By Staley White
While most universities use scholarships and recruits to bring students to their campus, the new Pathway program is delivering BYU- Idaho to students around the world.
Through a partnership with the Church Board of Education, BYU-I and the Institutes of Religion developed an online education program for anyone ages 18-30 who cannot attend a college because of financial, emotional or geographical issues.
Until last month, the program started as a pilot in 2008 in three areas: Nampa, Idaho; Mesa, Ariz.; and Manhattan, N.Y. They currently have 22 sites around the world, including Ghana and Mexico.
At these sites, students gather once a week at the local institute building to support and teach each other the material they study online. J.D. Griffith, director of Pathway and Online Programs at BYU-I, said the program is centered around these convenient online courses combined with weekly meetings.
“Because the program is mostly administered online, by adding the weekly gathering at the local institute we realized we were blessing lives more than just educationally,” Griffith said. “Feeling the spirit of gathering while doing online education has been the key factor.”
The biggest requirement is to meet their students’ needs, and that means creating an affordable program using resources the Church Board of Education and BYU-I already have.
“For the students that we connect with finances are the number one reason why they aren’t in college,” Griffith said. “So we came back and looked at that very hard. We have institute buildings all over the world, and then the service missionary couple are on site and can be the eyes and ears for the program.”
The weekly meetings are monitored by couples serving service missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Arlen Benjamin and Sister Shirley Benjamin have been working with Pathway since it opened in Nampa in 2008. Sister Benjamin said they do not work as teachers, but facilitate, encourage and support the students in their efforts.
“At Thursday night classes we have institute taught first, then we go into a separate room for what we call ‘Pathway Gathering,’ ” Sister Benjamin said. “The students teach each other and do a review of what they are learning.”
Sister Benjamin said they went to wards and stakes to find students interested in the program, met with them and helped them with the application process. Students only need a high school diploma to apply and can be single or married.
Kameron Lemon and her husband started Pathway when they had two children and one on the way. Lemon said the program helped the couple start back into school.
“What was really nice was that my husband and I were both in it together, and we were able to work together at home,” Lemon said. “We had that support and help for each other.”
The program is organized by three different levels of education. The first level, called Academic Start, is three semesters of five credits each and students take the same courses together. Once students complete that level, they are allowed to matriculate to BYU-I or any other college. At BYU-I they continue taking courses online until they reach graduation.
Lemon matriculated to BYU-I and earned her associate degree earlier this year. She plans to graduate with a bachelor’s in university studies with a minor in business and communications in 2012.
