The Southern University System recently announced its venture into online degree offerings, breaking new ground in the way HBCUs attract non-traditional students and banking on the revenue bearing opportunities that may be created in the face of unprecedented cuts to state funding.

Southern System President Ronald Mason Jr. tells the Advocate the new online project is a revenue-sharing partnership with a for-profit corporation that specializes in delivering online degree programs for historically black colleges and universities, called HBCUs.

Mason said the project — gotosouthernuniversity.com — will help Southern attract more out-of-state and older, nontraditional students who are currently the niche of more expensive for-profit universities like the University of Phoenix.

There’s healthy criticism for HBCUs offering online degree programs, notably, inviting in non-traditional and traditional degree seekers into programs without on-campus retention support and academic enrichment opportunities. These programs are not only the hallmarks of the HBCU value proposition for many communities, but one of the key tools in sustaining the HBCU mission and narrowing the achievement gap for black students.

But the Southern system has a diverse offering of professional programs that may easily translate for engaged distance learners. If SU law, engineering, business and nursing can expand through online degree programs, the school might  see a substantial return in revenue, bolstered graduation numbers, and a gradual backing down from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and legislators hoping to close in on the system.