The founder of the tuition-free online University of the People said providing an education for Haitians after a massive earthquake destroyed most of their country’s colleges could demonstrate the value of a web-based university infrastructure targeting those in developing nations.
The university, launched last year by founder and president Shai Reshef, announced Sept. 20 that it would join the Clinton Global Initiative [1] (CGI) in the organization’s efforts to help Haiti recover from a Jan. 12 earthquake that killed between 200,000 and 300,000 people, according to government estimates.
University of the People [2] committed to enrolling 250 college students from Haiti into its free online programs, including computer science or business administration, over the next three years. The 600-student university is not yet accredited, but officials have pledged to achieve accreditation in the coming years.
Twenty-eight of Haiti’s 32 universities were leveled during the earthquake, which registered a 7.0 on the Richter scale. The four universities that weren’t completely destroyed were severely damaged…