University Corner: Strayer University
A: The beginning of Strayer education started back in 1892. The founder of the university was Dr. Irving Strayer, and the college’s name was Strayer Business College of Baltimore City. Since then we’ve built a reputation of solid academic excellence and student service. Over the next 115 years we expanded our educational programs and geographic reach. We now have campuses in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
In 1969 the school was renamed Strayer College when it received licensure to grant a Bachelor of Science degrees. Strayer received authorization to grant the Master of Science degree in 1987. In 1996 Strayer College was taken public to raise capital for expansion. That expansion was the creation of Strayer University’s Online Campus, which offers courses and degree programs via the Internet. In 1998 we were granted University status by the District of Columbia Education Licensure and Certification office. In 1998 we became Strayer University.
Q: How do you serve the military student?
A: We offer a military scholarship for active-duty personnel. Strayer offers this military scholarship up to $605 per class for a maximum of two courses per quarter for all active-duty military personnel enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses. The scholarship supplements the military Tuition Assistance program and other educational resources so that we offer 100 percent tuition coverage. Also, we waive the $50 application fee for military students. Our degree programs are offered online and on campuses. We are a member of SOC so it is easy for the service member to transfer credits.
Q: Can you tell me about your campuses? They seem to be all over the place. How many did you say you have?
A: Right now we have 51, and they are located as far north as Philadelphia, south as far as Florida and west to Memphis, Tenn. They are usually located in easyaccess areas, such as off major roadways. For the military student, there are CLEP and DANTES testing centers. Our campuses have learning resource centers, computer labs, libraries for research, and full business centers for any type of financial aid or other support service.
Q: How large a part of admissions is distance learning as opposed to on-campus?
A: Our student population is around 32,000. I’d say that they are almost even, but our distance learning programs have a little more at this point.
Q: What kind of student services do you have for distance learning students?
A: Every support service that is offered at the campuses is also offered online. We have a strong and dedicated military admissions team whose members are specifically trained in military issues such as tuition assistance and military benefits. They guide the military student in getting started with everything from filling out the application to enrollment. We have academic advisors to help military students put together a program and navigate through the many choices in core and specialized curricula in order to create a study plan to meet their career goals.
Our business office can help them with financial information and any other support services they need to succeed at Strayer University. Our online and campus learning resource centers offer an extensive collection of electronic and hard copy books, periodicals and other resources, and our professional librarians are available online to assist with research or other learning resource needs. We also maintain online and campus tutoring centers to help students who need a little extra assistance in areas like math and English. Our career development center helps guide them on their career path—with résumé writing, interviewing skills, etc.
Q: What challenges and opportunities do you see ahead for Strayer?
A: Opportunities—Strayer University offers a seamlessly integrated campus and online educational experience. Campus students may choose to take classes online at any time—or take a combination of online and campus courses at the same time. Online students can walk into any campus and take advantage of all of the resources offered there. As I’ve already mentioned, whatever services we offer at the campus are also offered online, and vice versa. We believe that today’s busy, working adults will continue to demand this level of service and flexibility.
Challenges—Our programs offer realworld skills in high-demand fields such as business, public administration, information technology, management, health services administration, education and more. We are always working to stay ahead of the market trends and offer relevant programs in an ever-changing marketplace. ♦
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