Athabasca University: Revised Mission Statement recognizes National Role in Learning

A solid track record in bringing quality education to the learner’s location has earned Athabasca University increasing numbers of students as well as an ever-extending reputation and role beyond provincial boundaries.

The summer 1999 Athabasca University newsletter Bridging the Distance announced the new mission statement approved by the Government of Alberta and recognizing the national role the University now plays. The statement begins: “Athabasca University is a board-governed open university committed, through distance education, to increasing accessibility in Alberta, throughout Canada, and internationally to university-level study, and to meeting the educational needs of the workplace.”

Further, the article notes that Athabasca has enhanced its national role through a strategic alliance with Quebec's Tele-universite. The agreement allows AU to offer students access to a bilingual or francophone university education while the Tele-universite offers its students access to programs in English. The course offerings increased by almost 50 per cent virtually overnight!

If you’ve wondered about the popularity of distance learning at the university level, wonder no longer. The newsletter goes on to report that AU's student population has increased by more than 17 per cent in the 1998-99 period, bringing total growth over the past three years to almost 50 per cent!

To learn more, link to http://www.athabascau.ca to access their newsletter Bridging the Distance.

Lethbridge Community College Enrollment Up

Applications for admission to Lethbridge Community College are up nearly 17% over last year reports the college's electronic publication News.