Wichita State University has been approved by the Kansas Board of Regents, Kansas State Portal Agency to join the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).

SARA is a nationwide initiative of states that makes distance education more accessible to students across state lines while making it easier for states to regulate, and institutions to participate in, interstate distance education.

“This is a big win for our university,” said Richard Muma, associate vice president for academic affairs, who was tasked to expand online learning in 2013. “Wichita State Online has already attracted students to WSU from a limited number of states. SARA provides an opportunity to enroll more students from more states and provide them with a quality experience and education.”

The Kansas Board of Regents serves as Kansas’ portal agency for SARA. The State of Kansas was approved by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) to join SARA in November 2014. Institutions that are approved to join SARA in their state will be able to operate in other participating SARA states without seeking independent authorization from those states.

Wichita established Wichita State Online in fall 2013 to provide opportunities for students to complete fully online degree programs and classes. Under the direction of Mark Porcaro, director of online learning, Wichita State Online has grown from two to 16 fully online programs available for the 2015-2016 academic year. Wichita State Online will present its first class of online program graduates in May 2015.