The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Distance Education programs (UW-Platteville Online) has surpassed 1,000 graduates. From its beginning as an innovative correspondence service, the program now reaches more than 2,500 students worldwide.

“We're not scrambling to reach 100,000 students. And that's OK, because we understand that there's a real person behind every degree we grant,” said Dawn Drake, executive director of alternative delivery systems.

The distance learning program began in 1978, offering a single bachelor's degree: business administration and its first graduating class numbered five in 1981. UW-Platteville launched its first completely online program in 1999 with a master's degree in project management. The first online graduating class consisted of 13 people in 2001.

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