Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance

Colorado State University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, Texas Tech University Michigan State University, University of Missouri, Montana State University, University of Nebraska North Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University, South Dakota State University

Great Plains IDEA Membership

Alliance Member: Criteria for Membership - Application - Memorandum of Agreement
Responsibilities/Expectations - Initial Alliance Fee - Termination of Alliance Membership

Program Affiliate Member: Application - Memorandum of Agreement
Responsibilities/Expectations - Termination of Program Affiliate Membership

From time to time, either the Alliance may have need for seeking or approving additional member institutions, or non-member institutions may have reason and desire to join the Alliance. Eligible institutions must have existing human sciences graduate programs. The over-riding criterion for approval shall be a clear and compelling mutual benefit of additional members to the Alliance and its program initiatives and to the applying institution. For example, a new institutional member may bring leadership for a new program initiative or may provide faculty expertise not available from existing member institutions for one or several of the existing programs under the auspices of the Alliance. Membership benefits to an institution would be such things as program marketing, institutional visibility, or access to student services provided by the Alliance, etc.

Any institution requesting membership as an Alliance Member in the Great Plains IDEA shall submit a letter of interest with an application form to the Chair of the Alliance Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall act upon the request at the next Alliance meeting following receipt of the request. New Alliance Members must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the Board of Directors.

A Great Plains IDEA Alliance Member approved membership application shall be contingent upon the institution(s) providing an Alliance Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by the Academic Unit Administrator, and the University Academic Officer. The Alliance Member shall sign a separate Program MOA for each program with which it is affiliated. Other approvals beyond the Provost may be required at specific institutions.

To be members in good standing, Alliance Members shall:

• ·Participate in the leadership of the Alliance through attendance at board meetings, serve as board officers and/or committee members, provide grant writing for the good of the Alliance, and offer and provide administrative support and leadership for inter-institutional academic programs.
• Support faculty participation in the planning and implementation of academic programs sponsored by the Alliance when such programs are a fit with the mission and goals of this unit.
• Appoint a representative to the Alliance Board of Directors, provide fiscal support (i.e., institutional travel) and appropriate fees assessed by the Great Plains IDEA, maintain course and program information on the Alliance course catalog website (including institutional links), and support inter-institutional programs with faculty and technological resources as agreed upon in separate program memoranda.
• Commit to faculty development and course and program assessment to assure that distance programming promotes active learning, provides quality educational experiences, and is methodologically sound.
• Accept the Common Price distribution model.
• Form an Institutional Team consisting of the Academic Dean, Department Head(s), Chief Financial Officer, Continuing Education Dean, and Graduate Dean.
• Support a Great Plains IDEA training workshop for all members of its Institutional Team.
• Appoint and support a Campus Coordinator.

Each new Alliance Member will be assessed an initial Alliance fee to join the Great Plains IDEA. Any funds received by the Alliance shall not be used to support any political activity. Funds received by the Alliance shall be used to support the centralized functions of the Alliance, i.e., website, database, workshops, speakers, Alliance Coordinator, etc. Any initial Alliance fee established by the Board of Directors shall be due within six weeks of the assessment.

Voluntary Termination

Any institution may terminate its membership in the Alliance by submitting a letter to the Board of Directors stating its intention to withdraw from the Alliance. Notice of intentional withdrawal from the Alliance must be received in writing at the annual meeting one year prior to withdrawal.

Involuntary Termination

Failure to maintain good standing over a two-year period shall be reviewed by the Alliance Board of Directors and may result in the loss of membership to the Alliance.

1. Any institution applying for membership as a Program Affiliate and seeking to participate in an existing Great Plains IDEA program shall submit a Program Affiliate application to the Faculty Chair.
2. Any institution requesting membership as a Program Affiliate in a new program shall submit its Program Affiliate application to a member of the Great Plains IDEA Board of Directors. This member of the Board of Directors shall bring the new program proposal and Program Affiliate application to the Board of Directors. iii. The Board of Directors shall act upon the recommendation at the annual meeting of the Alliance. New Program Affiliate institutions must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the Board of Directors.

The Academic Administrator for each Program Affiliate shall sign a Program Affiliate Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) when their application is approved by the Alliance Board of Directors. The Program Affiliate member shall sign a separate Program MOA for each program with which it is affiliated.

Program Affiliates shall support the program initiative with which they are affiliated by participating in curriculum planning, course and program delivery, and by agreeing to financially support the program at the institutional level. Any program affiliate fees established by the Alliance for program partner institutions shall be due within six weeks of the assessment. Each Program Affiliate shall agree to the Great Plains IDEA Common Price income distribution model and agree to the Common Price set by the Alliance for that program, for all students registering for a Great Plains IDEA course. Program Affiliates will complete the “Steps for Institutional Approval and Implementation of Inter-Institutional Programs” .

1. Voluntary Affiliate Termination
   An institution may terminate its program affiliation with the Alliance by submitting a letter to the Great Plains IDEA Administrative Liaison. The Great Plains Administrative Liaison shall provide a copy to the Alliance Board of Directors stating the institution’s intention to withdraw as a Program Affiliate of the Alliance. Notice must be given a full academic year in advance of termination.
2. Involuntary Affiliate Termination
   Failure to maintain good standing over a two-year period will be reviewed by the Great Plains IDEA Board of Directors and may result in the loss of program affiliation with the Great Plains IDEA. Good standing includes, but is not limited to attending program meetings and/or participating on conference calls, providing courses to the program, providing quality instruction, maintaining academic integrity in teaching, providing quality student interaction, positively contributing to program development, and timely distribution of tuition revenue as defined by the Common Price model to other institutions and to the Great Plains IDEA Lead Institution.

Copyright 2003, Kansas State University on behalf of Great Plains IDEA. All rights reserved.
For permission to use this document, please contact alliance@ksu.ed