The newly formed Master’s Programs Task Force, conceived by President Stephen Jordan to coordinate the many activities required to institute the College’s first master’s programs, officially got underway on Monday with its first meeting.

Gov. Bill Ritter signed the bill authorizing the College to offer master’s degrees on May 5. To read more, go to http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/artman/publish/masters_twv6050609.shtml.

Metro State plans initially to explore adding master’s degrees in accounting, social work and teacher education.

“Once we got legislative approval, a lot of students started contacting different departments at the College, eager to sign up for a Metro State master’s program,” says task force Chair Rich Wagner, who is interim associate vice president for academic affairs - curriculum and programs. “But there’s much to do before the programs can begin, such as obtaining accreditation and approvals, and making necessary changes in policies and infrastructure.”

Wagner said the process is expected to have a widespread impact across campus, and that Jordan had indicated his concern that there be an entity to coordinate activities and communication. One planned communication vehicle is a Web site dedicated to keeping the College community informed as the initiative progresses. Watch @Metro for an announcement when the site is up and running.

Because the earliest date for approval by the Higher Learning Commission, the accrediting body, would be April of 2010, the earliest that any master’s program could be offered would be fall 2010. For that to happen, Metro State’s Board of Trustees would need to approve each program separately by November 2009, Wagner says, acknowledging the challenges of meeting such a timeline. “We have to make a lot of decisions in a short amount of time.”

The task force plans to meet bi-weekly throughout the summer. In addition to Wagner, its members are: