eCollege Selected as Enterprise-Wide eLearning Solution for TCU
eCollege Wins Bid Based on Extensive Analysis of Products, Services and Total Cost
DENVER – May 22, 2002 – eCollege [Nasdaq: ECLG], the leading provider of technology and services for online higher education programs, today announced it has been chosen as the enterprise-wide eLearning solution for Texas Christian University’s distance and on-campus programs. eCollege currently powers two online master’s programs for TCU. Through this extended partnership, eCollege will support additional online degree programs for TCU’s distance students, as well as provide online course supplements to all of TCU’s on-campus students.
“Our faculty members were using various software applications across campus, and we saw a need to simplify all of our eLearning initiatives on a single platform,” said Dr. Leo W. Munson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Support. “We challenged vendors well-known in the industry on several critical issues, including student and faculty help desk support, training, hosting, reliability, accessibility and cost. Not only does eCollege provide superior technology and a level of service its competitors cannot match, its pay-as-you-grow pricing approach proved to be the most cost effective way to expand our program.”
TCU’s online Master’s of Liberal Arts and Master’s of Science in Nursing/Clinical Nurse Specialist degree programs currently secure approximately 250 student enrollments per year. TCU plans to offer additional online degree and professional development programs through the eCollege platform in the future; and will also make online course supplements available to all of its 400 faculty who serve 8,000 full-time on-campus students.
“TCU has built a very successful online program that continues to grow year after year,” said Oakleigh Thorne, chairman and CEO of eCollege. “In budgeting for the growth of its eLearning initiative both on-campus and online, TCU conducted an extensive cost analysis. Its administration concluded that our enterprise-wide solution, which includes all of the software, infrastructure and support services necessary for a thriving program, was the best option based on our predictable pricing model and total cost of ownership.”
About Texas Christian University
Established in 1873 by Addison and Randolph Clark in Thorp Spring, Texas, TCU was originally known as AddRan Male and Female College. In 1895 the college was relocated to Waco where the name was changed to Texas Christian University. The university moved to its current location in Fort Worth in 1910. TCU is a prominent private university recognized for its global perspective, diverse and supportive learning community, commitment to research and creative discovery and emphasis on leadership development. TCU values academic achievement, personal freedom and integrity, the dignity and respect of the individual and a heritage of inclusiveness, tolerance and service. For more information on the online programs, visit http://tcuglobal.edu/.
About eCollege
eCollege [Nasdaq: ECLG] is the leading eLearning technology and services provider to educational markets. eCollege designs, builds and supports high quality online degree, certificate/diploma and professional development programs for colleges, universities, school districts and state departments of education. eCollege’s clients include such institutions as National University; University of Massachusetts Amherst; University of Colorado; Drexel University; DeVry University, Inc.; New England College of Finance; and the Kentucky Virtual High School. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Denver. For more information, visit www.eCollege.com.
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the securities laws. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks. Actual results may differ materially. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our customers’ ability to achieve successful online programs; our network infrastructure and computer systems failing; substantial and increasing competition in the online education market; and such other factors as are discussed in our most recent Form 10-K Annual Report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which you are encouraged to review in connection with this release. We believe that these forward-looking statements are reasonable, however, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date of this release. We are not obligated to publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.
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