Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi and Texas Join SARA
SARA helps more states make distance education more accessible across state lines
Atlanta, GA — This week, Alabama, Georgia, Maryland,
Mississippi and Texas were approved by the Southern Regional
Education Board to join the State Authorization Reciprocity
Agreement (SARA). These states bring the number of participating
states to 34, with over half of the SREB states now participating
in SARA.
SARA is a nationwide initiative of states that makes distance
education courses more accessible to students across state lines
and makes it easier for states to regulate institutions and
institutions to participate in interstate distance education. The
effort is funded by a $3 million grant from Lumina Foundation,
$200,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and fees paid
by institutions.
“The state of Maryland is very fortunate to have a partnership
with the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement because it
affords increased opportunities for Marylanders to make right
decisions in their pursuit of quality education, both in state
and online. SARA’s exceptional quality control standards will
help assure equity in opportunity for all students on the
continuum of college and workforce readiness,” said Jennie
Hunter-Cevera, acting secretary of higher education. “The
Maryland Higher Education Commission’s decision to become a part
of SARA was strategically the right thing to do in this era of
doing more with less, to ensure the delivery of high-quality,
rigorous and relevant instruction.”
SARA makes it easier for states to regulate interstate distance
education, and it eliminates approval costs for colleges and
universities that are often passed to students. Institutions in
the five newly approved SARA states may now join the
clearinghouse through the reciprocity agreements.
“Increasing the number of Mississippians with a credential of
value beyond high school is crucial for our citizens and our
state,” said Glenn F. Boyce, the state’s commissioner of higher
education. “Joining SARA puts a wealth of courses at the
fingertips of our students and eases the administrative burden on
our universities. This initiative will be extremely beneficial to
adult students, who are often place-bound and must manage classes
with employment and family responsibilities.”
“We are pleased that Mississippi will join in this effort to make
it easier for our institutions to participate in interstate
distance education,” said Harold Fisher, chair of the Mississippi
Commission on College Accreditation.
“Georgia educational leaders immediately recognized the value of
participating in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement,”
said Corinna Robinson, executive director for the Georgia
Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission. “The
University System [of Georgia], Technical College System [of
Georgia], Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission and the
Georgia Independent College Association collaborated to provide
the necessary framework within the state. Each system
realizes that joining SARA is a win-win situation for our
students. We anticipate possible cost savings and a wider
range of access to programs and degrees. SARA advances
these objectives.”
“SARA increases access to education especially for adult students
who juggle other responsibilities when they return to complete
degrees,” SREB President Dave Spence said. “Education remains
critical to state goals to increase college completion rates and
build a better-educated workforce.”
“The availability of an excellent education has been expanded
through distance learning and this added tool of membership in
the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement,” said Gregory G.
Fitch, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher
Education. “The Alabama Commission on Higher Education always has
advocated utilizing every available resource to keep pace with
the ever-changing structure of an educational delivery system.
The state’s partnership with the regional compact and National
SARA Council will benefit Alabama’s citizens and our institutions
in dealing with the competitive nature of offering higher
education.”
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The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity
Agreements (NC-SARA) is a voluntary, regional approach
to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. The
initiative is administered by the country’s four regional higher
education compacts (MHEC, NEBHE, SREB and WICHE) and is overseen
by NC-SARA. Participating states and institutions operate under
common standards and procedures, providing a uniform and less
costly regulatory environment for institutions, more focused
oversight responsibilities for states and better resolution of
student complaints. http://www.nc-sara.org
The Midwestern Higher Education Compact is a
nonprofit regional organization assisting Midwestern states in
advancing higher education through interstate cooperation and
resource sharing. MHEC seeks to fulfill its interstate mission
through programs that expand postsecondary opportunity and
success; promote innovative approaches to improving institutional
and system productivity; improve affordability to students and
states; and enhance connectivity between higher education and the
workplace. Member states include: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota,
Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. www.mhec.org
The New England Board of Higher Education
promotes greater educational opportunities and services for New
England residents. It works across the six New England states to
engage and assist leaders in the assessment, development and
implementation of sound education practices and policies of
regional significance; promote policies, programs and best
practices to assist the states in implementing important regional
higher education policies; promote regional cooperation and
programs that encourage the efficient use and sharing of
educational resources; and provide leadership to strengthen the
relationship between higher education and the economic well-being
of New England. www.nebhe.org
The Southern Regional Education Board works with
16 member states to improve public education at every level, from
pre-K through Ph.D. SREB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization
headquartered in Atlanta. SREB states participate in SREB’s
Electronic Campus Regional Reciprocity Agreement, and SREB is
working closely with SARA to expand reciprocity nationwide.
Member states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West
Virginia. www.sreb.org
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher
Education and its 16 members work collaboratively to
expand educational access and excellence for all citizens of the
West. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing and
sound public policy among states and institutions, WICHE
strengthens higher education’s contributions to the region’s
social, economic and civic life. WICHE’s members include: Alaska,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington,
Wyoming and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (the
first of the U.S. Pacific territories and freely associated
states to participate). www.wiche.edu
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private
foundation committed to increasing the proportion of Americans
with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to
60 percent by 2025. Lumina’s outcomes-based approach focuses on
helping to design and build an equitable, accessible, responsive
and accountable higher education system while fostering a
national sense of urgency for action to achieve Goal 2025.
www.luminafoundation.org