Whatever it's called, the institution, with administrative offices in Salt Lake City and academic offices in Denver, appears to be learning from its own life experience. Last year, it changed its middle name, from Western Virtual University, in an effort to make clear that about one-third of the nation's governors, Republicans and Democrats, from states as diverse as Arizona and North Dakota, had thrown their political muscle behind the project. This is happening because it's an idea that is right and the market is demanding it. At the same time, the governors' involvement has prompted criticism, even in their home states. Earlier this year, Utah's State Board of Regents, which oversees higher education, complained that neither Leavitt nor anyone else had briefed them on the project's progress or potential impact on the state's other schools.
Corporate contributions are another target.
Sponsors, along with other corporations, will use WGU as the conduit for their own online courses, such as the Novell Inc. classes for certification in NetWare engineering. Without the corporations' help, supporters say, the project would have remained merely an intriguing discussion topic at a governors' meeting. But corporate involvement in distance-learning initiatives remains a lightning rod for faculty complaints nationwide. Faculty at Toronto's York University and University of California at Los Angeles have protested programs at their own schools launched in partnership with private companies. WGU supporters disagree.