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2U and edX University Advisory Councils

Written by 2U on May 18, 2022

Related content: Higher Education, Strategic Partnerships

2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), the parent company of leading global online learning platform edX, today announced the creation of two university councils to guide the organization in its mission to unlock human potential through high-quality, affordable online higher education.

The two councils include the University Leadership Council (ULC) comprised of presidents, provosts, and chancellors from nonprofit colleges and universities within 2U and edX’s global network of 230+ institutions, as well as the University Partner Advisory Council (UPAC) comprised of academic leaders who are responsible for their institution’s digital transformation and online education strategy.

“We are thrilled to work with such an esteemed group of university leaders from around the world and to deepen our partnership and knowledge sharing with them in ways that will benefit students and the broader higher education community globally,” said Andrew Hermalyn, 2U’s President of Partnerships.

The ULC is a reconstitution of the former edX University Advisory Board, and brings together a diverse group of institutions that share a passion for evolving global higher education. The UPAC ensures that 2U can regularly and routinely confer with key digital innovation leaders from across the combined 2U and edX partner network.

2U/edX’s University Leadership Council members include:

  • Cynthia Barnhart, Provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Malte Brettel, Vice Rector, RWTH Aachen University
  • Chris Clemens, Provost, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Reginald DesRoches, Provost and President-Elect, Rice University
  • Wayne A.I. Frederick, President, Howard University
  • Alan Garber, Provost, Harvard University
  • Ellen Granberg, Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Benjamin E. Hermalin, Provost-Elect, University of California, Berkeley
  • Jean Morrison, Provost, Boston University
  • Rob Mudde, Vice Rector Magnificus/Vice President Education, Delft University of Technology
  • Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice Chancellor, University of Cape Town
  • Jennie Shaw, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), The University of Adelaide
  • Deborah Terry AO, Vice Chancellor and President, The University of Queensland
  • Bin Yang, Provost, Tsinghua University
  • Charles Zukoski, Provost, University of Southern California

2U/edX’s University Partner Advisory Council members include:

  • David Bach, Dean of Innovation and Programs, Institute for Management Development
  • Nelson Baker, Dean of Professional Education, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Stephanie Berzin, Vice Provost, Simmons University
  • MJ Bishop, Vice President for Integrative Learning Design, University System of Maryland
  • Larry Bouthillier, Executive Director of Extended Learning, University of British Columbia
  • Cathy Breen, Managing Director, Harvard University
  • Peter Decherny, Director of the Online Learning Initiative, University of Pennsylvania
  • Chris Dellarocas, Associate Provost, Boston University
  • James DeVaney, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, University of Michigan
  • Jim Gazzard, Director of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge
  • Jay Gladden, Associate Vice President, Indiana University
  • Eric Grimson, Chancellor for Academic Advancement, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Peter Hirst, Senior Associate Dean, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management
  • Carlos Jensen, Associate Vice Chancellor, University of California, San Diego
  • Josh Kim, Director of Online Programs and Strategy, Dartmouth College
  • Caroline Levander, Vice President for Global and Digital Strategy, Rice University
  • Carissa Little, Associate Dean for Global and Online Education, Stanford University
  • Ian Mortimer, Associate Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Mike Nichol, Associate Vice Provost, University of Southern California
  • Todd Nicolet, Vice Provost, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Oliver O’Reilly, Interim Vice Provost, University of California, Berkeley
  • Clay Shirky, Vice Provost, New York University
  • Dave Smith, Associate Provost, Pepperdine University
  • Vasanthi Srinivasan, Chairperson of Digital Learning, IIBM Institute of Business Management
  • Willem van Valkenburg, Executive Director of the Extension School, Delft University of Technology
  • Caroline Williams, Director of Open Programmes, University of Oxford
  • Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The councils will be advisory in nature and will meet on a range of relevant topics of shared interest among 2U and edX and its network of international partners. Understanding and responding to the perspectives of its academic and corporate partners is key to the company’s strategy to deliver high-quality and career-relevant learning at scale.

“While online education has become a larger part of the higher education story in recent years, new pressures are mounting to transform institutions for a post-pandemic era where learning is becoming increasingly blended,” said Anant Agarwal, edX founder, 2U Chief Open Education Officer, and MIT professor. “These university councils, alongside our existing Corporate Advisory Board, allow 2U and edX to further tap into our partners’ collective knowledge and experience as we build a global education platform that drives greater access to high-quality learning programs for everyone, everywhere.”

About 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU) For more than a decade, 2U, Inc. has been the digital transformation partner of choice to great non-profit colleges and universities delivering high-quality online education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading global online learning platform, 2U provides over 44 million learners with access to world-class education in partnership with more than 230 colleges, universities, and corporations. Our people and technology are powering more than 4,000 digital education offerings — from free courses to full degrees — and helping unlock human potential. To learn more: visit 2U.com.

About edX edX is the education movement for restless learners and a leading global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU). Together with the majority of the world’s top-ranked universities and industry-leading companies, we bring our community of over 44 million learners world-class education to support them at every stage of their lives and careers, from free courses to full degrees. And we're not stopping there — we're relentlessly pursuing our vision of a world where every learner can access education to unlock their potential, without the barriers of cost or location. Learn more at edX.org.

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