Collaborations Across Higher Education

Ed Klonoski
Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium
President of Charter Oak State College
Executive Director of the BSAA

Keynote Abstract

The pressure on higher education to improve its outcomes while reducing its costs is creating a fertile environment for collaboration. Institutions of all types are looking for partnerships in such academic areas as technology, student services, program development, market research, and even faculty. The key driver in many of these collaborative opportunities is aggregated capacity—the collective can provide more and better solutions than the individual. But academic collaborations are more than a leveling process; they help institutions indentify their core competencies and their unique advantages. Klonoski will bring his ten years of personal experiences at building collaborations with the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium as well as the experiences of his colleagues across the country. Because MCO institutions are already experienced collaborators, this presentation will focus on new opportunities for collaboration, assessing the potential reward/risk, and picking good partners.

About the speaker

Ed Klonoski is the President of Charter Oak State College and Executive Director of the BSAA , and oversees the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium, a collaborative effort by 50 Connecticut institutions of learning to deliver high quality, web-based education. From Course Management System applications, to pedagogy, student services, and institutional research, Klonoski has facilitated the Consortium’s
online innovations.

In addition, Klonoski oversees the CTDLC’s grant projects, which include a Davis Foundation grant, a FIPSE grant, and an award by CT’s State Department of Education. The CTDLC has also been chosen as one of 15 Demonstration Program sites by the US Department of Education, In 2004, the CTDLC received an Education Excellence Award from the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE).