The Power and Practicalities of New Colleges

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Carol Rava, Vice President – Education Grantmaking at Ascendium Education Group; Scott Pulsipher, President at Western Governors University; Carlos Carvalho, President at University of Austin; Pierre Dubuc, Cofounder and CEO at OpenClassrooms; and Stig Leschly, President at Postsecondary Commission.Innovation was urgently needed in U.S. higher education, yet many incumbent institutions struggled to change. With 98% of college students attending institutions that were more than 20 years old, and 94% attending institutions that were more than 40 years old, the sector faced a significant challenge. Alongside efforts to improve existing colleges, this session examined why higher education also needed innovative, high-performing new institutions—designed to deliver strong economic outcomes for students and to compete for learners seeking better postsecondary options.In this panel discussion, practitioners and advocates from across U.S. higher education explored the case for a new generation of colleges and universities and the practical requirements needed to make them viable, including changes to accreditation and oversight frameworks.