Shai Reshef
Encyclopedia
Shai Reshef is an educational entrepreneur
. He is the founder and president of University of the People
.
in Chinese Politics.
From 1989 to 2005, Reshef served as Chief Executive Officer and then Chairman of the Kidum Group — a for-profit educational services company. Reshef joined Kidum in 1989 when it was a single product company with revenues of $100,000. Under his leadership, Kidum grew to become a company with annual revenues in excess of $25 million, with over 1,000 employees and 50,000 students a year. In 2005, he sold the company to Kaplan, Inc., one of the world’s largest education companies and a subsidiary of the Washington Post.
Between 2001 and 2004, while continuing as the chairman of Kidum, Reshef lived in the Netherlands where he chaired KIT eLearning, a subsidiary of Kidum. KIT is the eLearning partner of the University of Liverpool and the first online university outside of the United States. KIT provides MBA and M.Sc. degrees in IT. In 2004, the company was acquired by Laureate Online Education.
, a non-profit, tuition-free, online academic institution that aims to revolutionize higher education by making college-level studies accessible to students worldwide. In 2011, University of the People signed a collaboration agreement with New York University
to accept transfer students and Hewlett Packard for student internship opportunities.
, Hacking Education in New York
, the World Economic Forum on the Middle East in Amman
, Jordan
, UNDESA-GAID Global Forum in Monterrey
, Mexico
, and Fourth University Industry Council Symposium in Kolkata
, India
. He has also lectured at Yale Law School as part of the ISP Speaker series.
In 2009, Reshef was named one of Fast Company
magazine’s “100 Most Creative People in Business and selected by OneWorld as one of its “People of 2009”. In September 2010, Reshef was selected as a Huffington Post Game Changer, a title awarded to 100 global innovators whose work is changing the world. Additionally, in September 2010, he was awarded a fellowship by Ashoka and welcomed to the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID) as a High-level Adviser.
During the summer of 2010, Reshef participated in the Science Foo Camp (SciFoo), an informal discussion, demonstration and debate with over 200 of the leading scientists, technologists, writers and other thought-leaders and was granted membership to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). Reshef was also given the honor of ringing the closing bell at the Nasdaq in New York City.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. He is the founder and president of University of the People
University of the people
University of the People is a non-profit, tuition-free, unaccredited online academic institution headquartered in Pasadena, California and founded by entrepreneur Shai Reshef in January 2009....
.
Education and Career
Reshef holds an MA from the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Chinese Politics.
From 1989 to 2005, Reshef served as Chief Executive Officer and then Chairman of the Kidum Group — a for-profit educational services company. Reshef joined Kidum in 1989 when it was a single product company with revenues of $100,000. Under his leadership, Kidum grew to become a company with annual revenues in excess of $25 million, with over 1,000 employees and 50,000 students a year. In 2005, he sold the company to Kaplan, Inc., one of the world’s largest education companies and a subsidiary of the Washington Post.
Between 2001 and 2004, while continuing as the chairman of Kidum, Reshef lived in the Netherlands where he chaired KIT eLearning, a subsidiary of Kidum. KIT is the eLearning partner of the University of Liverpool and the first online university outside of the United States. KIT provides MBA and M.Sc. degrees in IT. In 2004, the company was acquired by Laureate Online Education.
University of the People
In January 2009, Reshef unveiled University of the PeopleUniversity of the people
University of the People is a non-profit, tuition-free, unaccredited online academic institution headquartered in Pasadena, California and founded by entrepreneur Shai Reshef in January 2009....
, a non-profit, tuition-free, online academic institution that aims to revolutionize higher education by making college-level studies accessible to students worldwide. In 2011, University of the People signed a collaboration agreement with New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
to accept transfer students and Hewlett Packard for student internship opportunities.
Honors and awards
Reshef has spoken internationally at conferences including DLD: Digital, Life, Design in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Hacking Education in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the World Economic Forum on the Middle East in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, UNDESA-GAID Global Forum in Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Fourth University Industry Council Symposium in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He has also lectured at Yale Law School as part of the ISP Speaker series.
In 2009, Reshef was named one of Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
magazine’s “100 Most Creative People in Business and selected by OneWorld as one of its “People of 2009”. In September 2010, Reshef was selected as a Huffington Post Game Changer, a title awarded to 100 global innovators whose work is changing the world. Additionally, in September 2010, he was awarded a fellowship by Ashoka and welcomed to the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID) as a High-level Adviser.
During the summer of 2010, Reshef participated in the Science Foo Camp (SciFoo), an informal discussion, demonstration and debate with over 200 of the leading scientists, technologists, writers and other thought-leaders and was granted membership to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). Reshef was also given the honor of ringing the closing bell at the Nasdaq in New York City.
External links
- Mashable.com, What is the Future of Teaching?, August 31, 2009
- JakartaPost.com, Learning goes the distance, July 15, 2009
- Chief Learning Officer, Power to the People, June 2009
- FastCompany.com, 100 Most Creative People in Business, May 15, 2009
- Inside Higher Ed, Founder Explains U. of the People, March 5, 2009
- US News.com, University of the People, March 25, 2009
- News/Talk 760 WJR, Interested in a Free On-line University? Shai Reshef Explains More... January 27, 2009
- The New York Times, Israeli Entrepreneur Plans a Free Global University That Will Be Online Only, January 25, 2009