UW Names Director of Bachelor of Applied Science Degree Program

May 5, 2008
Woman smiling
Karen Williams

Professor Karen Williams has been named director of the University of Wyoming's Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree program.

The BAS in organizational leadership degree was approved by the UW Board of Trustees in January 2007. The degree program is hosted by the College of Agriculture with support from the Office of Academic and Student Programs.

Williams, head of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture, will be the liaison with the Outreach School, community colleges and other interested constituencies. The Office of Academic and Student Programs had previously acted as the liaison.

"All of us, and our colleagues in the Outreach School, are really committed to helping this program continue to grow and be successful to benefit individuals in the state who want to further their career goals," said Williams. "We are working on outcomes and methods of student assessment for the program, marketing strategies, encouraging the development of relevant additional courses for distance delivery and exploring the formation of a program advisory committee."

Fifteen students enrolled the first year with ages ranging from 20 to 55. Thirteen students live in Wyoming, and 10 of the students transferred from Wyoming community colleges with an associate of applied science degree.

Distance education, Williams said, has been her passion. "I started the distance delivery of the child development program option in family and consumer sciences 10 years ago," she said, "and much of my research focuses on distance education."

She said the position complements her being an advocate for providing access and opportunity for all students.

"I like the fact this was a pioneer program for the state of Wyoming, giving access to place-bound individuals who previously couldn't obtain a bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming without essentially backing up and starting over," she noted. "It was also exciting to me that the College of Agriculture saw the value to the people in the state and stepped forward to be the host college for the program. It really fits with our mission and with the goals of strengthening rural communities in a very tangible way."

On the Web: www.uwyo.edu/BASA.

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