History

JIU is the pioneer in online learning. Our founder and chancellor Glenn R. Jones has devoted much of his life to his passionately held belief that education should be available to everyone, everywhere. A cable magnate, Jones in 1987 launched the cable television network Mind Extension University™ (ME/U™), which enabled 30,000 students to take courses from more than 30 colleges and universities via television. In the nascence of the Internet, Jones foresaw the potential and started JIU in 1993 – the first university anywhere to exist completely online.

Despite the naysayers, Jones knew in his heart that this was the future of education. So it was with great pride that, in 1999, JIU became the first fully online university in the U.S. to be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and a member of the North Central Association (www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org). Since then, we have continued to develop and expand our degree programs – all of which are designed to meet the needs of busy professionals eager to shape their futures.