Few Applicants Line Up for New Online University

It’s easy! It’s convenient! Earn a college degree without leaving home!

After all the hype about taking college classes over the Internet, Western Governors University has opened with, well, a whimper.

In its first weeks of online enrollment, the cyberuniversity set up by governors in 18 states has received 75 applications. And only 10 have enrolled.

Predictably, the news delighted Gov. Pete Wilson, who decided two years ago that California should shun its neighbors and venture into cyberspace alone.

“Clearly, we made the right decision,” said Richard Halberg, a spokesman for the governor and the fledgling California Virtual University. “They spent $9.5 million on 10 students.”

Setting aside such “told you so” statements, enrollment at Western Governors University is likely to grow--even if it’s not the 5,000 the governors had planned for this year.

Marketing director Jeff Edwards said the cyberschool’s Web site (https://www.wgu.edu) is buzzing with electronic browsers. “The curiosity level is very high. We’ve gotten great support from rural folks who do not live near a university.”

Still, the low turnout raises questions about the dueling approaches to cybercollege.

Western Governors has applied to become a fully accredited university, offering its own degrees. Right now, there are two: an associate of arts degree and an associate of science in electronic manufacturing. Students can pick from 200 online classes taught by professors at 25 affiliated colleges.

California Virtual University (https://www.california.edu) is essentially an electronic clearinghouse for the online courses offered by 95 of the state’s colleges and universities. It leaves it up to the participating institutions to decide who can enroll in any of the 1,600 courses or complete one of the 100 offered degree programs.

Yet California Virtual University has no idea how many students it has linked to cybercourses. Figuring that out, said Stanley A. Chodorow, the university’s new leader, “will be one of the first things I need to do.”