During its meeting Thursday, the UM System Board of Curators unveiled a new single portal to link all four MU campuses’ online learning.

The new online program is designed so both new and existing students can search for online courses at any MU campus and apply to gain access to all their courses from one universal location. Students who register for fall 2012 online courses, beginning in March, will use the new portal.

Zac March, director of Distance Education and e-Learning, said in a news release that the universal online system is beneficial to the needs of all students.

“With a system as large as ours and four campuses that each have their own unique identities and strong brands, creating a unified entry point that provides students the breadth of online options available at all campuses is an important step in meeting the needs of online learners,” the release stated. “We think students will benefit tremendously from the ease and convenience of this portal.”

Student Curator Laura Confer said she agrees with March.

“I think it’s great that the universities pushed through politics in order to have one central portal,” Confer said. “It’s amazing. It’s also great that each branch of the UM System will also have its own sort of section so they each can have a bit of ownership as well.”

The fact that more than 12,000 MU students are taking at least one online class partnered with a 72 percent increase in the number of students taking solely online courses shows the necessity for such a change.

“The Curators also are advocating for and working towards a more affordable class fee for the online courses,” Confer said. “Because they’re becoming increasingly more popular, students have noticed they’re also a bit more on the pricey side, so a lower fare is hopefully in the future as well. Obviously there will be a few exceptions.”

The university’s institutional support expenditures were 21 percent less than the national average of public doctoral universities. According to a press release issued by the UM System, this data is based on national statistics from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

Interim Curator Craig Van Matre did not attend the meeting in Kansas City, instead standing in front of the Missouri Senate to see if he would be confirmed as a full-time curator. Van Matre’s nomination for the position of full-time curator was later withdrawn from the Senate, leaving his position open.

Gov. Nixon released a statement regarding Van Matre’s time as a curator.

“During his time on the Board of Curators and throughout his professional career, Craig Van Matre has served the University of Missouri and our state well,” Gov. Nixon said in the statement. “Craig is an eminently qualified and dedicated public servant and I appreciate his willingness to help move our state forward. I will continue to work with all of our colleges and universities to make higher education more affordable and accessible and to prepare Missourians for the jobs and careers of tomorrow.”