First outlined by President Graham Spanier in his 1996 State of the University Address, the World Campus has progressed from idea to reality in less than two years, as a result of the efforts of faculty in lead academic colleges and staff members in Distance Education and Continuing Education, the Center for Academic Computing and other University support units.
Distance education gives the adult learner more flexibility over the time and place of study.
It is a way to enhance access to our extraordinary faculty expertise to school children and to adults who need more education to keep pace with their changing work environment. Through this approach, we anticipate propelling Penn State's expertise not only to every citizen of Pennsylvania, but potentially to new students globally. In January 1998, the World Campus became a reality when the course Introduction to Turfgrass Management enrolled its first students. A few weeks later, the first class in a four-course certificate program in Noise Control Engineering was launched, followed by a course in the postbaccalaureate certificate program in Chemical Dependency Counseling. It is much more than a collection of courses available through the World Wide Web and multimedia-based technologies.