Jones Int'l commencement

An article entitled "A Booster for Virtual Diplomas" in today's NY Times discusses the Jones International University 2002 commencement. The speaker is President Vincente Fox, whose address will be webcasted on May 13. According to the article, there are 34 graduating students (of a total student population of 2000, 100 of whom are from Mexico). Jones Int'l is actively pursuing the Mexican market, and its websites are available in both English and Spanish.

 

This is kind of bitter sweet.

On one hand, I like the "boost" that is represented by a head of state speaking at a commencement of an online school, but I still don't like the term "virtual diploma"

 

As long as they are not MIGS degrees it would be fine

 

Does make it sound like it is "almost a real" diploma. I suppose it is a transition that the academic world must undergo in order to appreciate the usefulness of DL.

clint

 

If the MIGS folks had played their cards better, perhaps Fox would have been their commencement speaker instead. Wouldn't that have been a spectacular coup! The fact that he is willing to tape a speech (and have his name associated with Jones) indicates that he's sympathetic at least to distance education.

 

Perhaps if Sheila would give him a personal invitation he may indeed speak. After all, she has been able to pull off some pretty unbelievable stunts.

 

The Jones International University commencement was held today. President Fox's presentation is available on the JIU website. He discusses the role of the internet in education within Mexico, and describes various relevant initiatives. The only transcript I could find is in Spanish. A few snippets:

• No obstante, una parte de nuestra población seguirá sin poder participar en el sistema de educación tradicional, debido a sus obligaciones diarias o a otros obstáculos, como el tiempo o la distancia. Es por eso que hemos incorporado planes para la educación virtual, el aprendizaje a través de Internet, en un ambicioso proyecto de $4 mil millones que hemos denominado e-México.
  
  El primer paso para hacer que el aprendizaje virtual se convierta en una realidad universal para los mexicanos es muy importante: la construcción de un puente capaz de atravesar la "línea divisoria digital" que existe en mi país hoy en día, particularmente en las áreas rurales.
  
  ...
  
  Otra alianza, de la cual he tenido el agrado de enterarme recientemente, es la que existe entre nuestras respectivas almas mater, Jones International University y la Universidad Iberoamericana, que están trabajando en colaboración para ofrecer los programas de maestrías de JIU en México. Ésta es una excelente oportunidad para que los estudiantes mexicanos puedan participar en el intercambio de ideas y perspectivas culturales con los estudiantes de Jones International de todo el mundo.

 

What Presidente Fox failed to mention was that Universidad Iberoamericana is fully committed to its cooperative project with Jones International University, and is investing considerable resources to what has been designated as Proyecto Co-Jones.

 

Groan!!

 

21 May 2002 press release: Jones International University, Universidad Iberoamericana Team to Bring Online Graduate Degree Programs to Mexico.