UCF’s successful online and blended-learning programs will be the nationwide focus of an upcoming Tavis Smiley Show on PBS.

An interview with Thomas Cavanagh, UCF’s associate vice president of distributed learning, was taped Monday in Los Angeles and is scheduled for broadcast at midnight Thursday on WUCF TV.

Cavanagh discussed how UCF has leveraged the program to improve student access and success. The interview is the final installment in Smiley’s season-long emphasis on national higher education success stories. 

“I appreciated the invitation to share the UCF model with a wider audience,” Cavanagh said. “It was a fun conversation about an important topic.”

For those unable to catch the broadcast, the interview will be repeated at noon Monday on WUCF’s 24.3 world channel and will be available online on the Tavis Smiley Show website.