, course costs, accreditation information, and Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (see below) membership status; access to online advising tools; access to their electronic student record and the ability to make changes online; and 24/7 technical support.
Stoskopf explained that as the GoArmyEd initiative rolls out, "the headquarters Army Continuing Education System will work to ensure future GoArmyEd programs and degrees are demand-driven and based on soldiers' needs."
Miller added, "Penn State is committed to helping the Army with its education needs. As our relationship continues to evolve, we anticipate more soldiers will choose Penn State to reach their educational goals."
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges
Created in 1972, the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) provide educational opportunities to servicemembers, who, because they frequently moved from place to place, had trouble completing college degrees. SOC is a consortium of more than 1,800 colleges and universities that provide educational opportunities for servicemembers and their families. Additionally, SOC coordinates degree network programs and systems for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Penn State is part of the SOC Army Degree network system. A key component is the guaranteed transferability of college credits within each network area and member institutions.
Penn State World Campus
Launched in 1998, Penn State World Campus, a unit of Penn State Outreach, uses multiple technologies to make more than 50 of the University's most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and continuing professional education programs available anytime, anywhere through the World Wide Web and other media.
Editor contact: Deborah A. Benedetti at 814-238-4895, dab12@outreach.psu.edu; or Amy Neil at 814-865-7600, aen4@outreach.psu.edu
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.
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