ADELPHI, Md. (Oct. 1, 2024)—It was a bold idea in an era marked by bold ideas. World War II was over and the United States had emerged as a global leader. Europe was rebuilding under the Marshall Plan and within the U.S. Department of Defense, an enterprising idea was percolating.
Why not maximize the benefits of the fledgling GI Bill by teaching U.S. servicemembers right on the military bases where they were stationed?
Although the idea found little traction in the higher education landscape, the University of Maryland was intrigued. In 1947, it had created a unit called the College of Special and Continuation Studies to offer off-campus and afterhours courses for adults and put out a call for faculty members willing to embark on an overseas venture that would break new ground in academia.
With can-do confidence and just one week’s notice, seven educators packed their bags and flew to Heidelberg, Germany, on Oct. 2, 1949, to launch an overseas education program. As UMGC celebrates the 75th anniversary of UMGC Europe—one of the most unusual origin stories in higher education—it is spotlighting how that commitment to the military continues to shape the university’s mission.
“The UMGC Europe team is honored to have served the U.S. military overseas community for 75 years, and we look forward to continuing the university's tradition of improving the lives of adult learners and helping them reach their goals,” Patricia Coopersmith, vice president and director of UMGC Europe. “I am extremely proud of our staff and faculty who provide high-quality educational services and classroom learning experiences, unique field study opportunities, and very flexible course delivery to adjust around the military mission.
“Nobody does it better,” she said.
The Europe operation enrolls 13,000 students every year, with approximately three-quarters of them active duty servicemembers. Classes are taught at more than 50 military education centers in 18 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa (under two military contracts), anchored by a busy full-operation enterprise in Kaiserslautern, Germany, home to the largest U.S. military community outside the United States. At the education centers, students arrive for classes, drop in to speak with program coordinators and academic advisors, come by for no-cost webinars and events, and more.
“We provide a complete university experience,” Coopersmith said. “If a student desires a certificate program or degree, needs tutoring in a particular subject, or wants to participate in a student club, they can do that all and more with us overseas. We are here to help transform lives—one student at a time.”
UMGC as a whole has a combined enrollment—stateside and overseas—of more than 90,000 students, and it has earned a national reputation as a champion of education for adult learners and a pioneer in innovation.
“When you think about universities across the country, even around the world, UMGC really has a remarkable genesis,” said UMGC President Gregory Fowler. “We had been teaching the military stateside—in the Pentagon—for two years when the idea of going overseas was suggested. The work of those seven faculty members who flew to Germany laid a foundation that has influenced UMGC’s trajectory ever since.”
The university’s 1949 experiment in Europe quickly became the launch pad for a much more extensive network of educational opportunities for servicemembers, their families, and others with a valid DoD ID card. An UMGC Asia division was opened. Faculty were no longer limited to teaching on military bases. Some started traveling to active war zones, including in Vietnam, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, where they taught students who often turned up for class in combat gear.
Coopersmith said that willingness to “meet students where they are” is now part of the university’s DNA.
To push a new vision of how learning can look, UMGC embraces technology and innovation. At UMGC Europe, students from the military community continue to take in-person classes, but they also have other course delivery options. Classes may be livestreamed for students on bases that are too small or far-flung to support faculty members, and some academic programs offer web-based virtual courses.
UMGC Europe also has a Division Virtual Office that serves the overseas U.S. military community. And UMGC-connected electronic kiosks have been springing up on military bases—and even at the airport at Ramstein Air Base. People using the iPad-equipped kiosks can look up UMGC classes and schedules, asks questions online, or even connect to a staff member for a quick Zoom advising session.
UMGC fosters learning environments that acknowledge the challenges of working adults. For UMGC Europe, that has meant changing the length or format of classes when military members are deployed with little notice. It has also sparked creation of the Math Doctor and the Writing Doctor—faculty members who are available to assist students seeking to boost their writing and math skills during special in-person and virtual sessions.
UMGC was the first university to have “boots on the ground” in Iraq, with faculty teaching classes on U.S. bases. UMGC graduates, faculty, and staff celebrated its first recognition ceremony in Iraq on top of Al-Faw Palace at Camp Victory in Baghdad on May 17, 2009.
“We are constantly looking at how we can continue to support our military students, including their family members and the entire overseas military community, in an environment that is ever changing,” Coopersmith explained.
A recent initiative, Faculty and Staff Success Teams (FASST), is a collaborative effort that brings faculty and staff together to support students with pre-session tips, Week of Welcome (WOW), mid-session check ins, and more for new students. UMGC’s Global Military Operations, of which UMGC Europe is a part, is now spreading the best practices from FASST to its Stateside and Asia divisions as well.
“No one knew what would happen when those seven faculty members traveled to Germany in October 1949 to do something that had never been tried in higher education before. That daring act created a momentum that has transformed generations of lives,” Fowler said. “We continue to meet our students wherever they are around the world. And we never stop thinking about the new and different ways learning can unfold.
“We also remain unwavering in our commitment to our military students. We became the military’s educational partner 75 years ago and that collaboration has continued without interruption.”
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