Introduction

An examination of Distance, Continuing, and Executive (DCE) education at the University of Florida is timely for reasons that relate to forces both external and internal to the university. The external reasons attach directly to the information technology (IT) revolution. No business or university can survive in an "e-world" if it does not provide high-quality IT services. A computer on every desk, high-speed access to the Internet and World Wide Web, hand-held and wireless multifunctional devices, and digital everything are now part of the global communication landscape. These external forces present organizational and fiscal challenges for universities but they also create important opportunities. With delivery platforms such as two-way video and the Internet, we can now reach nontraditional students as effectively as traditional students. We can provide life-long learners and working professionals with updated courses, continuing education credits, first degrees, or advanced degrees. Enormous investments in IT enable us to look beyond campus for new and/or improved ways to achieve our most ambition educational goals. Historically, nontraditional education was accomplished through divisions of continuing education. Distant students, life-long learners, and working professionals found their access to university curricula largely through correspondence courses or synchronous courses delivered off-campus. Two decades of advances in IT have all but eliminated the need for these approaches. To keep pace with change and to continue to serve the needs of our constituents, the UF Division of Continuing Education (DOCE) has adapted by improving the service delivery and its IT infrastructure. Like DOCE, some UF academic units (e.g., the College of Engineering, College of Business Administration, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences) have long histories of delivering distance and continuing education. The ability to deliver courses and even degrees over the Internet has challenged us to look beyond our usual student markets.

It was in this environment that former President Lombardi and Provost Capaldi developed two central administrative units, Florida Campus Direct (FCD) and the University of Florida office of Executive Education (UFExec). Both were designed to help address increasing demand and to expand our presence in the state, nation, and world. 

There are no clear divisions of responsibilities for UF's DCE education units and no apparent differences in the way that they interface with colleges and departments. Any lines that may once have existed between them in the development and funding of Distance, Continuing, and Executive education functions are no longer relevant. Furthermore, distinctions between DCE education and traditional education in general have blurred as computer-assisted and web-based instruction have increased.

The delivery of quality education is a fundamental goal of UF. That goal applies whether one is delivering a traditional class for on-campus students, a videotaped lecture for either on- or off-campus students, or a course that is only for off-campus students. This is not to say that Distance, Continuing, and Executive education are in no ways different from traditional education. There are distinctions when the courses are "off-book," not-for-credit, or not-for-degrees. These attributes make them nontraditional but they do not make them unimportant. Indeed, whenever the university enrolls a student located any place and for any purpose, our obligations are the same. We need to provide the same quality educational product and the same level of support services for all students. Make no mistake, however, the infrastructure necessary to produce quality Distance, Continuing, and Executive education is expensive. This is why it is important to approach new ventures in Distance, Continuing, and Executive education with the same care that we use to develop any on-campus course or program. We must start with clearly articulated academic goals and assess available resources with consideration to both market demand and market risk. We should undertake new programs only if they are consistent with our academic mission and goals, advance the reputation of the university, and are based on a plan that is financially sound.