At the Jan. 18 meeting of the University Board of Trustees, there was a renewed sense of openness in its approach toward the Global Campus Partnership, the controversial plan calling for online courses to be made available to students of the three university campuses as well as those who are not. The first version of the plan, the Global Campus Initiative, was criticized by students and professors alike. The administration, acting responsibly, addressed the concerns by scrapping, revising or replacing some of the most contentious points of the plan, garnering broader support from both faculty and students. This is a welcome sign.

Under the new proposal, the courses would be designed by tenure-track faculty and taught by non tenure-track faculty, providing professional oversight absent in the previous version. It also calls the online curriculum a partnership among the three campuses instead of treating it as a separate entity instead of as another “campus” as originally proposed. Acknowledging lingering doubts that this is a profit-focused venture, the administration continues to assert that the primary goal of the program is to position the University as a leader in “educational innovation, quality, service and access.” It is hoped that these items, along with a “rigorous execution” of the academic and business plan, will give a credibility to the online classes that are similar to the normal courses offered on campus.

Regardless of the form it takes, this plan is a risky move for the University. Under current projections, 2010 would be the first year the program’s budget will show black ink if everything goes well. But success is not guaranteed. New York University and Cornell attempted similar projects in the late 1990s only to see their efforts falter. There is also concern about the value of the degree through the online curriculum, as well as worries that online degrees could devalue degrees from the three campuses.

But if the partnership succeeds, it could provide a much-needed source of revenue for the University. The University’s mission as a source of affordable education could be furthered, and the proceeds would also go far in retaining faculty, a problem in recent years, as well as addressing other pressing issues.

While the proposal has not been officially voted on, these recent developments prove that the University is welcoming diverse opinions in this endeavor. So long as this healthy environment of skepticism, deliberation and compromise continue, this initiative has a great chance for success.