In 1883 — the year of its founding — Midland Lutheran College (MLC) opened its doors to its first class of students. In those days, only seventeen students matriculated at the college, and tuition rates for the entire year reached around $40.

Much has changed at the college since its inaugural year. Over the years, the number of students gracing Midland’s halls seeking out a high-quality, morally-sound education has increased considerably. MLC — an undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Fremont, Neb. — has diligently worked to meet and exceed students’ needs by listening carefully to their concerns.  MLC students’ latest request has brought a new challenge to the college — one of online dimension.

Fortunately, help comes in all shapes and sizes.  In MLC’s most recent case, the necessary assistance has come in the form of The Learning House, Inc., a total online education solutions provider located in Louisville, Ky.

While attending a conference given by the Registry for College and University Presidents, Dr. Richard Green, interim vice president for academic affairs at Midland, found himself inspired by the possibilities offered by distance learning.  At the conference, Dr. Denzil Edge — president and founder of Learning House — spoke about the ways in which online education helps small colleges and universities diversify.  The growth of the online education market has been astronomical, with 3.5 million students enrolled in online education in 2006.  Edge’s speech highlighted many of the reasons fueling this escalation, including new technology, attitude changes and the ever-expanding adult education market. However, the shift toward virtual education is an intensive, holistic, college-wide process that requires strong leadership from campus administrators — a point Edge stresses.

Consequently, Learning House has built its comprehensive list of eServices in order to simplify this process for clients.  It is part of Learning House’s mission to make the development and implementation of an online campus seamless by providing the client with a customized plan to fit its institutional and academic goals.  Furthermore, Learning House offers small, private colleges all of the elements needed to create high-quality online programs that will lead to sustainability and enrollment growth.

With this message in mind, Green determined that “online education has the ability to expand the academic goals of a higher education institution, such as Midland.”  Green is a retired university president who has stepped up as vice president at Midland while the college seeks out a more permanent administrative head. Green, however, serves a dual role as member of the Registry. Established in 1992, the Registry is designed “to provide experienced interim leadership that can bring effective and graceful transition to colleges and universities paving the way for new leadership.” With numerous years of experience in higher education, Green expects the new online course offerings will broaden the reach of Midland’s academic opportunities and, ultimately, its message of learning, faith and stewardship.

Midland, a small college that enjoys a beautiful 36-acre campus, places a special emphasis on each student’s inherent worth. As part of its long tradition, the college believes education and faith remain tied together and, therefore, focuses its curriculum on inspiring students “to learn and lead in the world with purpose.”  With the launch of a new, online program, Green anticipates that the college will be able to take its unique message to the next level of higher education.  Not to mention, new distance learning options will enable MLC to spread its message to a wider audience. Students will have greater freedom to access a high-quality education and enjoy the benefits of a small college without sacrificing family or work commitments.

The first online courses are expected to launch in the summer of 2008. To learn more about Midland Lutheran College, please visit:  www.mlc.edu.

About Midland Lutheran College

Midland Lutheran College is a four-year, liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Faith, learning, quality, respect and stewardship are the core values that guide the college’s mission. Located in Fremont, Neb., students choose from nearly 50 majors and pre-professional programs leading to bachelor’s and associate’s degrees. In addition, a wide variety of co-curricular activities complete a total education for the MLC student. An assortment of local and regional events and conferences are also hosted at the college.

About The Learning House, Inc.

The Learning House, Inc. was founded in 1985 by Dr. Denzil Edge.  Learning House is a comprehensive online education solutions partner which helps colleges and universities offer and manage their online degree programs. Learning House provides a total virtual campus solution to each of its clients, including online course development and publishing, learning management system customization and hosting, online program marketing, 24/7 technology support, faculty and staff training, online faculty sourcing and online education consulting. The Learning House, Inc. provides eLearning services to more than 50 accredited institutions of higher education. For more information about Learning House, please visit: www.learninghouse.com.