On behalf of the University of North Dakota, I want to commend the Bismarck Tribune for writing about an often overlooked, sometimes misunderstood, yet essential component of universities, distance education. Mayville State University is to be congratulated for recently receiving a federal grant that will enable further development of online courses. Although online courses are a new concept, since the inception of the Internet, distance education itself is not new but has been ingrained in North Dakota's tradition for nearly 100 years.

In 1911, the University of North Dakota began offering correspondence courses and extension lectures. Over the years, the number of offerings has grown to 29 degree and certificate programs offered at a distance by the division of continuing education of UND, in cooperation with the academic colleges. Just this past week, the State Board of Higher Education approved three additional programs for delivery at a distance by UND, including graduate certificates in policy analysis and public administration as well as a master of science with a major in nursing.

Programs and courses are offered at a distance in a variety of formats, including: online, IVN (interactive video network), correspondence, face-to-face at off-campus sites or a combination of modalities. Among this list is the UND Bismarck Center. Located on the Bismarck State College campus, the UND Bismarck Center has been serving students in the area for nearly 31 years. Today in Bismarck, the university offers 28 degree options from the degree of bachelor of business administration with a major in information systems to the doctorate in teaching and learning with an emphasis in higher education. The University also operates UND Fargo Outreach.

The number of distance education enrollments at UND has grown to more than 6,500 for the 2005-06 academic year. A recent report jointly created by the Midwest Higher Education Compact and the Sloan Consortium reveals that nationally nearly 3.2 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2005 term. Midwestern states alone represent nearly 15 percent of online enrollments, with more than 460,000 students taking at least one online course in fall 2005.

According to Robert Larson, director of North Dakota University System Online, there has been a 25 percent increase in enrollments at the 11 North Dakota University System institutions from the fall 2006 to the spring 2007 term.

In a rural state such as North Dakota, distance education is an integral part of the university system, often serving as the only opportunity individuals have for obtaining a university degree. As the stated numbers indicate and as evidenced by the growth of for-profit providers, distance education fast is becoming a prominent source of higher education. Thus, it is imperative to inform North Dakota residents that UND, along with other members of the NDUS, are committed to offering distance education programs and courses of only the highest quality.

(Riedy started work as UND's dean of outreach programs on June 18. - Editor)