Matt Gomez, CollegisEduprise
Wednesday
April 3, 8:11 am Eastern Time
Press Release
MAITLAND, Fla. & NOTRE DAME, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April
3, 2002--
Satellite
Theological Education Program (STEP) delivers online religious
education to pastoral ministers across the United States
A
preeminent U.S. Catholic higher education institution has turned
to technology to address key religious education issues and promote
theology beyond its American heartland campus borders.
The
University of Notre Dame will commit more than half a million
dollars over three years toward
instructional technology investments for enhancing a pastoral
distance education program through the help of CollegisEduprise,
the leading technology services provider to higher education.
The agreement includes Application Service Provider (ASP) support
for WebCT, instructional training, course development, and strategic
services focused on return on investment (ROI) measurement and
program management.
Administrators
and educators at The Institute for Church Life (ICL) of the University
of Notre Dame, which brokered the agreement, seek to advance the
Institute's mission for ``teaching, research and service to society
and to the larger church'' through enhancement of its Satellite
Theological Education Program (STEP). ICL believes this ``theology
through technology'' venture will enrich the broader church community
through improved access to quality religious reference materials
and respected instruction in the proud Notre Dame tradition.
The
enhanced STEP program will build on the Notre Dame brand by offering
theological education to pastoral ministers and lay persons via
digital resources, including an online lecture series by famous
Catholic leaders and theologians via the World Wide Web. STEP,
which is in its third year of operation, hopes to increase enrollments
and exposure to theology while generating revenues for ICL through
the CollegisEduprise partnership. The online certificate program
will offer religious, academic and spiritual coursework content
created by Notre Dame and delivered through CollegisEduprise and
its coursework management partners.
The
pastoral programs address demand within worldwide Catholic communities
for greater access to the rich traditions of the Catholic Church.
In the United States alone, almost half of the nearly 200 Catholic
archdioceses and dioceses (regions) do not have a Catholic college
or university within their diocesan boundaries. Catholics in these
areas often depend upon outside experts --such as Notre Dame's
Institute for Church Life -- to assist in training their priests,
lay ministers and volunteer workers.
Select
e-Courses available through STEP include: An Introduction to Sacraments;
The American Catholic Experience; Eucharist: Source and Summit
of the Christian Life; The Christian Conscience and Ethical Dilemmas;
and Biblical Literary Forms in the Gospels. ICL leaders also envision
increased access to digital learning assets, such as electronic
versions of religious texts and ancient scripture, through this
technology services relationship with CollegisEduprise.
``We're
employing new technology resources through CollegisEduprise to
continue our traditional work of education, evangelization and
spiritual development,'' said Tom Cummings, director of STEP.
``The methods are new and the means of delivery may be different,
but our teaching is consistent and our traditions and beliefs
have stood the test of time.''
CollegisEduprise,
which is a secular privately held corporation, serves more than
110 higher education clients nationwide, more than 10 percent
of which are Catholic institutions.
``Because
of their traditional focus on higher learning and academic integrity,
Catholic colleges and universities are attractive outlets for
learning technology development and deployment among students,
faculty and staff,'' said Tom Huber, president and CEO of CollegisEduprise.
``Our efforts to advance that proud tradition are empowered by
the spirit of each institution and its strategic commitment to
excellence through innovation and an investment in faith and focus
on academic reward.''
Other
Catholic institutions served by CollegisEduprise include Loyola
Marymount University (Calif.); Boston College (Mass.); Seton Hall
University (N.J.); Benedictine University (Ill.); Regis University
(Colo.); Notre Dame de Namur University (Calif.); Saint Leo University
(Fla.); St. Thomas University (Fla.); College of Mount St. Vincent
(N.Y.), Immaculata College (Pa.), and St. John Fisher College
(N.Y.).
About
CollegisEduprise, Inc.
CollegisEduprise,
Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive business, technology
and curriculum services to higher education. Founded in 1986,
CollegisEduprise links administrative and academic goals through
strategic vision and implementation. CollegisEduprise clients
achieve dramatic returns on investments in technology by leveraging
corporate expertise and economies of scale to realize financial,
strategic and operational value on campus and online. Visit the
CollegisEduprise Web site at http://www.collegis.com.
About
University of Notre Dame
The
University of Notre Dame is a Catholic academic community of higher
learning, founded in 1842 by Rev. Edward Sorin and animated from
its origins by the Congregation of Holy Cross. Notre Dame is an
independent, national Catholic university located in Notre Dame,
Ind., and ranks third nationally among major universities in the
graduation rate of all students. The Institute for Church Life
(ICL) of the University of Notre Dame exists as an integral component
of the University's larger mission of teaching, research, and
service to society and to the Church. Through its resources, projects,
and affiliate centers the Institute reaches out to the whole spectrum
of Church leaders -- its bishops, clergy, religious, and laity
-- to provide training and service as well as opportunities for
spiritual rejuvenation and personal growth. Visit the University
of Notre Dame Web site at http://www.nd.edu.
Contact:
CollegisEduprise
Matt Gomez, 407/660-1199, ext. 2504; cell: 407/421-9365
mgomez@collegis.com
