eArmyU, Army

The Army awarded the contract for this venture to PricewaterhouseCoopers on Dec. 14, 2000, and brought eArmyU's initial offering online on Jan. 16, 2001. The site gives soldiers access to more than 90 degree programs and 2,000 courses at more than 20 universities. Upon enrollment, the Army gives soldiers all the technology they need to become online students. Each student receives a laptop, a printer and an Internet account. Technical support is available as well.

The online university is available at three bases-Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Campbell, Ky., and Fort Hood, Texas-with an enrollment of 5,100 students. The Army hopes to enroll 94,000 students worldwide within five years.

The Army is using eArmyU as a tool to boost recruitment and reenlistment. As of June, about 14 percent of the students enrolled had re-upped to be part of the program. "Every soldier we keep is one that we don't have to bring back in," says Army education chief Dian Stoskopf. "That saves the Army significant dollars."