Harvard evening and distance education - serious or joke?

So Harvard has distance learning courses, targeted at Common Joes like you and me. It's called Harvard Extension School, and you can see the site here.

What's bizarre is that the site looks exactly like a hilarious mock ad The Onion had up a while ago that said "Try Harvard!" The Onion seems to have taken it down, but I'll put a link here and place it below.

Truth = fiction.



Anyway, I'm sure it's a cash cow for Harvard, but does it hurt the reputation?