Dear University Partners:
When I became the new board chair of Academic Partnerships in December, the world looked dramatically different than it does today. Reflecting on my first quarter as chair, I wanted to reach out to you directly to express my gratitude and share a few thoughts.
First, thank you. It is an honor to stand shoulder to shoulder with our incredible university partners across 32 states as you respond to the impact of the novel coronavirus and rapidly move your on-campus instruction to remote teaching. The dedication, resilience and resourcefulness of your faculty, staff and students during these unexpected and dramatic changes has been remarkable. From my service on the Education Commission of the States and as a former chair of the Texas House Committee on Higher Education, I’ve always held a deep appreciation for the important and challenging work of universities. This current crisis has only deepened that appreciation.
Our commitment to helping you deliver high-quality, affordable online programs has never been stronger. Since I became board chair, our new executive leadership team’s focus has been guided by one simple principle – be better today than we were yesterday. To that end, we have undertaken a top-to-bottom review of how we can enhance our services to our university partners. This includes making upgrades to our systems, communications and governance. And now, with the sudden disruption of your campuses, Academic Partnerships’ amazing employees are working around the clock to support our partners with the necessary tools and resources to ensure your faculty and students can continue their classes virtually.
In closing, I want to recognize the extraordinary and tireless service of so many of your graduates who are on the frontlines of this crisis, especially the tens of thousands of nurses and teachers who have trained in the online programs we support. They represent the best of our universities, our communities and our country. We at Academic Partnerships are inspired by them and are honored to play a role in your and their success.
With gratitude,
Daniel H. Branch
Chairman of the Board