The Complex Economics of Digital Learning: Understanding the Cost and Price of Distance Education and Its Impact on Programs

Van Davis

Chief Strategy Officer, WCET

vdavis@wiche.edu

LinkedIn Profile

Van joined WCET in 2021 as chief strategy officer where he is responsible for all aspects of WCET’s strategic planning; artificial intelligence research; diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; and assisting the team with policy and research efforts.

Van is a valuable asset to the team, having over 25 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member, academic administrator, state policy maker, and edtech leader. Van holds a PhD in 20^th century US history with an emphasis in civil rights from Vanderbilt University, and his commitment to education is evidenced in both his professional and personal successes. Additionally, Van led the creation of the Texas adult degree complete project and the development of the first competency-based bachelor’s degrees at Texas public institutions of higher education during his time on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Van lives outside of Austin, Texas, with his beloved wife Lisa and two cats and, when not working, spends time collecting Lego models and dreaming of the day he can complete his western US camping trip. Van’s favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird, and his favorite movie is Dr. Strangelove.

Missy (Melissa) LaCour

WCET Steering Committee, Director of New Markets, Academics and Workforce, Louisiana Community and Technical College System

melissalacour@lctcs.edu

LinkedIn Profile

Missy LaCour is director of new markets for the Louisiana Community & Technical College System (LCTCS) where she collaborates with all LCTCS Colleges and partners on the development, coordination, and delivery of programs to new student markets with an emphasis on innovative delivery methods. At LCTCS, she has led multiple projects including implementation of a system-wide instance of Canvas, development of a delivery model and environment to serve Juvenile Justice students online, implementation of strategies to reduce the cost of attendance by over $9 million using OER, and creation of a system-wide curriculum for cloud computing. Missy has been in higher education for over 24 years and has extensive experience in online and campus teaching, administration, leadership, project management, and the system office.

Erika Swain

Assistant Director of Academic Compliance and Authorization, University of Colorado Boulder

@ErikaGSwainLinkedIn Profile

Erika Swain serves as the assistant director of academic compliance and authorization at the University of Colorado Boulder and the associate director for state authorization at the University of Colorado System, working to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations relating to state authorization and accreditation requirements. In addition, she works closely with campus leadership and academic affairs to coordinate the process for new and revised university program offerings to verify compliance with state and federal regulations as well as university policies and procedures.

Prior to joining CU, Erika worked for many years in regional accreditation, overseeing training and federal compliance programs in her various roles at both the Higher Learning Commission and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and has also previously served as the Registrar at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake, NY. Erika also currently serves on the SAN Advisory Committee and leads the SAN Special Interest Team on Professional Licensure.