“We’re using up to seven vendors and our own curriculum. … It’s a logistical and management nightmare, but it’s the best way” to serve students’ needs, Hulbert said.
To support the district’s unorthodox ventures, Oxford has embraced the importance of “edupreneurship,” Skilling said.
In times of economic stress, the answer is not to cut programs but to invest in more programs, he said, because improving the quality of educational opportunities can open up new potential streams of revenue—in this case, the Chinese students will pay tuition to take Oxford’s classes.
“Revenue should never drive vision. Vision comes first, and that’s what drives your revenue stream,” Skilling said.
When the vision is to prepare students for the global market, it makes sense to leverage existing school resources to establish a virtual exchange program, he said. These connections with sister schools allow Oxford students to interact with Chinese students in the authentic way necessary for fluency.
“The primary driving factor is to provide a better education for our own students and faculty,” said Skilling. And by establishing virtual programs, schools can do that “globally, on a daily basis, at minimal cost.”
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