Scott D. Pulsipher
President | Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Scott Pulsipher serves as President of Western Governors University, leading all academic and organizational functions.
Areas of Expertise:
Leadership, Tech Education, EdTech, Disruptive Innovation, Higher Education Access, Higher Education Innovation, E-Commerce, Product Management, Strategy, Public Speaking. Named one of EdTech Digest's Top 100 Influencers in EdTech.
Education:
Harvard Business School: MBA, Business Administration 1999
Activities and Societies: Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital / Principal Investment Clubs.
Brigham Young University: B.S., Management (Finance Emphasis) 1994
Magna Cum Laude, Phi Kappa Phi national honor society. Significant course work in finance, economics, marketing, information systems, statistics, and organizational behavior.
Media.
Video.
Photos.
Credit: U.S. Department of Education
Podcasts and radio.
- Online learning in the time of COVID-19 Lessons Earned Podcast, 5/2020
- Disruption, Leadership in Crisis, and Re-Imagining the Promise of Higher Education The EdUp Experience Podcast, 4/26/2020
- Is coronavirus the catalyst higher ed needed for transformation? EdScoop Radio Podcast, 4/2/2020
- The Worth of a College Degree BYU Radio, The Lisa Show, 3/11/2020
- Scott Pulsipher: Disruptive Leadership in Higher Education Disrupt Yourself Podcast, 11/2/2017
Biography.
Scott Pulsipher has served as president of Western Governors University, the nation’s premier nonprofit competency-based university, since April 2016, leading all academic, operational, and organizational functions. He cultivates a student-first environment by using technology and data to improve learning outcomes, graduation rates, employment, and overall student wellbeing.
Prior to joining WGU, Scott led several technology-based, customer-focused businesses, including Amazon, Sterling Commerce (now part of IBM), and two successful startups that traverse retail, supply chain, banking, payments, and manufacturing sectors.
He serves on multiple higher education and technology boards, including: Education Co-Chair for Committee for Economic Development, board member at the American Council on Education and advisory board member at the Presidents Forum.
Scott holds an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in Management from Brigham Young University.
Affiliations.
- Committee for Economic Development: Education Co-Chair
- American Council on Education: Board Member
- Presidents' Forum: Advisory Board Member
- Marriott School Marketing Advisory Board : Member
Languages
- Polish
Featured articles.
- Can Data Tell If Higher Ed Is Delivering on Its Promise? The promise of higher education is opportunity -- a fulfilling career, increased wellbeing, greater earning potential -- and ultimately social mobility and a better life. When fulfilled, this promise extends beyond the individual to families, elevating potential and impact for generations to come.
- Now, more than ever, student-focused education is critical The coronavirus pandemic is highlighting the innovations that have been desperately needed in higher education all along.
Forbes articles.
President Pulsipher is a regular contributor to Forbes:
Does Biden’s Vision On Loan Forgiveness Go Far Enough? January 27, 2021
Happy? New Year: Five Resolutions For Higher Ed, January 13, 2021
Finding A New Job Is Hard, But New Tech Can Change That, September 23, 2020
Covid Is Hurting Higher Ed’s Bottom Line. Who Should Foot The Bill? September 14, 2020
Pandemic-Driven Progress: 3 Innovations Higher Ed Needs Now, July 15, 2020
What Alexander Hamilton Taught Us About Learning, July 10, 2020
Covid-19 Accelerates 3 Disruptive Trends Facing Higher Education, July 8, 2020
Forget Bitcoin—Skills Are The Currency Of The Future, June 26, 2020
Beyond Zoom U: The Online Learning Experience Students Want, June 23, 2020
A Bridge Over The Digital Divide – The Infrastructure Project For Education Access, June 8, 2020
Other selected articles and media appearances.
Higher education must innovate and put non-traditional learners first
Working Nation, 2020-01-08
Presidents Forum outlines 10 principles the group believes will help all institutions better serve their increasingly diverse student populations.
Scott Pulsipher on Reimagining Talent Finance
U.S Chamber of Commerce, 2020-12
We need to reconceive of education as a vitamin that we take throughout our careers, preparing us for one opportunity and then the next.
College network debuts framework to serve diverse student bodies
Education Dive, 2020-11-30
The forum asserts that the pandemic's impact on students heightens the need for colleges to develop policies that serve diverse learners.
Trump’s Legacy For Students and Workers: Shifting Focus From ‘Degrees’ to ‘Skills’
EdSurge, 2020-11-19
Should it really be a diploma that points the way to opportunity, or the skills that diploma (supposedly) signifies? What if people could get those skills without going to college?
Is This the End of College as We Know It?
The Wall Street Journal, 2020-11-12
For millions of Americans, getting a four-year degree no longer makes sense. Here’s what could replace it.
College Presidents Rally to Lead and Empower in Response to COVID-19
Ed Tech Magazine, 2020-10-28
EDUCAUSE spoke with several college presidents to better understand how they've been managing so far with the pandemic and how technology is bolstering their response plans for the short term and redefining their mission and vision in the long term.
Disruption, Leadership in Crisis, and Re-Imagining the Promise of Higher Education
The EvoLLLution, 2020-10-22
In this interview, Elvin Freytes, Joe Sallustio and Elizabeth Leiba from EdUp Experience speak to Scott Pulsipher about the push education needs, how the competency-based model tackles the affordability issue and shares advice on having a greater focus on the student.
OPINION: Time to rebuild the economy, not just stimulate it
The Hechinger Report, 2020-10-12
As higher education leaders, we’ve had front-row seats to the ways in which the relationship between education and work is broken — and we also see how government can play a role in fixing it.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Silicon Slopes, 2020-10-02
It is sobering to consider what the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic would have been if it had taken place 30 years ago, before internet access was ubiquitous and pocket-sized devices could connect us to the world of learning and work, to far flung friends and family, and to entertainment and consumption with only a click.
Colleges will survive the fall. The bigger question is how we help students thrive
Deseret News, 2020-08-13
How can we renew higher education as the surest path to opportunity? How can we make sure that its promise is widely and equitably accessible?
The Outdated Tax Provision Holding Back Economic Recovery
Real Clear Policy, 2020-08-12
What’s needed is a deeper investment in the workforce to upskill millions of Americans for the jobs that will be in demand.
Pandemic crisis touted as time to finally embrace older students
Times Higher Education, 2020-07-24
Campus-focused plans show US colleges still too age-limited, says job-centric pioneer.
Can Colleges Reopen? 7 Questions From Congress As It Considers More Higher Ed Support
Ed Surge, 2020-07-08
Members of Congress gathered virtually to hear from expert witnesses representing community colleges, public universities and online higher ed institutions.
Closing the Digital Divide Will Advance Equity
Real Clear Education, 2020-07-08
The current national discussion on racial inequality was kicked off by law enforcement issues, but it is rooted in broader, structural inequalities in our institutions and in our access to the American Dream.
Urgency of getting people back to work gives new momentum to “microcredentials”
The Hechinger Report, 2020-06-02
Americans seek educations that take months, not years, to help them find new jobs fast.
More Students Are ‘Stacking’ Credentials en Route to a Degree
Wired, 2020-06-02
With record numbers of Americans jobless, some are turning to nontraditional programs that offer rewards for completing short courses on specific skills.
The coronavirus crisis will bust up and reshape higher education — for better or for worse
The Boston Globe, 2020-05-22
Chat bots, predictive analytics, and maybe a cheaper, more humane college experience.
Be prepared: 7 things you can do during coronavirus lockdown to improve your employment prospects
The Chicago Tribune, 2020-04-14
Among several suggestions on how to prepare yourself for the transformed job market that will emerge after the pandemic passes, is "keep learning."
Older articles of note.
- Expanding access and conveying competencies: How Western Governors University is rethinking higher education Harvard Business School, 2019-07-03
- WGU Establishes Scholarship Opportunities for Argosy Transfer Students Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 2019-03-26
- Can Education Innovate to Meet Student Needs? Deseret News, 2019-03-19
- Redefining the Higher Education Model Business Innovation Factory, 2018-02-21
- Competency-Based Education, Put to the Test Education Next, 2017-09-01
Event appearances.
SXSW EDU
How Data and Automation Humanize Student Experience Austin, Texas
2017-03-06
ASU GSV Summit
The Potential for Artificial Intelligence to Revolutionize Higher Education Salt Lake City, Utah
2017-05-13
Committee for Economic Development Fall Policy Conference
Reimagining Higher Education for the 21st Century Washington, D.C.
2017-12-06
Gallup - WGU Research Event
WGU: How Innovation Delivers Better Experiences & Outcomes for Students Washington, D.C.
2018-04-10