Distance Learning Committee Discusses Residency Rule

A University committee met for the first time Thursday to discuss whether students someday may receive a Harvard degree without setting foot in a campus classroom.

The committee was selected and convened by University President Lawrence H. Summers last week in the wake of a discovery that several distance learning initiatives at Harvard were violating a University-wide rule that mandates one-year residency on campus in order to graduate.

Summers said in a recent interview that developing technology and changing lifestyles for mid-career professionals have raised questions about the requirement.

“For hundreds of years...what happened in higher education was very consistent,” said Assistant Provost Daniel D. Moriarty, who will serve on the committee in a advisory role. Thus residency rules have rarely come up for review, he said.

The committee is charged with reviewing five aspects of the residency requirement, including its history and the implications of changing it, according to a document released Friday by the Office of the Provost.

In addition, the committee will propose an approval process for new degree programs and recommend measures to assure the quality of non-residential programs, the document said.

The committee—which will meet every other week—is expected to report its findings to the president and the provost by the end of the academic year.

Summers asked the deans of all of Harvard’s school to nominate professors to serve on the committee who are not affiliated with programs that may be affected by the committee’s recommendations.

Professor of Education Catherine Z. Elgin, who is representing the Graduate School of Education on the committee, said she was unaware of the one-year residency requirement before she was asked to join the committee.

But after being briefed at last week’s meeting, Elgin said she was surprised to learn that the rule dates back to the 1800s.

“Our rule is leftover from the pre-telephone era,” she said. “Catching up with modern life wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Weatherhead Professor of Business Administration David M. Upton, said his previous experience with distance learning at the Business School has informed him of some challenges the committee may face.

“There’s a wide variety of distance learning options out there,” he said. “One of the biggest challenges is that [in developing distance learning programs] we adhere to the very highest standards of quality.”

But Upton stressed that the role of the committee is primarily advisory.

Other committee members are Medical School Associate Dean for Clinical Programs David R. Calkins, Gates Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering H.T. Kung, Professor of Biostatistics Nan M. Laird, Divinity School Associate Dean for Academic Affairs David C. Lamberth, Warren Professor of American History Ernest R. May, Law School Dean of the J.D. Program Todd D. Rakoff ’67, Kirkpatrick Professor of International Affairs John Ruggie, and Kumagai Professor of Architectural Technology Daniel L. Schodek..

—Staff writer Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at shoichet@fas.harvard.edu.