The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is closing its online-education grant program, a foundation official has told The Chronicle. Some college officials are concerned that the decision will leave a fast-growing sector of American higher education without a major source of support.
The New York City-based foundation has funneled roughly $80-million into online-education ventures around the country since the early 1990s. The philanthropic group’s impending withdrawal has aroused anxiety about what will fill the vacuum. Robert Kaleta, director of the Learning Technology Center at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, compared the change to losing a parent “who has always been there to support, guide, and encourage us.”
“There’s concern that the momentum may slow down,” said Mr. Kaleta, who administers a Sloan grant at Milwaukee.
Read more from a full report in today’s online edition of The Chronicle.
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