Although a self-described Jesuit conservative college,
Regis University is seeking to enhance its reputation worldwide through various local and global initiatives.
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Tom Robinson
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William Husson, vice president and academic dean for the School of Professional Studies, says the university is not new to expansion. Besides the main Denver campus, there are campuses in other states. Fifty percent of the Regis student population is taking classes online from 60 different countries.
Their many offshore programs are anything but cookie-cutter. For instance, Regis partners with the Republic of Ireland in a computer sciences program in Galway and with the United Kingdom in Ulster on international business management. In Belize, at St. Johns College, there is a two-plus-two program, supported by the government,which offers a bachelors degree by Regis.
Regis has partnered with the Ana G. Méndez University System in Puerto Rico to assess the effect of accelerated learning when conducted in Spanish. And it offers dual-language degree programs. There are other undertakings in Guatemala, Ecuador, Taiwan, the Philippines and elsewhere.
It has established relationships with local universities, governments and other partners, built its own bricks and mortar facilities and acquired existing colleges. Most programs offer students the opportunity to earn a degree in their native country and get the U.S. degree credential.
Apparently, the people at Regis think there’s plenty of opportunity to go ‘round for any college that would like to venture from their local stamping grounds. Their “New Ventures” consulting service is set to help other institutions develop accelerated degree completion programs for adult learners.
Husson says, “Regis is not-for-profit, but it's not-for-loss either.” All revenues from these and the stateside enterprises are channeled back into new ways to bring higher education to the populations that need it.
Tom Robinson is an editor of The Greentree Gazette and a consultant with higher education clients. Reach him at trobinson@greentreegazette.com.