For their part, Army officials hope that the program will help them recruit more soldiers. An initial contract will be awarded this fall to a college, company, or consortium that can set up the technology to deliver the courses. Soldiers would then be able to choose from among the courses offered by the subcontracting colleges. He says he hopes to involve many institutions in the new program in order to offer soldiers the widest possible selection of courses. Under current policy, the government pays 75 percent of the tuition cost, and each soldier pays the remaining 25 percent.
Administrators say they plan to compete aggressively for even a small piece of the action.
The announcement has drawn such widespread interest because of the amount of money involved, and because the Army's huge pool of potential students is perceived to represent a bonanza for colleges looking to either create or expand online offerings. Because the program could involve dozens of partners, and will presumably be in place for at least the next few years, colleges at just about any stage in the process of developing online courses could vie for the Army's business. But distance-education leaders caution that as more details about the program emerge, some administrators and company officials may realize that the fit is not perfect. And all parties involved in the discussion agree that the new program will require unusual flexibility by both the Army and higher-education institutions. The Army typically issues a request for proposals, or R.F.P., when choosing academic partners, and interested institutions respond with bids.