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NextGenU.org is a non-profit, tuition-free university. It currently concentrates its trainings (courses, certificates, residencies, etc.) primarily in health care science, using expert-created competencies and resources. NextGenU.org works in partnership with experts and professional organizations for quality assurance and endorsement, and uses cutting-edge educational innovations, including computer-based learning resources, and local and international mentoring and peer-to-peer experiences.

All lecture and study sessions are delivered entirely from vetted external sources on the Internet. The non-profit organization provides access to online, post-secondary education to qualified students in a tuition-free model in order for students to overcome geographic or financial limitations and acquire higher learning.

The non-profit institution places a special focus on assisting students from developing countries and uses technologies that can be accessed globally. This includes an exclusion of audio and video in its learning modules to ensure broadband is not a requirement for the University’s students to access materials.

NextGenU’s pedagogical model draws on the principles of e-learning, social networking, and collaborative learning, coupled with open-source technology and open educational resources.

Aims
NextGenU provides online post-secondary education on a global scale to qualified students wishing to pursue their studies on a part-time distance learning basis, with a special emphasis on people who are economically challenged and/or come from developing countries. The University education provided is done so within the framework of a tuition-free structure.

Accreditation
NextGenU is not currently an accredited institution. All of its courses are offered in partnership with organizations (universities, professional specialty societies, and/or government agencies) that are certified to give courses for credit. NextGenU emails students' designee (such as a faculty member or registrar) at the student's home university to liaise to obtain credits through the student's home university

History and Growth
Dr. Erica Frank launched NextGenU with a team of researchers and students in 2012. The non-profit University structures the operations and delivery of its higher education programs using a low-cost model. The means of operation and delivery draw on a number of recent trends in e-learning and e-commerce, including open-source technology and open educational resources that provide access to educational material from U.S. institutions; global dissemination of information under an e-learning model; and peer-to-peer learning that leverages the knowledge of students and applies it social networking. The University also emphasizes an asynchronous-learning model in which students are free to study according to their own schedules, making it easier to accommodate students from different time zones and whose access to resources such as broadband Internet access or even electricity may be limited.

Organization and Administration
NextGenU uses instructor support combined with learning by teaching and peer-to-peer learning. The University uses online discussion forums and online communities in order for students to cover readings, share resources, exchange ideas and discuss assigned questions. Nearly all instructors donate their time, either in creating courses or acting as local mentors. Educational materials are drawn from web resources like Health Sciences Online, NextGenU’s first library, an online portal that Dr. Erica Frank began in 2001 that contains links to 50,000 learning resources.

Academic Programs
University of the People offers the following four undergraduate degrees:
 * Bachelor (B.S.) in Business Administration
 * Associate (A.S.) in Business Administration
 * Bachelor (B.S.) in Computer Science
 * Associate (A.S.) in Computer Science

Business Administration
The University designed the business programs to provide students with comprehensive knowledge regarding the foundations of business with real-world applications. The programs offer broad-based education in the fundamentals of business policy and procedures.

The Business Administration Department Leadership includes:
 * Dr. Russell S. Winer (MSIA 1975, Ph.D. 1977), Dean of Business Administration for University of the People and the William Joyce Professor of Marketing and Chair of Marketing Department at Stern School of Business, New York University.
 * Ms. Ogechi Adeola, Associate Dean for Curriculum Development, Business Administration for University of the People, with a law degree from University of Nigeria, an MBA in Financial Management from Manchester Business School, University of Manchester and a Certificate of Merit from the Institute of Financial Management.

The Business Administration Advisory Board includes:
 * Dr. Russell S. Winer, Chair, 2007-09 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.
 * Professor Kriengsak Charoenwongsak, a Thai scholar, visionary, and politician; Professor Kriengsak Chareonwongsak is President of the Institute of Future Studies for Development in Thailand and Chairman of Success Group of Companies in Thailand.
 * Dr. Gabriel Hawawini, the Henry Grunfeld Chaired Professor of Investment Banking and former dean of INSEAD (2000–2006), and currently visiting Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
 * Dr. Indu Shahani, Principal of H R College, appointed the Sheriff of Mumbai on Jan 5, 2008 and serving her third term, she is the principal of H R College of Commerce and Economics in South Mumbai since 2000.

Arts & Sciences
University of the People’s general education courses of the Arts & Sciences department are intended to add depth and breadth to each student’s overall educational experience by providing opportunities to make interdisciplinary connections between concepts and ideas, as well as an environment to contemplate their meaning and significance. As common learning experiences, general education courses also create a foundation for students to articulate their thoughts with one another and inspire new ideas.

The general education courses of the Arts & Sciences department develop intellectual skills and understanding to support life-long learning and educated citizenship in a democratic society. The basic skills include language and communication, computer and information processing, and critical thinking. General education courses also provide an understanding of the methods and concerns of traditional branches of knowledge, including arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural sciences, as well as historical perspective and appreciation of diversity across time, culture and national boundaries.

The Arts & Sciences Leadership includes:
 * Dr. Dalton Conley, Dean of Arts & Sciences of University of the People and University Professor of the Social Sciences and the Chair of the Department of Sociology at New York University.
 * Ms. Michelle Rogers-Estable, Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences of University of the People, nearing completion of her Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Instructional Technology and Distance Education with Nova Southeastern University.

The Arts & Sciences Advisory Board includes:


 * Dr. Dalton Conley, Chair of the Arts & Sciences Advisory Board, Dean of Arts & Sciences at University of the People and University Professor of the Social Sciences and the Chair of the Department of Sociology at New York University.
 * Dr. Peter Awn currently, Dean of Columbia University's School of General Studies, Professor of Islamic Religion and Comparative Religion at Columbia University, and Director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University.
 * Dr. Catherine M. Casserly is CEO of Creative Commons and previously Director of the OER Initiative at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
 * Dr. Geraldine Downey, Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, Director of Columbia University's Social Relations Laboratory, previously Vice-Provost for Diversity Initiatives at Columbia.
 * Dr. Terry Fulmer, Professor & Dean of the Bouvé Col­lege of Health Sci­ences at North­eastern Uni­ver­sity, Elected Member of the Institute of Medicine and Vice Chair of the New York Academy of Medicine.
 * M. Humayun Kabir, Ambassador of the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the United States.
 * Dr. Ariel Kalil, Professor in the Harris School of the University of Chicago, and Director of the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy.
 * Dr. Abdul Waheed Khan, the Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information at the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
 * Dr. Preetha Ram, Associate Dean for Pre-Health and Science Education at Emory University, previous Dean of General Education at University of the People, and Co-Founder of Inquus Corp.
 * 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
 * Ms. Esther Wojcicki, Chairwoman of Creative Commons, Journalism & English teacher at Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CA, and educator and journalist.
 * Dr. Ruth Yakir, Director of the Center for International Studies at Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts in Tel Aviv.

Library Services
NextGenU.org's Chief Technology Officer, Ms. Ann Hulton, led the design and implementation of Health Sciences Online library and of NextGenU.org's educational platforms.

Students
Classes commenced at UoPeople on September 10, 2009. Currently, over 1400 students from 130 countries, including Cambodia, The Gambia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Colombia, Nigeria, Vietnam, United States, Afghanistan, Thailand, Sudan and Zambia, have been accepted to UoPeople. The student body is diverse, and in a typical classroom, 20 students are likely to be with students from around 20 countries in the same virtual classroom

Yale Law School Information Society Project
University of the People and Yale Law School ISP (Information Society Project) announced a digital education research partnership in 2009. Jack Balkin, Yale ISP Director and Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment at Yale Law School, serves on the Advisory Committee of University of the People.

New York University
In June 2011, New York University (NYU) announced a collaborative agreement with University of the People to identify those UoPeople students eligible for admission to New York University's Abu Dhabi campus. Recognizing that many of UoPeople's students are economically disadvantaged youth, eligible students who qualify for admittance to NYU Abu Dhabi, as well as qualify for financial aid, may receive generous financial aid to enable them to afford attendance at NYU Abu Dhabi.

Hewlett Packard (HP)
University of the People and Hewlett Packard (HP) announced a partnership in June 2011 to open up virtual research internships for UoPeople students as part of HP's Catalyst Initiative - a global network of consortia that brings together educational institutions and nongovernmental organizations. As part of the collaboration, interning students work with the consortia on various projects within education, technology and health.

United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development
Working under the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, GAID was approved by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006 in recognition that ICT must be effectively integrated into development activities if internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, are to be achieved within the agreed time frame. Now in its fourth year, GAID continues to address core issues related to the role of ICT in economic development and eradication of poverty, employment and enterprise in pro-poor growth scenarios, with particular focus on health, education, gender, youth, disabled and disadvantaged segments of society. On May 19, 2009, UN-GAID announced the launch of University of the People at a press conference in New York to reporters.

Clinton Global Initiative
Clinton Global Initiative Advances University of the People Pledge to Democratize Higher Education in Haiti. In August 2010, UoPeople was invited to become a member of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).

OpenCourseWare Consortium
OpenCourseWare is a free and open digital publication of high quality educational materials, organized as courses. The OpenCourseWare Consortium (OCWC) is a collaboration of more than 200 higher education institutions and associated organizations from around the world creating a broad and deep body of open educational content using a shared model. As a member of OCWC, UoPeople strengthens its commitment to advancing the current education system via the Internet.

World Computer Exchange
Working to improve educational opportunities in developing countries, UoPeople and the World Computer Exchange (WCE) have partnered, strengthening their shared missions of democratized access to education.

Tapping WCE’s global network of partner organizations with their more than 2,650 computer labs, the collaboration will offer more prospective and current UoPeople students increased access to computers with Internet connections for their studies. This will enable qualified individuals without computers to reap the educational benefits of UoPeople. Additionally, WCE will help promote UoPeople through its marketing channels, enabling the institution to target prospective students in new regions.