A delegation from Arizona State University, led by President Michael Crow, joined leadership at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to celebrate their recent partnership, which aims to expand access to more academic programs through online learning while advancing the economic vitality of their respective states.
Last year, UT Chancellor Donde Plowman and ASU President Michael Crow announced a collaboration between the two institutions that would leverage ASU’s experience and success in delivering online programs to expand access at UT.
The partnership enables the two universities to share courses, broadening the program offerings available to their digital learning students. By partnering rather than competing, the two public research universities can empower learners to create their educational paths while addressing the evolving needs of the U.S. workforce, said Plowman.
“UT and ASU are driving innovation, expanding access and fostering student success to strengthen economic progress in our cities, states and regions,” said Plowman. “We’re a land-grant school, and very much like ASU, committed to access and academic excellence.”
The demand for flexible learning options is growing as the needs of modern learners evolve, especially for those unable to participate in residential programs and adults who are furthering their education while balancing many priorities, such as caring for dependents and working. The partnership with ASU — a global leader in high-quality digital learning programs — reinforces UT’s commitment to education access and academic excellence.
“We’re here because we’ve got a great partnership with UT where we’re working to develop new, highly innovative teaching and learning tools,” said Crow. “If you can find innovative universities that want to accelerate innovations, they should work together, pool their resources, pool their assets and find ways to accelerate their ability to impact more people.”
Transforming Educational Access
Crow and Plowman met with department heads to highlight the benefits of online programs to advance UT’s mission of accessibility while maintaining the highest academic standards. They discussed how ASU’s EdPlus program has transformed higher education access by offering digital teaching and learning models that reduce barriers to learning and increase student success.
During a luncheon that included the ASU delegation, the Chancellor’s cabinet, deans and vice provosts, the two leaders facilitated a conversation with UT’s academic leadership, encouraging college deans to invest in developing online programs that benefit students, individual colleges and institutions alike.
The visit concluded with a public forum moderated by UT Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick and featuring Plowman and Crow on the importance of public research universities to the social and economic vitality of the state. Both leaders highlighted strategic partnerships that enhance workforce development and regional growth, technological advancements that are shaping the future of higher education and innovative approaches to increasing access and student success.
Forum attendees included higher education and K-12 education leaders from across Tennessee and Arizona as well as business, civic, economic development and policy leaders from both states.
During the forum, Plowman cited UT’s new College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies as an example of higher education’s role in filling workforce gaps.
“There are so many jobs needed out there that don’t necessarily need a major like we’ve always constructed it,” she said. “We’re listening to our leaders in industry and then trying to build and serve the state with the things they need.”
Crow said historically, many people have viewed universities as environments for an exclusive few and considered workforce development to be the domain of technical colleges.
“I operate under this notion of the theory of abundance, and so we have to get past this notion that we’re not in the workforce development business,” he said. “We’re producing engineers, nurses, scientists, dreamers, writers, artists, conceptualizers and politicians and lawyers, and all these things in our economy are absolutely essential to our success. We’re in workforce development, human development and idea development.”
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Stacy Estep (865-974-8304, sestep3@utk.edu)
Perrin Anderson (865-441-0866, perrin@utk.edu)