MSNBC Highlights UMUC Students, Staff, and Faculty in Iraq

News outlet msnbc.com recently interviewed UMUC faculty, staff, and students on the ground in Iraq, highlighting the university's innovation and flexibility as it offers classes and services to deployed servicemembers. The first U.S. university to serve troops in Iraq, UMUC now has 500 students enrolled there.

Get the full story - see the msnbc.com news video here.

UMUC Becomes First U.S. University to Serve Ground Troops in Iraq

UMUC is the first U.S. university to have faculty and staff on the ground in Iraq, now offering undergraduate courses to servicemembers stationed there. More than 150 military personnel have enrolled, studying at Education Centers at Camp Victory in Baghdad or at Joint Base Balad, some 40 miles to the north.

The first classrooms opened in November, with two field representatives supporting six faculty members on the ground.

"This is an honor and privilege for UMUC and an important advantage for our military students, who can enroll with confidence, knowing that we'll be there for them no matter where they are called to serve," said UMUC President Susan C. Aldridge. "It's a commitment we take seriously, and our 60-year history of providing quality education to men and women in uniform - in more than 20 countries currently - stands as a testimony to our success. We are proud to be able to continue that tradition in Iraq."

For most servicemembers, Military Tuition Assistance covers the cost of classes, and a new UMUC scholarship fund helps to subsidize the purchase of textbooks.

The U.S. Department of Defense granted UMUC the education contract in May 2008 that called for the university to provide undergraduate and select graduate programs on the ground to troops stationed in Iraq and other countries within the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Under an amendment to an earlier contract, UMUC was already teaching military students on the ground at several other CENTCOM sites.

To learn more about UMUC on the ground in Iraq, read the January 5, 2009 Washington Post article, the January 18, 2009 Baltimore Examiner article, and the March 19, 2009 Fayetteville Observer article.

Last updated: 20 March 2009