UD is proposing an adult degree completion program. It will not move forward unless there is approval from the community. More information about the proposed program can be found here.
http://www.udallas.edu/adult-degree-completion
We are against the program for the following reasons:
1. The program does not include a clear admissions criteria. Without a strict admissions criteria (SAT, ACT, Essay, Recommendations), the program would erode the strength of existing the Constantin College. With such a program in effect, students would have difficulty selling their degree to prospective employers.
Admitting students without criteria establishes a for-profit paradigm like I.T.T. or Devry, which have student loan default rates over 30 percent. Many of those student fail to ever graduate as they did not have the necessary skills to complete the degree.
2. The program does not include the core curriculum, which is at
the heart of the University of Dallas. Watering down the University of Dallas' core
curriculum would erode the reason why students select the university. As a Great Books school, UD is unique and distinct among liberal arts universities.
(This petition is mobilizing on the energy gathered from the private facebook group which has over 2,225 members.)
(Please note faculty members may sign anonymously.) This petition will be shared with the President and the Board.
Updates
March 29, 2017
The administration remains silent despite the concerns we raised about the integrity of our core curriculum. Post the link to this petition on your Facebook page today to keep the pressure on. We need you to email your department representative and demand a meeting on these admissions standards immediately.
March 29, 2017
The momentum from our private group has spilled over and people are finally paying attention to the threat against our core curriculum. Now is the time to turn this energy into pressure by emailing your university representative today.
28 Comments
delete The University of Dallas has always been a unique place, those of us who had chosen UD did so knowing full well we would work much harder than our peers to receive our degrees, thanks in large part to UD's challenging core curriculum. Any type of change to the University of Dallas that would in any way cheapen the sacrifices we all had made to receive our degrees is unacceptable and is an insult to all of those who have received our degrees from the University of Dallas.
The UD core is what separates us from every other institution of higher education in this country. To consider offering degrees that do not require the core flies in the face of reason and responsible growth. Adult education is done well by several universities in the area. What makes you think UD can compete with those low cost programs, especially without a differentiating factor like the core? Fundraising, grant applications, and leadership who understand liberal arts.
New colleges have been proposed before as a way to fix our financial weakness. As both a Class of '91 alumnus and the father of 3 current students, I don't think we can believe this fixes what ails us when the previous forays did not fix it already. Fundraising is the solution. Fundraising. Fundraising, Fundraising.
We need to stick to the strategic plan and the agreed on protocols that the entire university worked on. This program not only goes against that plan, but also goes against UD's core identity and the entire reason why president Keefe was appointed in the first place--to take us away from a tuition-dependent model.
My degree did not come cheap; it took blood, sweat, and tears to earn it. I didn't complete it in four years. I had to work three jobs at one point to support myself . I have a not insignificant amount of student loan debt. UD's core program did prepare me for a rigorous career. I can compete against others from brand-name schools with higher degrees because of that program. It would be a blow to see UD's reputation watered down for quick and easy cash, and immoral if the degrees were marketed to people who can't complete them. I learned that standards exist for a reason. UD didn't make their program easier for me - I had to rise to the challenge. I hope that any directional changes made at UD are guided by the liberal arts education we signed up for.
No watered down degrees. It's called the CORE for a reason.
I think much more information is needed.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Copy link or share directly
UD is proposing an adult degree completion program. It will not move forward unless there is approval from the community. More information about the proposed program can be found here.
http://www.udallas.edu/adult-degree-completion
We are against the program for the following reasons:
1. The program does not include a clear admissions criteria. Without a strict admissions criteria (SAT, ACT, Essay, Recommendations), the program would erode the strength of existing the Constantin College. With such a program in effect, students would have difficulty selling their degree to prospective employers.
Admitting students without criteria establishes a for-profit paradigm like I.T.T. or Devry, which have student loan default rates over 30 percent. Many of those student fail to ever graduate as they did not have the necessary skills to complete the degree.
2. The program does not include the core curriculum, which is at
the heart of the University of Dallas. Watering down the University of Dallas' core
curriculum would erode the reason why students select the university. As a Great Books school, UD is unique and distinct among liberal arts universities.
(This petition is mobilizing on the energy gathered from the private facebook group which has over 2,225 members.)
(Please note faculty members may sign anonymously.) This petition will be shared with the President and the Board.
Updates
March 29, 2017
The administration remains silent despite the concerns we raised about the integrity of our core curriculum. Post the link to this petition on your Facebook page today to keep the pressure on. We need you to email your department representative and demand a meeting on these admissions standards immediately.
March 29, 2017
The momentum from our private group has spilled over and people are finally paying attention to the threat against our core curriculum. Now is the time to turn this energy into pressure by emailing your university representative today.
28 Comments
I am in favor of some sort of program providing a more flexible class schedule or online element to help adults complete their degree, but not as a separate college and diluted core. As someone who took extra time to finish her degree, I find this insulting. There are many reason a person may delay graduation. It is harder to complete a degree with a full time job, or a family, but diluting the content does a disservice to the person seeking the education and those of us who have already made extra sacrifices to earn a diploma from a respected institution such as UD.
delete The University of Dallas has always been a unique place, those of us who had chosen UD did so knowing full well we would work much harder than our peers to receive our degrees, thanks in large part to UD's challenging core curriculum. Any type of change to the University of Dallas that would in any way cheapen the sacrifices we all had made to receive our degrees is unacceptable and is an insult to all of those who have received our degrees from the University of Dallas.
The UD core is what separates us from every other institution of higher education in this country. To consider offering degrees that do not require the core flies in the face of reason and responsible growth. Adult education is done well by several universities in the area. What makes you think UD can compete with those low cost programs, especially without a differentiating factor like the core? Fundraising, grant applications, and leadership who understand liberal arts.
New colleges have been proposed before as a way to fix our financial weakness. As both a Class of '91 alumnus and the father of 3 current students, I don't think we can believe this fixes what ails us when the previous forays did not fix it already. Fundraising is the solution. Fundraising. Fundraising, Fundraising.
We need to stick to the strategic plan and the agreed on protocols that the entire university worked on. This program not only goes against that plan, but also goes against UD's core identity and the entire reason why president Keefe was appointed in the first place--to take us away from a tuition-dependent model.
My degree did not come cheap; it took blood, sweat, and tears to earn it. I didn't complete it in four years. I had to work three jobs at one point to support myself . I have a not insignificant amount of student loan debt. UD's core program did prepare me for a rigorous career. I can compete against others from brand-name schools with higher degrees because of that program. It would be a blow to see UD's reputation watered down for quick and easy cash, and immoral if the degrees were marketed to people who can't complete them. I learned that standards exist for a reason. UD didn't make their program easier for me - I had to rise to the challenge. I hope that any directional changes made at UD are guided by the liberal arts education we signed up for.
No watered down degrees. It's called the CORE for a reason.
I think much more information is needed.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 100 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
I am in favor of some sort of program providing a more flexible class schedule or online element to help adults complete their degree, but not as a separate college and diluted core. As someone who took extra time to finish her degree, I find this insulting. There are many reason a person may delay graduation. It is harder to complete a degree with a full time job, or a family, but diluting the content does a disservice to the person seeking the education and those of us who have already made extra sacrifices to earn a diploma from a respected institution such as UD.