Southern University to Add More Online Programs

The Southern University System in Louisiana has entered into an agreement with Florida-based Education Online Services Corporation, or EOServe, that will lead to a major increase in online education programs at the system’s institutions. Ronald Mason Jr. president of the Southern University System, said the new online initiative will attract more nontraditional students and students from outside Louisiana resulting in a boost in overall revenues for the system.

More information on the new program is available here.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Diola Bagayoko, Ph.D. Southern University System, Distinguished Professor of Physics and Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge Distinguished Professor of Physics (known as Chancellors' Fellow)

    This comparison has been given to every member of the Board of Supervisors of Southern University System. The reasons for no cancellation of the illegal contract and the speedy takeover of the campuses by the System President Atty. Mason, can be understood in the light of who may have a stakes in patronage hiring and patronage contracting GALORE that have both already occurred to a great extent and continue. May God Bless Southern University Campuses. They need it badly.

    March 10, 2014 (date the comparison was disseminated in Baton Rouge). This online posting occurred on 07-12-2014.

    A comparison of the “selling out” of SU Campuses and the building and strengthening of the online infrastructure, resources, program, and capabilities of LSU Baton Rouge – through a comparison of the selected contents of the contract between Southern University System (SUS) and Education Online Services (OEServe) Corporation and that between LSU Baton Rouge and Academic Partnerships, LLC.

    SUS and EOServe Contract: Sole source awarding of the contract to EOServe by Atty. Mason who appeared in EOServe’s YouTube advertisements as earlier as 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWpfl-3OQh0
    LSU-BR & Academic Partnerships, LLC.: No irregularity of any kind that we can find in the procurement process at LSU Baton Rouge (LSU-BR)

    No evidence of the approval of the contract by the Office of Contractual Review (OCR). The SUS-EOServe contract is illegal until approved by OCR.
    The above contract of LSU was APPROVED by the Office of Contractual Review (OCR) on October 12, 2012.

    REVENUE SHARING: 70% to EOServe and 30% to SUS (Not the campuses). Tuition paid to SUS. With SU campuses recruiting, enrolling, advising, teaching, and graduating the students in the online degree programs, this distribution is a “sell out.”
    REVENUE SHARING: 50% to LSU and 50% to AP-LLC
    Tuition paid to LSU Baton Rouge and not to the LSU System Office

    INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES: materials or resources developed by EOServe are solely properties of EOServe and so are materials and resources developed by SU faculty and staff who receive some stipends from EOServe!
    At the end of the 10 years, EOServe will have much and SU campuses will have little, if any.
    INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES: All materials and products developed by LSU personnel or by AP-LLC pursuant to this contract are solely properties of LSU. [Here is what allows LSU to build its online programs, resources, and infrastructure.]

    EXCLUSIVITY: SU Campuses forbidden from working with other entities and from developing their own online or web materials, resources, or programs that could compete with EOServe!EOServe is not subject to any exclusivity clause!
    NO EXCLUSIVITY clause is imposed on LSU
    [The reader should compare this situation to the left hand side (of this row) where SU campuses have literally been shackled!]

    CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSE: all transactions pursuant to the SUS-EOServe contract are à priori confidential! This clause shields all SUS-EOServe transactions, data, etc., from scrutiny.
    NO CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSE in the LSU/Academic Partnerships contract (to hide public records from public scrutiny)

    SERVICES RENDERED: advertisement and recruitment, assisting in enrollment and retention (?), other ill-defined tasks (many done by SU camp-uses), plus making procurement decisions for SU.
    SERVICES RENDERED: All services germane to the building of the LSU online resources, programs, infrastructure, and capabilities are included. Support to faculty and staff spelled out.

    Duration of 10 years for SUS/EOServe Contract: five (5) years followed by five (5) additional years of automatic extension, unless SU loses accreditation!
    Duration of three (3) years for the LSU/Academic Partnerships Contract.

    No termination possible for convenience!
    LSU may terminate the contract at any time following 30 days of notice – without any penalties.

    For those who may not know, Atty. Mason took over the entire Information Technology, Finance and Business Operations, Human Resources, and Enrollment Management of Southern System Campuses. He first took over the ones at SUBR, without Board approval and without one thing in writing (for deniability). He kept on denying the takeover up to the day he got the Board, in the fall of 2012, to formally approve his takeover. LET THERE BE NO MISTAKES ABOUT ONE THING. Nonsense statements of Savings, consolidation, new business model, etc., have nothing to do with the TAKEOVER that was for HAVING COMPLETE CONTROL OVER THESE CAMPUSES. Here is why:

    The SUS takeover of the campuses serves greatly to force SU campuses to work for EOServe. At the same time, this takeover affords great patronage hiring and patronage contracting to benefit selected few (some connected businesses included) to the detriment of SU campuses. SU campuses have been served to EOServe.

    Comments by
    Diola Bagayoko at Bagayoko@aol.com. The actual, signed copies of both contracts are available upon email request.
    Posted on July 12, 2014.

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