William Carey University Recovering from Katrina and Preparing for Future Growth with Desire2Learn's Assistance

William Carey University made it a priority after Katrina to ensure programs and classes are maintained if an unfortunate event of this nature were to occur again in the future. Having Desire2Learn host the University's Learning Environment ensures that every day operations are safe and secure, preventing future shut down.

"In April 2005, we began evaluating a new Learning Management System, but due to Hurricane Katrina our evaluation was put on hold," states Jeffrey Andrews, William Carey University's Director of Information Technology. "Hurricane Katrina emphasized the need for us to ensure that our programs were hosted in a secure facility, making Desire2Learn the obvious choice."

In addition, William Carey University was thoroughly impressed with the robust features and functionality of Desire2Learn's Learning Environment such as the creation of specific reports, data warehousing, and granular assessment tools. William Carey University will be using Desire2Learn's competencies tool to support their accreditation across all three campuses. "Desire2Learn has been extremely helpful and accommodating to meet our launch date. I am amazed how Desire2Learn has jumped right into this project and have been so responsive to our needs," said Jeffrey Andrews. "Migration and adoption to Desire2Learn will be an easy one!"

William Carey University is migrating 700 courses onto the Desire2Learn Learning Platform within a 10 week timeframe, and launching the program in October 2006.

"We are delighted to have William Carey University as part of our rapidly growing community," states John Baker, Desire2Learn President and CEO. "Our hosting services will assist William Carey University with a tailored solution that eliminates down time, and provides reliable recovery and protection of data. We are committed to ensuring that we uphold the most reliable technology and services so our clients focus on what they do best - advancing teaching and learning."

Desire2Learn has also assisted other institutions recover and maintain their operations when Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita hit their campuses.

About William Carey University: Founded in 1906 and operating for decades as Mississippi Woman's College, William Carey College was renamed in honor of the founder of modern missions in 1954 when the school became coeducational. In 2006, the College's board of trustees renamed the institution William Carey University. Carey is located on three campuses. The main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is set on 120 acres. New Orleans operations are located on the campus of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In Gulfport, a new, modern facility is being designed to replace the facilities destroyed by the Hurricane Katrina. Visit: http://www.wmcarey.edu/

About Desire2Learn: Desire2Learn Inc. is a world-leading provider of enterprise eLearning systems that enable organizations to create teaching and learning environments that reflect their vision, values, goals, pedagogical approaches, and branding. Desire2Learn supports over 4 million learners worldwide and clients include schools, higher education, as well as associations, government, and other leading organizations. For more information, please visit: http://www.Desire2Learn.com

Email: Jeffrey.Andrews@wmcarey.edu