The first telecourse was offered on cable television in the spring of 1979. In 1995 the associate of arts transfer degree became available via distance learning, and in the summer of 1996 the first on-line course was offered. From the beginning the college has placed an emphasis on high-quality teaching and has encouraged and rewarded faculty innovation. Since 1973 the college has been a member of the League for Innovation in the Community College , a consortium of community colleges committed to stimulate experimentation and innovation in all areas of community college development. International students have been admitted to Lane since 1966 and currently comprise three percent of the student body.
Students are at the center of the college s mission.
Process Redesign Project was begun in 1996 to review services to students and recommend ways to make them more cost effective, efficient and student oriented. A continuing education program offering hundreds of noncredit courses to the community has been part of the college since it was founded. Adult Basic and Secondary Education programs such as the Adult High School, Adult Basic Skills Development, Adults with Special Needs, and English as a Second Language serve the needs of adults in the community. Responding to the changing economy of Lane County, Lane established the Dislocated Worker Program in 1983 to provide training and job search assistance to residents who lost their jobs due to changes in the economy. The Transitions to Success program, established in 1987, assists displaced homemakers, single parents and other women in transition to become economically self-sufficient through access to education, training and employment.