A bit over a decade ago, Susan and I stumbled over a piece in the New York Times that announced plans for a “Free Global University That Will Be Online Only.” We reached out to Shai Reshef, the entrepreneur who had announced this audacious idea, and have been supporters ever since. “Talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not” is a great summary of the problem that University of the People is helping to address. And from those early days when it was really just a glimmer in the eyes of a determined founder, University of the People has grown to over 100,000 students globally, with no sign of slowing down.
There are many revolutionary aspects about the University of the People model, but two are particularly worth noting. First, except for a small paid core team, everyone is a volunteer. It is an extraordinary way to give back for people who want to facilitate learning and help people all around the world. Second, at the heat of the University of the People courses is peer learning with students helping each other but also holding each other accountable. This is possible not just because University of the People has invested extensively in a pedagogy to facilitate it, but also because the students don’t see themselves as high paying customers to be catered to, but as learners on a common quest.
Susan and I are excited to help lay the foundations for longterm financial independence of University of the People by making a $1 million contribution in BTC and ETH to what will be a crypto-first endowment. University of the People is about borderless learning and so it feels apt to build an endowment in borderless assets. If you don’t have the time or background to volunteer as an instructor, but want to support the endeavor you can send BTC to 3M9hekcTQcxkHMe1ikqkaZCWWuUxM7o55o and ETH to 0xf3491c788071c4a295a0525ae6ed443697993a6b – if you have other assets you can contact Sion Schlanger (VP of Finance for University of the People).
