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ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ Founders Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Aug 25, 2021

At ASU+GSV, the three honorees discuss the university’s journey from startup to leader.

By ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ Team

As Western Governors UniversityÌý(ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ)Ìýlooks ahead to its 25th anniversary in 2022,Ìýwe realizeÌýit’sÌýalsoÌýimportant toÌýreflect on our founders’ÌýforesightÌýand commitment to reshaping higher education.ÌýThat opportunityÌýfor reflection surfacedÌýat the 2021 ASU+ GSV Global Summit, where former governors Mike Leavitt (Utah) and Roy Romer (Colorado),Ìýas well as former ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ president Robert Mendenhall,Ìýwere recognized withÌý.Ìý

In 1997,ÌýºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅÌýwasÌýdeveloped out of a vision for the future of higher education that emerged among the governors of theÌý,Ìýwho collectively saw a new pathway to educational opportunity through technology and competency-basedÌýeducation.Ìý

Today, ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅÌýis the nation’s leading nonprofit online university,Ìýcurrently servesÌýnearly 130,000 enrolled students, andÌýhas nearly 250,000ÌýalumniÌýfrom all 50 states.ÌýBut the journey from concept to large-scale impact was tenuous, as we learned firsthand atÌýa panel discussion during the summit in San Diego.ÌýÌý

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ President Scott PulsipherÌýmoderatedÌýaÌýwide-ranging conversationÌýwith Leavitt, Romer, and Mendenhall, whichÌýshed light on how fragile theÌýuniversity was as a startup—from fundingÌýshortfalls to accreditation barriers—andÌýhowÌýit ultimatelyÌýbecame theÌýaffordable, accessible, andÌýstudent-centricÌýuniversity they envisioned.ÌýÌý

Watch the founders’ discussion here, and for more insight on ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ’s work to connect talent with opportunity, visit our .

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