By Ariel C. Emberton, staff writer/photographer, Office of University Communications

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - For the first time in her history, Campbellsville University has surpassed online enrollment of 1,500 students for the upcoming fall semester, according to Trevor McWhorter, director of online enrollment.

“The online team is proud to offer ease of access, affordability and academic rigor to over 1,500 fully-online students enrolled at Campbellsville. With 53 fully-online programs and counting, I look forward to seeing this growth continue,” McWhorter said.

“This is another key benchmark and milestone in our online education platform,” he said.

“Online education is rapidly growing as more and more students seek higher education options that allow them to keep their jobs, work around their busy schedules and manage family responsibilities,” Dr. Shane Garrison, vice president for enrollment services and professor of theology, said.

“I believe that Christian higher-education is vital to our society's success. Amidst the challenges facing our nation the importance of quality, faith-based, online education is felt now more than ever before,” McWhorter said.

“Campbellsville University has been committed to offering high-quality, academically-rigorous, online education for nearly 20 years. Reaching 1,500 fully-online students is a testament to that commitment,” Garrison said.

As of Oct. 26, online enrollment had reached 1,777 with approximately 700 of those students being new fully-online.

Out of the fully-online graduates, 615 are undergraduates while 1,147 are graduate students.

Of the 615 undergraduate students, 187 belong to the Carver School of Social Work. The largest graduate online program is the Master of Social Work with 480 students enrolled.

McWhorter said a vision 2025 goal is to have 60 fully-online programs and 3,500 fully-online students.

“At CU, we are seeing daily the formation of graduates who are moving out into a world of uncertainty with the credentials and skills needed to bring about success in their own communities,” McWhorter said.

“Flexible. Affordable. Practical. These are the benefits online education provides our students in helping them find and flourish in their calling,” Garrison said.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 11,900 students offering over 100 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.