New York set to introduce new online college

New York set to introduce new online college

Democratic Assemblyman Joe Lentol of Williamsburg has recently announced his plans to introduce a new online university in the state of New York.

The college, which will be part of the City University of New York (CUNY), will be its own separate school but will offer the same classes and degrees as the campus-based institution, the Legislative Gazette reports.

Lentol's proposed legislation will use federal stimulus dollars to make the online college more affordable to students, giving those in a difficult financial situation an opportunity to complete their degree.

"This program will make other colleges and universities sit up and take notice that they cannot keep doing things the same way they have been for a hundred years, not in this day and age," said Lentol, quoted by the news source.

Amy Cleary, a spokeswoman for Lentol, stated that CUNY's online program should create more competition amongst schools in the area due to its reduced pricing and increased convenience.

The legislation is currently in the Bill Drafting Committee, but is expected to be introduced soon.

Today, over 3.5 million students are taking online courses and earning online college degrees. At the secondary school level, over 700,000 high school students are taking one or more courses online and nearly 40 states have established state-led virtual schools.