Arizona State University unveiled plans on Thursday to educate 100 million students worldwide by 2030.
The initiative will be carried out by ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and will be funded in part by a $25 million donation by Phoenix philanthropists Francis and Dionne Najafi. Founded in 1946 as an independent, private institution, Thunderbird was acquired by Arizona State University in 2014.
The Najafi’s gift will fund an accredited online Global Management and Entrepreneurship Certificate that will help people in developing countries learn some basic business skills. The certificate curriculum will consist of the following five courses that ultimately will be offered in 40 different languages, as part of what’s being called the Francis and Dionne Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative.
The cost of the certificate program will be covered by full scholarships, allowing students to be able to complete it without paying tuition. The first courses are scheduled to begin in April.
