Just a Football Powerhouse? No, IU is also an Online Learning Dynamo with guests Chris Foley, Whitnie Powell & Mark Baer
It has been a couple of years since the team from Silver Lining for Learning (SLL) explored the status of online learning. In Episode #260 of SLL, we will hear about the targeted growth of online learning at Indiana University (IU) across eight campuses; including the flagship campus in Bloomington. In the state of Indiana, only Ivy Tech Community College enrolls more online students (over 12,000) than IU at around 10,000. The annual growth has been brisk at around 12 percent per year involving over 200 different programs, around 25 percent of which are collaborative in nature across all campuses and the rest are individual on a single campus. More information is available about the collaborative approach: “IU Online: A Collaborative Model for Online Education at Indiana University” and “Moving Forward 2.0: IU Online Implementation Plan.” In this episode of SLL, Dr. Chris Foley, Associate Vice President and Director of Online Learning at IU will detail recent trends in online learning at IU and outline the university targets and his predictions of the future. As he observes, 'Expanding Access: Higher education is a life-changing experience for most students. It’s not just about imparting knowledge. It brings personal growth, opens doors, and grows self-confidence. The more students who can experience this, the better . . . for them and for everyone." By the end of this episode, you will realize that Indiana University has not just become a major college football powerhouse but is also now an online learning dynamo.
Chris Foley, Associate Vice President, IU Online, Department: Office of Online Education, cfoley@iu.edu
Chris J. Foley is associate vice president and director of online education for IU. He leads the development and implementation of online programs across IU’s seven campuses, servicing 30,000 students involved in online education. In addition, he is an adjunct assistant professor of organizational leadership at IU Indianapolis and teaches graduate courses in leadership, organization change and ethics. Foley has served IU for more than 20 years; before his current role, he worked in admissions and enrollment management at both IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis. He has presented and published extensively on enrollment management, marketing and recruitment.
Mark Baer joined the IU Online team in May 2024 as Interim Assistant Vice President for Online Academic Affairs and transitioned to Assistant Vice President of Online Academic Programs in October 2025. In this role, Baer oversees new online program development across Indiana University and leads a team that supports proactive management of existing online and hybrid collaborative programs, including curriculum evolution and assessment support. Since stepping into this leadership position, Baer has expanded collaborative partnerships across an increasingly interconnected university, fostering relationships that enhance program quality and delivery.
Baer is an Associate Professor of Performing Arts with tenure at IU Northwest, bringing a strong faculty perspective to his administrative work. With a robust record of faculty leadership, Baer served as President of the IU Northwest Faculty Organization from 2020 to 2023 and has long contributed to intercampus collaboration through the University Faculty Council and Regional Faculty Caucus. He holds an MFA in Theatre Direction from Illinois State University and a BS in International Business and Theatre from the University of Findlay. More information on Mark can be found at: https://rcoe.iu.edu/about/leadership/baer-mark.html
Whitnie Powell was appointed Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Services in November 2023, following three successful years as the Director of Enrollment Management and Student Services. In her current role, Whitnie leads the Enrollment Management, Online Student Services, Online Undergraduate Advising, Online Graduate Support, and EM&SS Operational Systems teams within IU Online. Together with her team, she collaborates closely with all IU campuses and University Administration units to create a seamless and supportive online student experience, enhance operational efficiencies, drive online enrollment growth, and positively impact student persistence, retention, and completion.
Before joining IU, Whitnie served as the Senior Associate Director for Graduate Studies and Adult Learning at the University of Indianapolis, where she developed and led a centralized recruitment and enrollment team serving graduate, adult, and online students. Her leadership roles also include serving as Enrollment Manager at Indiana Wesleyan University, where she oversaw recruitment, enrollment, and student services for three central Indiana regional campuses. At Chamberlain College of Nursing, Whitnie was the Interim Director of Admissions, where she led the development of recruitment strategy, admissions processes, and student services during the initial startup of the Indianapolis campus.Whitnie's career also includes roles as a high school recruiter, online admissions counselor, online student services coordinator, intake coordinator, and student admissions recruiter.
She earned both her B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in Management from the University of Indianapolis and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Administration with a focus on Higher Education Leadership at Indiana State University. Whitnie is actively involved in councils, steering committees, and task forces across IU, representing IU Online. She has earned national recognition for the IU Online Enrollment Management and Student Services model through conference presentations and national association awards, including being honored with the UPCEA 2024 Dorothy Durkin Strategic Innovation Award. More information on Whitnie can be found at: https://rcoe.iu.edu/about/leadership/powell-whitnie.html