Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 31, 1994                   TAG: 9501040033
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
DATELINE: FAIRFAX                                LENGTH: Medium

GMU ANNOUNCES NEW COLLEGE, ISSUES FIRST PRIVATE BONDS

The university will enroll 200 students in the fall of 1995 in a curriculum that stresses collaborative, interdisciplinary learning where students work in small groups with faculty.

The university plans to offer two degree programs in integrative studies, but has not yet received approval from the state Council of Higher Education.

In a separate initiative, the university is turning to private bonds for the first time to finance construction of two buildings costing $7.5 million, according to the fast-growing public school's budget director.

Larger schools, such as Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia, have built dormitories and recreation centers with their own bonds, said Donald J. Finley, associate director of the state Council of Higher Education. The buildings pay interest on the bonds through fees charged to students or tenants.

Instead of asking for state funds, George Mason will build its new Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, a technology-based school endowed by a wealthy northern Virginia landowner, and a warehouse with the university bonds, said Maurice W. Scherrens, George Mason executive vice president for finance.

Construction will begin in spring 1995, and the Krasnow institute is expected to open a year later.

The move allows schools to finance projects that the General Assembly regards as too low-priority to fund with state-backed bonds, said Finley.

George Mason's decision to issue its own bonds was not related to recent state education cuts or to a $6 million budget mistake the school is asking Gov. George Allen to repair, school officials said.

The Allen budget plan would give George Mason a 1.5 percent increase in funding over two years, but omits money the school expected to see to make up for a Wilder administration accounting error.

In its new academic program called the New Century College, George Mason's faculty started with a blank slate in redesigning undergraduate education, according to a college spokesman. The college is aiming for integrated learning that is active and interdisciplinary, said John O'Connor, co-director of the initiative. Students will take one integrated course together at a time, taught through one large classroom group, small study groups and self-paced learning.

Students will work with a faculty team as well as with mentors and professionals in the community. The program will offer students flexibility to develop their own programs according to their own interests and goals, O'Connor said.

Group projects and field work will offer students a chance for participation beyond traditional classwork and passive notetaking.

The program organizers sought to design a program that would make "education relevant to the needs of business in the 21st century," said Karen Oates, the program's other co-director. The program will also stress information technology with students using computer conferencing, and technology in their research and communication.

The college was not conceived as a separate physical entity with its own buildings, such as Radford University's College of Global Studies, but more as a new academic program, according to state sources.