SUNY joins WebCT’s global customer network of more than 2,300 institutions worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, WebCT will provide SUNY with a full course management solution for three years, including a WebCT license, implementation consulting services, technical support and faculty and administration training. The contract may be renewed for up to two additional three-year terms.

As part of its commitment to the agreement, SUNY will facilitate regional informational meetings targeted to a variety of stakeholders, ranging from faculty interested in using the WebCT software to enhance their courses, to the staff that support technology integration, to campus administrators who decide how such tools fit within their institutions' missions. SUNY will also provide updates to campuses on the options included in the agreement and will do so through a variety of face-to-face and web-based forums.

State University provost Dr. Peter D. Salins said, "As university faculty increasingly put their course materials and communication online, it is important that we encourage the adoption of the best kind of software tools that make this possible. WebCT is one of the most widely used course management systems in the e-learning universe. Therefore, I am very pleased our agreement will allow the SUNY campuses to make this available for their faculty."

"WebCT, as a company, has shown remarkable flexibility and the patience and determination to put together an agreement that reflects what SUNY required. We applaud their efforts to accommodate our needs,” said Eric E. Fredericksen, assistant provost for advanced learning technology.

“WebCT is pleased to expand its long-standing relationship with the State University of New York,” said Carol A. Vallone, president and chief executive officer of WebCT. “SUNY's national leadership in online learning is demonstrated by the SUNY Learning Network program which is the ‘gold standard’ of distance learning programs and a model for other state systems of higher education to emulate. We look forward to working with SUNY to build an equally robust e-learning system infrastructure across its 64 campuses.”

"It is anticipated that many campuses will use WebCT to enhance their classroom-based instruction through the creation of “hybrid” courses which combine online learning resources with face-to-face instruction.”

Summing up the usefulness of WebCT for enhancing the classroom, Virginia Goately, associate professor of reading in the School of Education at the State University of New York at Albany said, "WebCT is an extremely useful tool for keeping in contact with students throughout the semester between class meetings. The bulletin board allows us to continue our discussions during the week, rather than waiting for the next class to share an idea from the readings. I also set up small group discussion areas for certain students to discuss a book of their choice. When we discuss an idea in class and students want more information, WebCT is a great place to share this information by using links to web sites, uploading handouts for students, or posting references for further reading. Students appreciate the various features of WebCT, including an internal e-mail system to easily contact me, a calendar that clearly lists course readings and assignments, an area to post handouts and additional information about course topics, and a place to check on grades for course projects. I also find that WebCT is a valuable and easy way for my graduate students, who are primarily classroom teachers, to learn how to use this technology (e.g., e-mail, bulletin boards, chat rooms). They appreciate the opportunity to learn these tools and to think about how they might use this technology with their own students."

About WebCT
WebCT is the world's leading provider of integrated e-learning systems for higher education. More than 2,300 colleges and universities in 77 countries worldwide are using WebCT’s products and services to transform the educational experience of their students. Consortia in 23 American states, four Canadian provinces, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the French National Center for Distance Learning and the Japanese National Institute of Multimedia Education (NIME) have licensed WebCT for their member institutions, making it the de facto standard in higher education. More information about WebCT can be found at www.webct.com.

About State University of New York
The State University of New York is a unified statewide system of 64 campuses, committed to serving New York with pride and academic excellence. It includes 30 community colleges, five residential campuses that comprise the University Colleges of Technology, five specialized colleges, five partnership colleges, 13 arts and sciences colleges, four research universities and two academic health centers. The nation’s largest comprehensive system of higher education, the State University enrolls more than 382,000 students. More information can be found at http://www.suny.edu

For More Information, Contact:
Karen Gage
karen.gage@webct.com eric
781/309-1147

Eric Fredericksen
fredericksen@sln.suny.edu
WebCT SUNY
518/443-5166

Brenda Wheeler
Wheeler Baird Group
973-762-8683
brenda@wheelerbaird.com