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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">Courtesy of Marianne Boeke of NC-SARA<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Dear State Portal Entities,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">As you may know, NC-SARA is conducting a study in an attempt to broadly estimate cost savings directly related to institutions’ participation in State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA).
We engaged the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) to conduct a survey of institutions that participate in NC-SARA to gather information relevant to estimating those savings; specifically the distance programs offered. NCHEMS is
a widely respected national non-profit organization with a long history of research and analysis in higher education. Survey responses will go directly to NCHEMS, and they will only report aggregate information to NC-SARA, therefore keeping the identities
of responding institutions confidential.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This survey is intentionally brief (less than 5 questions) and should take no more than 5 minutes to complete, yet is designed to provide NC-SARA with valuable information as we explore ways
to expand access to students across the nation. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">A random sample of NC-SARA-participating institutions has been selected to receive the survey. The contact for those institutions will receive a link to the survey instrument, which will arrive
in their inbox the week of June 8. <b><i>The survey will remain open through June 26, 2020</i></b>.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">We asked Dr. Rachel Christeson of NCHEMS to present the preliminary findings at the State Portal Entity Meeting. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this study.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">MB</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">SARA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Southern Regional Education Board<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">(404) 879-5517<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:blue"><a href="mailto:SARA@sreb.org">SARA@sreb.org</a></span></u><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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