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Friday, March 29, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

eCampus, now UF Online, names new executive director to start Jan. 1

UF has chosen a leader for its online degree program.

Elizabeth “Betty” Phillips was named Friday as the executive director of UF’s eCampus (to soon be called UF Online). Phillips comes from Arizona State University, where she is not only the provost but also was instrumental in creating the school’s online degree system.

But Phillips is no stranger to Gainesville.

She spent 11 years as a psychology professor at UF and three as the school’s provost. She’s also married to Win Phillips, the university’s chief operating officer.

“I am very excited about this opportunity and thrilled to be coming back to UF,” she wrote in an email. “It is a great university, and we will have a huge impact in the online space.”

UF Online 101

UF Online is accepting applications now. It should launch with five bachelor’s degree programs on Jan. 1, which is also Phillips’ first official day. The first class of freshmen will start school in Summer.

She said her approach to online learning is based on experimentation, research and innovation.

“By using technology, each student can be taught as an individual by many different people who provide material in many different formats,” Phillips said. “This can be much better for many students than a one-size-fits-all lecture.”

Her sentiments of increasing access echo those made by UF President Bernie Machen at his state of the university speech late last month.

“I would like to extend education to large numbers of students and to allow as many qualified students as possible the opportunity to obtain a UF degree,” she said.

Phillips said she hopes to create online engineering degree programs at UF. Overall, though, she wants to research ways to use technology to improve instruction.

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“To me, online is not a lesser form of teaching, but a newer form and one that will change and develop in the future in ways we cannot see,” she said. “I would like to help UF and the faculty here be the leaders of that improved teaching environment that will extend access to education across the globe in ways we can only start to imagine.”

Phillips will report directly to UF’s provost, said Associate Provost for Teaching and Technology Andy McCollough. She will receive advice and suggestions from a state-appointed advisory board, which includes John Rood, Carlos Alfonso, Ernie Friend and John Watret.

“We’re certainly glad to get all the help we can get, and Betty Phillips will be a great deal of help,” McCollough said.

A version of this story ran on page 1 on 9/9/2013 under the headline "UF Online director named"

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