National University President and CEO Dr. Mark D. Milliron tapped to join the Presidents Forum, a network of the nation’s most innovative colleges and universities
SAN DIEGO, CA (APRIL 13, 2023) — National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit university and one of the largest private nonprofit Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) in the United States serving more than 40,000 students, today announced that its President Dr. Mark D. Milliron has been elected to join the Presidents Forum, a national nonprofit network of seventeen innovative college and university leaders working to support the reinvention of higher education. The Presidents Forum’s membership includes many of the nation’s largest online universities, community and technical colleges, minority-serving institutions, and state higher education systems that collectively serve more than 3 million students.
“For two decades, the Presidents Forum and its member institutions have championed emerging technology and innovations with the potential to deliver learning experiences that are tightly aligned with the needs of working learners—and the demands of a fast-changing economy and society,” said Dr. Mark D. Milliron, president and CEO of National University. “Together, we are taking action to advocate for changes in policy and practice—and build a system of higher education that is more affordable, flexible and responsive to the needs of the new majority of learners in higher education today.”
Founded in 2002 by a small group of forward-thinking university and community college leaders who were early adopters of online learning and focused on serving working adults, the Presidents Forum works to advance innovation in policies and practices to ensure the promise of higher education for working learners and other growing demographics. With Dr. Milliron’s appointment, National University will continue under new leadership its long-standing engagement with the Presidents Forum as the nonprofit organization works to support.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Milliron to the membership of the Presidents Forum,” said Scott Pulsipher, president of Western Governors University. “His passion for innovation, next generation teaching and learning and student success has made a powerful difference for students throughout his career.”
Today, the organization continues to focus on advancing ambitious advocacy and research agenda designed to reorient federal higher education policy and funding around the needs of working adults and other historically-underserved students.
As a Veteran-founded, Hispanic-Serving Institution, National University’s student population reflects the shifting—and highly diverse—demographics of higher education today. Today, it is one of the largest private, nonprofit universities in the United States designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Approximately 70 percent of National University’s students take the majority of their classes online. More than 25 percent identify as Hispanic, and 10 percent identify as Black. More than 80 percent of undergraduates are transfer students. The average age of its students is 33. About 1 in 4 students are active-duty service members or Veterans.
Since its founding in 1971, NU has long been committed to meeting the needs of the “whole student,” focusing on student success in a more holistic sense—academically, financially, socially, and emotionally, as well as through their family life and career. To that end, NU offers an array of support services and career-relevant academic programs that pair next-generation teaching and learning experiences to meet the needs of military students, working adults, and students of all ages and stages, including its flexible four-week courses, offered online, on-site, and in hybrid-learning formats.
For more information, visit NU.edu or PresidentsForum.org.
About National University: National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of hard-working adults by providing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego’s largest private nonprofit university, NU offers over 125 online and on-campus programs and flexible four-week and eight-week classes designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to 40,000 students and 230,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. To learn more about National University’s new possibilities in education including next-generation education, credential-rich education, and whole human education, visit NU.edu.
About the Presidents Forum: The Presidents Forum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization of college and university presidents and chancellors as well as leading education stakeholders committed to reinventing higher education for our diverse student population – traditional, non-traditional, and working learners. We are dedicated to the continuous reinvention of higher education and exploring transformative education models by sharing knowledge, implementing best practices, and making policy recommendations.