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Dear University of the People Supporter,
Education should know no boundaries. We all have something to learn and something to teach.
Since opening enrollment in April, we are proud to report that University of the People has attracted more than 750 applicants spanning 97 countries. We are now one step closer to our dream of universal higher education.
In recognition of this initiative, the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID) hosted a briefing at the United Nations Headquarters to announce our world-renowned Advisory Committee and Chair of the Business Administration Department. We are pleased to welcome some of the top minds in education and technology and look forward to working with them as we continue to embark on this journey.
We invite you to take a look at our newly designed virtual home, www.UoPeople.org, and thank you for your generous and continued support.
Warm regards,
Shai Reshef
Founder & President
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Comprised of distinguished academic professionals, humanitarians and other visionaries who reflect the diversity and mission of University of the People, the Advisory Committee will play a key role in evolution of the school. We are thrilled to have the following advisors on our committee:
- Professor Jack Balkin, Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment at Yale Law School, Director of Yale's Information Society Project and Co-director of Yale's Law and Media Program
- Mr. Ryan Craig, J.D., Founder and President of Wellspring, the leading organization addressing the epidemic of childhood obesity through educational programs, and Director of Bridgepoint Education, a top provider of post-secondary education services
- Professor Daniel J. H. Greenwood, Professor of Law at the Hofstra University School of Law
- Dr. Gabriel Hawawini, Henry Grunfeld Chaired Professor of Investment Banking, Visiting Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and former Dean of INSEAD, one of the leading and largest graduate business schools
- Ambassador M. Humayun Kabir, Ambassador of the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the United States
- Dr. Mihai Nadin, Endowed Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Founder and Director of anté Institute for Research in Anticipatory Systems
- Dr. Y. S. Rajan, Principal Advisor of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and co-author of a best-selling book INDIA 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium (with India's former President Abdul Kalam)
- Dr. David Wiley, Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University, Chief Openness Officer of Flat World Knowledge, Founder of the Open High School of Utah and Founder of OpenContent.org
- Dr. Russell S. Winer, Executive Director of the Marketing Science Institute in Cambridge, MA, and the William Joyce Professor and Chair of the Department of Marketing at the Stern School of Business, New York University
Pictured l to r: Ambassador Kabir, Professor Greenwood, Mr. Reshef, Dr. Winer
Business Administration:
Russell Winer has been appointed Chair of the Business Administration Department. Dr. Winer will be instrumental in the formation of the program during its initial stages, overseeing its launch and setting its direction. University of the People is currently in the process of recruiting a Chair of the Computer Science Department.
World Economic Forum on the Middle East:
Shai Reshef recently participated on the panel "Rethinking Education in the Middle East" at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East. A timely gathering of the foremost regional and global leaders to engage in a strategic examination of the Middle East's aspirations for prosperity amidst a complex geopolitical landscape, the Forum took place May 15-17 in Jordan.
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In the News
Shai Reshef was named one of the "100 Most Creative People in Business" by Fast Company:
Founder, University of the People
College tuition in the U.S. has risen more since 1990 than the price of any other good or service. That's why Shai Reshef decided to commit his fortune -- made when he sold a for-profit educational-services firm to Kaplan in 2005 -- to opening a tuition-free, online-only, open-source university. University of the People will charge tiny registration and exam fees ($15 to $100) and rely on volunteer professors and open-source content. Hundreds of students on five continents have enrolled, and Reshef hopes his university will serve as a global model for how to educate a new generation. "There are hundreds of millions of people around the world unable to afford higher education," he says. "We are offering them an alternative." Class will be in session in fall 2009. -- by Anya Kamenetz
UoPeople continues to enjoy worldwide media attention, making headlines in China, Russia, Brazil, Portugal and beyond...
"A leading arm of the United Nations working to spread the benefits of information technology today announced the launch of the first ever tuition-free online university...As part of this year's focus on education, the UN Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technology and Development (GAID) presented the newly formed University of the People, a non-profit institution offering higher education to the masses." --May 19, 2009
"An Israeli entrepreneur who has started what is believed to be the world's first tuition-free online university said Saturday he hopes the effort will expand education to less fortunate people around the world...Shai Reshef said University of the People has about 150 students from 35 countries who have enrolled since the school began last week. He hopes to expand the program to include 15,000 students in four years." --May 16, 2009
"Educational Entrepreneur, Most Creative Person Shai Reshef Gets Round of Applause at the UN...A briefing room at the United Nations yesterday morning made a very official setting for an announcement about the international, high-tech, and almost free future of higher education. Shai Reshef, featured in our Most Creative People list, has begun accepting enrollment for his innovative nonprofit online university." --May 20, 2009
"The first-ever, tuition-free online university opened its virtual doors to a worldwide student population, the United Nations said from its New York offices...The U.N. Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technology and Development, as part of its focus on education this year, showed off the University of the People, the United Nations said Tuesday in a news release." --May 20, 2009
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Of Note
Don't forget to visit our redesigned Web site, www.UoPeople.org.
And remember, classes begin this September.
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"Together, we can create a free university for students all over the world."
-Shai Reshef, Founder and President, University of the People
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