Frequently Asked Questions
Page address: http://www.mnsu.edu/ap/faq.htmlWho is Academic Partnerships?
For more than 20 years, the founders of Academic Partnerships have devoted their lives to increasing access to high-quality instruction, supporting educators and helping students succeed. In 2005, they focused exclusively on post-secondary education, believing in its most profound impact on people’s futures. As institutions outgrew the physical capacity of their campuses, distance learning was added to accommodate the surging demand for higher education in the region. Academic Partnerships helps universities achieve and go beyond their goals in online program development, student marketing and recruitment, and student retention through graduation.
Academic Partnerships works with 50+ public universities to enable them to achieve their online program goals, and recruits students (working professionals) in target markets and from a growing network of 3,000+ employer partners.
Why is Minnesota State Mankato considering working with an organization such as Academic Partnerships?
Minnesota State Mankato is exploring a partnership with an organization such as Academic Partnerships for several reasons important to our University, including:
- To meet increasing professional demand and standards in selected fields or professions, and to serve working professionals who need additional education in high demand fields
- To provide an infrastructure and a business model, as requested and articulated by some departments or programs through our Integrated Academic Planning Process, to grow their extended education and online programs
- To provide a solution and remove barriers for essential clinical placements and student experiences, through new and expanded partnerships with healthcare, business, and educational entities
- To increase enrollment, retention, and completion, important to our University’s growth and sustainability
- To increase our capacity and expertise in key areas for growing extended education and serving new students, such as working professionals who currently are unable to enroll in campus-based programs
- To expand professional development opportunities and research support for faculty, such as Academic Partnerships faculty research grants and online teaching and learning resources
- To be the lead institution in Minnesota and the region in capturing a growing population of qualified and diverse students in high-demand programs
What are the academic degree programs or departments that are being
considered for participation in this opportunity?
Organizations
such as Academic Partnerships’ partners with universities to meet national high
demand for foundational programs. Minnesota State Mankato is considering a pilot
in the area of healthcare (RN to BS Nursing).
With faculty, department,
and college consultation and support, potential future areas may include
additional programs in healthcare (FNP, DNP), education (MEd), and business
(MBA).
What are the key functions or services that an
organization, such as Academic Partnerships, will provide? And what does the
University continue to provide?
Academic Partnerships’ primary
mission is to help partner universities – primarily public universities – expand
access and affordability to high-quality higher education through online
delivery of instruction. To achieve this mission, Academic Partnerships’ core
competencies or functions are:
- Academic Services (instructional design assistance, ‘carousel building’ course delivery, faculty support and research grant opportunities, etc.)
- Marketing and Student Recruitment (traditional, digital and field marketing; data analytics and search engine optimization; creative content, website/landing pages, and copywriting; employer-based partnerships, etc.)
- Student Retention (retention campaigns, engagement strategies, analytics, academic coaching, etc.)
- Partner Integration and Technology Support (systems integration, process optimization, project management)
However, Academic Partnerships’ comprehensive services will be customized to
meet our University’s unique needs and goals.
Minnesota State Mankato
roles and strengths remain with the University, and specifically any item that
has an impact on academic and program quality, including:
- Admission standards
- Admission decisions
- Program curriculum
- Instruction
- Conferral of grades and degrees
- Intellectual property
Will I have an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed partnership with an organization such as Academic Partnerships?
Campus Information & Listening Sessions are scheduled for Tuesday,
January 19, 2016 from 10:00 – 11:30 am in Ostrander Auditorium; and Friday,
January 29, 2016 from 10:30 – 12:00 noon in Ostrander Auditorium. Opportunities
for online comment and feedback will be available at
http://www.mnsu.edu/ap/
What is the role of sub-meets, such as the University Extended
Education, Planning, Assessment & Evaluation, and Budget in consultation and
decision-making?
The University Extended Education, Planning,
and Assessment & Evaluation Sub-Meets are an important part of our shared
governance process. The Sub-Meets have a collaborative role in helping to guide
and shape our University’s directions and decision-making. Therefore, each of
these sub-meets will participate in consultation, planning, and decision-making
around a potential partnership and pilot with an organization such as Academic
Partnerships in the specific areas related to their respective role and
responsibilities.
How does a potential partnership with an
organization such as Academic Partnerships connect with Charting the Future
for a Prosperous Minnesota and our new Academic Master Plan 2015 - 2018?
A potential pilot with an organization such as Academic Partnerships aligns
with and is placed within the context of the core commitments articulated within
Charting the Future for a Prosperous Minnesota:
- Ensure access to an extraordinary education for all Minnesotans
- Be the partner of choice to meet Minnesota’s workforce and community needs
- Deliver to students, employers, communities and taxpayers the highest value/most affordable higher education option
Additionally, in our Integrated Academic Master Planning Process,
departments, programs, and faculty were asked to identify academic programs for
growth as well as those for potential partnerships and extended education, which
are articulated in the published Academic Master Plan 2015 – 2018
launched in August 2015.
What is the time frame and process for
consultation and decision-making on a proposed partnership with an organization
such as Academic Partnerships?
A partnership with an
organization such as Academic Partnerships will be multi-faceted, with
opportunities and considerations for all divisions of the University and
bargaining units. To assure broad consultation, while proceeding with due
diligence, multiple activities will occur simultaneously over the next few
months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr) to determine the feasibility of a partnership.
Examples of activities in this consultative process will include: information
shared at Meet and Confer; Campus Information & Listening Sessions;
site visits by Academic Partnerships staff on matters such as technology
integration; and system level consultation on a proposed agreement. This time
frame and process for consultation is anticipated to enable decision-making by
the end of the Spring 2016 semester.
What is the general process in place to engage bargaining units and for securing answers to questions poised from bargaining units and others?
Besides the Sub Meet & Confer process, there will be work groups launched to
explore Academic Partnerships in a more in-depth manner and to seek answers to
questions posed from the bargaining units and others. Current identified work
group areas include: Academic Model Work Group, Recruitment & Admissions Work
Group, Persistence & Completion Work Group, and IT Data/ Field Mapping
Requirements Work Group.
What type of experience would a student
have who enrolled in a program supported by an organization such as Academic
Partnerships?
A student enrolled in a program would receive ongoing communications via phone, text and email throughout completion of the program. Examples of interactions include:
- Screening student qualifications for admission
- Application walk-through
- Deadline reminders
- Support in document collection and submission
- Assistance in post-acceptance registration
- Help with first-course preparations
In addition, Academic Partnerships provides a student support model, which
pairs a dedicated Student Success Coordinator with students for the duration of
the degree program.
If a decision is made to pursue a third party
vendor such as Academic Partnerships how will the RFP be created and processed?
Criteria will be developed to address expectations and responsibilities
around key components and areas such as Academic Services, Marketing and Student
Recruitment, Student Retention, and Partner Integration Support. RFPs of
significant value are vetted through the Planning Sub Meet and Confer. In
addition, the University needs approval from Minnesota State for service amounts over
$100,000. Once approval is received, FPC will send out RFP that is written up by
authorized representative from MSU. FPC will advertise and send out to suggested
vendors. RFP template:
http://www.mnsu.edu/fpurchas/templates/