Scott Pulsipher Explained

Scott Pulsipher
Birth Name:Scott D. Pulsipher
Known For:President of Western Governors University.
Years Active:2016–present
President of Western Governors University

Scott D. Pulsipher is the president of Western Governors University, the largest nonprofit university by total enrollment in the United States.[1] He was appointed to this position in April 2016.

Education

Pulsipher earned a bachelor's degree in management with a finance emphasis from Brigham Young University. He later obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School.[2] [3]

Career

Yantra

After completing his bachelor's degree, and not long after business school, Pulsipher joined Yantra, a supply software company, as a VP of product management and marketing. Yantra was later acquired by Sterling Commerce (now owned by IBM), and Pulsipher remained with the company. During his tenure, revenue climbed $600 million and annual employee turnover declined from around 18 percent to under 2 percent.[4]

Amazon and Needle Inc.

In 2009, Pulsipher left Sterling Commerce, and joined Amazon as general manager of the Amazon Webstore.[5] While there, he helped launch Amazon’s website in the U.S., U.K., and Germany.[6] He moved onto Needle Inc. in 2013 and then to Western Governors University.[7]

President of Western Governors University

Western Governors University (WGU) is a nonprofit online, competency-based institution that allows students to move through academic programs at their own pace, and focuses on necessary career skills.[8] [9] In 2018, 72% of WGU graduates reported that their education was worth the cost;[10] and in 2021, this rose to 77 percent, compared to only 37 percent nationally. In 2021, over 150,000 students enrolled in WGU.[11] The university graduates between 45,000 to 50,000 students a year.[12]

As the president of Western Governors University, Pulsipher has overseen significant growth and expansion of the nonprofit university. During his tenure, has overseen a plan called 10x Vision, created to scale enrollment and launch new ventures to expand access to higher education.[13]

Community engagement

In addition to his work as an educator and administrator, Scott Pulsipher has been involved in various volunteering and community service initiatives. He served on the board of trustees for the Utah Technology Council (now Silicon Slopes Commons) from 2016 to 2019, where he helped to foster support for Utah's technology ecosystem. He also served as Tech Chair and board member of the Marriott School of Marketing's advisory board at Brigham Young University from January 2010 to April 2016.[14]

In 2019, he was named to the White House workforce-policy advisory board, a 25-member advisory board, along with Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., Ginny Rometty, CEO of IBM, and other business leaders, governors, and education and labor officials.[15]

In 2020, he was named to the National Task Force on Transfer of Credit.[16]

Pulsipher chairs the Presidents Forum, which is a network of college and university presidents committed to the reinvention of higher education. He is also a member of the Handshake’s Impact Advisory Board, trustee for the Committee for Economic Development, and on the board of the American Council on Education.[17] [18]

Education policy

Pulsipher has spoken at different conferences and events about changes that colleges, policy makers, and employers should make to help more people find employment or advance in their careers.[19] [20] He regularly speaks on podcasts, including Work In Progress,[21] MarketScale,[22] HEDx,[23] The Disruptive Voice,[24] The Rant,[25] Harvard Business School,[26] The University Innovation Alliance,[27] and the EdUp Experience.[28]

Pulsipher has also come before Congress to testify on the state of education and needed changes.[29] [30] This includes testifying before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about the importance of a high return on investment for a college education.[31] [32] WGU partly measures programs’ ROI by reviewing graduates’ median pay increase two years after graduation, the cost of each program, and how many years a student has until they reach retirement age.[33]

Awards

In 2020, EdTech Digest named Pulsipher one of the Top 100 Influencers in EdTech.[34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Largest Colleges and Universities in the U.S. BestColleges . 2024-05-22 . www.bestcolleges.com . en-US.
  2. Web site: Office of the President . May 2, 2023 . Western Governors University . en.
  3. Web site: Validation request . The Conference Board . May 2, 2023.
  4. Book: Johnson, Whitney. Harvard Business Press. 978-1-63369-365-4. Build an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve. 2018-05-01.
  5. Web site: 2020-07-24 . Pandemic crisis touted as time to finally embrace older students . 2024-05-29 . Times Higher Education (THE) . en.
  6. Web site: Basken . Paul . 24 July 2020 . Pandemic crisis touted as time to finally embrace older students .
  7. Web site: Stambor . Zak . 2013-06-05 . Needle names Amazon Webstore exec Scott Pulsipher president and COO . 2024-08-13 . Digital Commerce 360 . en-US.
  8. Web site: MSN . 2024-06-14 . www.msn.com.
  9. Web site: November 16, 2021 . A Focus on Value: Five Questions for WGU President Scott Pulsipher . usprogram.gatesfoundation.org . en.
  10. Web site: Blumenstyk . Goldie . 10 April 2018 . With Its Model Under the Gun, an Online-Education Leader Makes the Case for Mentors . 25 June 2024 . The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  11. Web site: PH&A . On EdTech by . 2021-22 IPEDS Data: 12-Month Enrollments - On EdTech . 2024-06-28 . On EdTech Newsletter . en.
  12. Web site: Stoll . Ira . 2023-09-12 . Higher Education Could Help Heal America . 2024-06-27 . Education Next . en-US.
  13. Web site: Western Governors University: 10x Vision – Case – Faculty & Research – Harvard Business School . www.hbs.edu . Harvard Business School.
  14. News: Scott D Pulsipher, Western Governors University: Profile and Biography . Bloomberg.com . en.
  15. News: Hanrahan . Tim . 13 February 2019 . White House Names Top Executives to Workforce Advisory Board . 3 July 2024 . The Wall Street Journal.
  16. Web site: CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez Named To National Task Force On Transfer Of Credit . 2024-07-03 . CUNY Newswire . en.
  17. Web site: ACE Holds Capitol Hill Forum on Proposed Distance Education Regulations . 2024-07-08 . www.acenet.edu . en-US.
  18. Web site: ACE Board of Directors . 2024-07-10 . www.acenet.edu . en-US.
  19. Web site: D’Agostino . Susan . Challenging ‘Bad’ Online Policies and Attitudes . 2024-07-17 . Inside Higher Ed . en.
  20. Web site: Schindelheim . Ramona . 2023-02-22 . We have a lot to talk about at SXSW EDU . 2024-07-17 . WorkingNation . en-US.
  21. Web site: Schindelheim . Ramona . 2023-03-21 . Online backlash: Bad policy holds students back . 2024-07-23 . WorkingNation . en-US.
  22. Web site: Horn . Michael . 2023-12-18 . Competency-Based Learning is the Key to Success: WGU's Strategic Vision . 2024-07-23 . MarketScale . en-US.
  23. Web site: Hedx . 2023-03-29 . Scott Pulsipher . 2024-07-30 . HEDx . en-AU.
  24. Web site: The Disruptive Voice: 117. Creating Pathways To Opportunity at Western Governors University: A Conversation with Scott Pulsipher . 2024-07-23 . thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com . en.
  25. Web site: Serving Working Learners - A Conversation with Scott Pulsipher, President at WGU . 2024-07-23 . Listen Notes . en.
  26. Web site: Podcast - Managing the Future of Work - Harvard Business School . 2024-07-30 . www.hbs.edu.
  27. WGU President Scott Pulsipher interview on #WeeklyWisdom . 2024-04-22 . University Innovation Alliance . 2024-07-30 . YouTube.
  28. Web site: 27 March 2023 . 579: How to Lead From the Front - with Scott Pulsipher, President of Western Governors University . EdUp Experience.
  29. Web site: Hearing on “Expanding Access to Higher Education and the Promise It Holds” – Ways and Means . 2024-07-17 . en-US.
  30. Web site: "American Education in Crisis" . 2024-07-17 . democrats-edworkforce.house.gov . en.
  31. Web site: Knott . Katherine . House Education Committee Ready to Tackle Short-Term Pell . 2024-08-05 . Inside Higher Ed . en.
  32. Web site: POLITICO Pro: 5 takeaways from opening testimonies in Foxx’s first education hearing . 2024-08-07 . subscriber.politicopro.com . en.
  33. Web site: How can the Education Department build a list of low-value college programs? . 2024-08-07 . Higher Ed Dive . en-US.
  34. Web site: Staff . Fierce Education . 2023-03-30 . Leading from the Front: Scott Pulsipher, President, WGU Fierce Network . 2024-08-23 . www.fierce-network.com . en.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Scott Pulsipher".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.