Dr. Clayton Christensen Joins Academic Partnerships as Senior Advisor

DALLAS, Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Academic Partnerships, one of the largest representatives of public universities' online learning in the United States, today announced that Dr. Clayton Christensen has joined the company as a senior advisor.  Dr. Christensen, the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, is widely regarded as a leading expert on growth and innovation.  An influential business thinker, Dr. Christensen has applied the principles of his disruptive innovation theory across industries and has championed their application in the postsecondary education space.

"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Christensen to our team of esteemed advisors," said Randy Best, chairman and founder of Academic Partnerships.  "The groundbreaking approach that Dr. Christensen has taken to tackling challenging social issues has made him one of the most important thinkers of our time.  His insights have spurred a reevaluation of our educational system, and his commitment to excellence in education will provide untold benefits to our company, our current and future university partners, and the students they serve."

"I have long believed that if we hope to stay competitive—academically, economically and technologically—we need to reevaluate our educational system and rethink our approach to learning," said Dr. Clayton Christensen.  "Expanding access to postsecondary education through online learning is an important part of doing so, and I look forward to working with Academic Partnerships as it partners with colleges and universities in this transformative effort."

Dr. Christensen is the best-selling author of nine books and more than a hundred articles.  His first book, The Innovator's Dilemma, received the Global Business Book Award as the best business book of the year (1997); and in 2011, The Economist named it as one of the six most important books about business ever written.  His other articles and books have received the Abernathy, Newcomen, James Madison, and Circle Prizes.  He is the co-founder of the Innosight Institute, a nonprofit think tank focused on education and innovation, and co-author of the award-winning book Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.  Dr. Christensen is a five-time recipient of the McKinsey Award, given each year to the two best articles published in the Harvard Business Review, and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tribeca Films Festival (2010).

Dr. Christensen received his B.A. in economics, summa cum laude, from Brigham Young University and a Master's of Philosophy in applied econometrics from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.  He subsequently received an MBA with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School in 1979, graduating as a George F. Baker Scholar.  In 1982, Dr. Christensen was named a White House Fellow and served as assistant to U.S. Transportation Secretaries Drew Lewis and Elizabeth Dole.  He was awarded his DBA from the Harvard Business School in 1992 and became a faculty member there the same year, eventually receiving full professorship with tenure in 1998.  He holds five honorary doctorates and an honorary chaired professorship at the Tsinghua University in Taiwan.

About Academic Partnerships 
Academic Partnerships (AP) helps universities convert their traditional degree programs into an online format, recruits qualified students, and supports enrolled students through graduation.  Serving more than 40 public institutions, AP is one of the largest representatives of public universities' online learning in the United States.  The company was founded by social entrepreneur Randy Best, an 18-year veteran of developing innovative learning solutions to improve education.  AP is guided by the principle that the opportunities presented through distance learning make higher education more accessible and achievable for students in the U.S. and globally.  For more information, please visit www.academicpartnerships.com.

Contact:
Jaquelyn M. Scharnick
Academic Partnerships
+1.214.438.4144
[email protected]

SOURCE Academic Partnerships