College administrators and corporate representatives testified at a Capitol Hill hearing earlier this month to support easing regulations governing distance education.  Witnesses at the March 4 hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions identified the expansion of distance education programs as helpful to maintaining a strong, skilled workforce in a competitive, global economy.

Charles Bohlen, president of Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyo., called for a repeal of the "50 percent rule," which withholds Title IV funds from schools whose distance courses comprise over half of their offerings or that have more than half of their students enrolled in such courses.  The Internet "has made the delivery of post-secondary education more flexible and available," said Bohlen, particularly for working adults in rural areas of the country like Wyoming.

Others discussed partnerships between community colleges and industries, the need for worker retention and adjustments in student loans.  Diana Oblinger, executive director of higher education at the Microsoft Corporation, pressed for more technology-based learning, noting that as the "Net generation" enters college, there will naturally be a greater reliance on information technology as an educational tool.

The AFT, however, is opposed to repealing the 50 percent rule. "Higher education has a key role to play in workforce development," said AFT lobbyist Gabriella Gomez.  "However, using distance education as a primary means of meeting this need is troubling," as it may interfere with maintaining rigorous standards in education and weaken faculty’s academic control.  

The AFT will work with the relevant parties on ways to enhance the current workforce development programs, said Gomez, as the Senate considers reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Sens. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) were in attendance. [Brian Dolber]

[March 15, 2004]