KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee said Tuesday that it was partnering with Arizona State University to try expanding access to higher education.
According to a release from UT, Chancellor Donde Plowman spoke with ASU President Michael Crow about the partnership during an annual summit. It said as part of the partnership, the universities would share resources and their best practices, "utilizing their collective expertise in a digital format."
The partnership is specifically aimed at growing online education, offering programs for people who can't participate in traditional campus settings. They can include working adults with families, unable to take time out of the day to attend class.
"It aims to empower learners on their educational journey and address the evolving needs of the workforce. Nearly 1 million people in Tennessee have some college credit but no degree," the release said.
It said the partnership would include course exchanges, "joint technology solution efforts" and operational advisory services from ASU. UT also said with the partnership, it expects to launch additional programs later in the fall, with more expected to launch in 2025.
"And what it's really going to do is enable us to accelerate our entry into providing online programs for all of the Tennesseeans, adult learners who have some college credit but no degrees — people for whom the residential experience on this beautiful campus really is impossible," said John Zomchick, provost at UT.
He said UT is especially hoping to develop online programs for undergraduates and is looking to launch five more online programs in the coming year.
He said degrees would still be from UT, but students in online programs may sometimes take a course offered by ASU faculty as part of their degree program.
