Meg Benke has been with Empire State College since 1990, currently as Dean of the Center for Distance Learning, and connected with distance education since 1983. The Center for Distance Learning enrolls 13,000 distance learning enrollments every year. Students can do complete degrees online.
Empire State College offers many student services on the web such as the Writer’s Complex (online writing center), student ambassadors, library career site and all services such as admissions, registration, and financial aid.
Dr. Benke’s work in education has focused on the connections between work, employers and education. Dr. Benke also teaches in the graduate and undergraduate programs in the areas of adult educational policy, human systems, leadership, human resource development, distance education and training and learning organizations. Dr. Benke studies outcomes for students in distance learning and the assessment of prior learning. Since coming to Empire State College, Dr. Benke has written and presented primarily in the areas of learner supports for distance learners and union/employer sponsored distance learning. She has convened a national teleconference on student services for adult students through the American College Personnel Association where she has also served as Vice President for Professional Development. Her recent efforts within the college include the development of co-sponsorship contracts with Alliance (Lucent Technologies, CWA and AT&T), Steelworkers, Ohio AFSCME, the military, and AARP to provide AS/BS degrees at a distance to technical, production, and customer service employees.
Dr. Gloria Pickar is President and Chief Academic Officer, responsible for the company’s relationship with all academic partners and leads business development initiatives to acquire new partners and programs. She has served on the leadership team at Compass since 1999 and as President since 2004. In addition to her tenure at Compass, she has over 25 years of higher education leadership and faculty experience with 11 years as an academic dean. Dr. Pickar has broad higher education experience in healthcare, education, and business. She directed nursing and other health programs from start-up through accreditation. She has served on the faculties of both community colleges and universities, including Seminole Community College, Valencia Community College, University of Florida, and Florida Southern College. Dr. Pickar earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Master’s degree in Nursing Education, and Doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Florida. Her nursing and higher education career includes two years as a corporate and personal wellness counselor and consultant. Dr. Pickar authored two nursing textbooks published by Cengage Learning; the first textbook, Dosage Calculations, is a bestseller currently in its 8th edition and the 3rd edition of the second book was published in 2010.
Karen Vignare currently serves as the Director of the Customer Experience at Michigan State University. In that role, Karen is responsible for creating online entrepreneurial businesses for extending both non-credit and credit programs at MSU. She oversees business planning, technology planning, open educational resources, instructional design and customer service. She publishes regularly on various topics in online learning. She has an M.B.A from the University of Rochester’s William Simon School of Business and Ed. S. from Nova Southeastern University and is a doctoral candidate.
