University of Notre Dame Taps CollegisEduprise To Promote ``theology through technology"

Business Wire, April 3, 2002

Business Editors/Education Writers

MAITLAND, Fla. & NOTRE DAME, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2002

Satellite Theological Education Program (STEP) delivers online

religious education to pastoral ministers across the United States

A preeminent U.S. Catholic higher education institution has turned to technology to address key religious education issues and promote theology beyond its American heartland campus borders.

The University of Notre Dame will commit more than half a million dollars over three years toward instructional technology investments for enhancing a pastoral distance education program through the help of CollegisEduprise, the leading technology services provider to higher education. The agreement includes Application Service Provider (ASP) support for WebCT, instructional training, course development, and strategic services focused on return on investment (ROI) measurement and program management.

Administrators and educators at The Institute for Church Life (ICL) of the University of Notre Dame, which brokered the agreement, seek to advance the Institute's mission for "teaching, research and service to society and to the larger church" through enhancement of its Satellite Theological Education Program (STEP). ICL believes this "theology through technology" venture will enrich the broader church community through improved access to quality religious reference materials and respected instruction in the proud Notre Dame tradition.

The enhanced STEP program will build on the Notre Dame brand by offering theological education to pastoral ministers and lay persons via digital resources, including an online lecture series by famous Catholic leaders and theologians via the World Wide Web. STEP, which is in its third year of operation, hopes to increase enrollments and exposure to theology while generating revenues for ICL through the CollegisEduprise partnership. The online certificate program will offer religious, academic and spiritual coursework content created by Notre Dame and delivered through CollegisEduprise and its coursework management partners.

The pastoral programs address demand within worldwide Catholic communities for greater access to the rich traditions of the Catholic Church. In the United States alone, almost half of the nearly 200 Catholic archdioceses and dioceses (regions) do not have a Catholic college or university within their diocesan boundaries. Catholics in these areas often depend upon outside experts -- such as Notre Dame's Institute for Church Life -- to assist in training their priests, lay ministers and volunteer workers.

Select e-Courses available through STEP include: An Introduction to Sacraments; The American Catholic Experience; Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life; The Christian Conscience and Ethical Dilemmas; and Biblical Literary Forms in the Gospels. ICL leaders also envision increased access to digital learning assets, such as electronic versions of religious texts and ancient scripture, through this technology services relationship with CollegisEduprise.

"We're employing new technology resources through CollegisEduprise to continue our traditional work of education, evangelization and spiritual development," said Tom Cummings, director of STEP. "The methods are new and the means of delivery may be different, but our teaching is consistent and our traditions and beliefs have stood the test of time."

CollegisEduprise, which is a secular privately held corporation, serves more than 110 higher education clients nationwide, more than 10 percent of which are Catholic institutions.

"Because of their traditional focus on higher learning and academic integrity, Catholic colleges and universities are attractive outlets for learning technology development and deployment among students, faculty and staff," said Tom Huber, president and CEO of CollegisEduprise. "Our efforts to advance that proud tradition are empowered by the spirit of each institution and its strategic commitment to excellence through innovation and an investment in faith and focus on academic reward."

Other Catholic institutions served by CollegisEduprise include Loyola Marymount University (Calif.); Boston College (Mass.); Seton Hall University (N.J.); Benedictine University (Ill.); Regis University (Colo.); Notre Dame de Namur University (Calif.); Saint Leo University (Fla.); St. Thomas University (Fla.); College of Mount St. Vincent (N.Y.), Immaculata College (Pa.), and St. John Fisher College (N.Y.).

About CollegisEduprise, Inc.

CollegisEduprise, Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive business, technology and curriculum services to higher education. Founded in 1986, CollegisEduprise links administrative and academic goals through strategic vision and implementation. CollegisEduprise clients achieve dramatic returns on investments in technology by leveraging corporate expertise and economies of scale to realize financial, strategic and operational value on campus and online. Visit the CollegisEduprise Web site at www.collegiseduprise.com