The San Francisco-based education company said the new Minerva University System will let new institutions operate under the Minerva name and use its curriculum designs, faculty model, assessment framework and Forum learning platform.
The institutions will be structured similarly to members of a public university system, with each university designed around the needs of its country, student population or academic discipline.
“No country has ever been able to tell its people, ‘We are building you a Harvard,’” said Ben Nelson, founder and CEO of Minerva Project.
“That is what we are offering. Not a franchise of an American university, and not a campus that exports a diluted version of traditional curriculum, but a Minerva University built for that country, that student population, or that interdisciplinary domain.”
Speaking exclusively to The PIE News, Nelson said that he anticipated interest for the project on a global scale. “Obviously, we are based in the United States – and we believe that there is enormous need in the United States for more models of higher education to demonstrate what’s possible – but at the same time, we’ve seen demand for Minerva programs and Minerva institutions all over the world,” he explained.
He pointed out that Minerva has “a large number of engagements” in Latin America., as well as significant demand in East and Central Asia.
Minerva Project was founded in 2011 with the aim of redesigning higher education “from first principles”. Its first institution, Minerva University, opened in 2014 with 25 students and received independent accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission in 2021.
Since 2021, the organisation has also worked with partner institutions to implement elements of its model. It said it has trained more than 1,000 instructors and reached more than 50,000 learners at institutions across the US, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.
The model combines cognitive and behavioural science with problem- and project-based learning and a defined set of measurable capabilities, which are taught through active and applied learning methods.
We’ve seen demand for Minerva programs and Minerva institutions all over the world
Ben Nelson, Minerva Project
Minerva said its expansion through a university system is partly driven by the need to equip students with skills that will remain valuable as artificial intelligence develops.
“AІ literacy modules and policy statements are not enough to ensure humans retain their agency and value in the face of artificial superintelligence,” the organisation said.
Nelson said the system would seek to accelerate the development of what he calls “critical wisdom” – the ability to think critically and systematically and apply those skills to new challenges and contexts.
“We need to reach hundreds of millions of students, not thousands,” he said. “We have a tested solution, and we are bringing it to the world.”
Minerva is now preparing to issue a formal call for founders and said it is already in discussions with four groups interested in establishing member institutions.
These include governments seeking to develop workforce and leadership capacity; philanthropists and benefactors looking to establish new universities; owners of dormant or newly licensed institutions with accreditation; and established universities looking to expand their portfolios and introduce new programs under the Minerva banner.
Nelson told The PIE that some of these partnerships are already in the works. “We’ve been working on this concept for a number of months and have engaged in conversations with a number of prospective groups and even existing institutions that have said, ‘Hey, could we launch an entire Minerva University?’” he said.
Founders will work with Minerva Project to establish each institution’s vision, academic focus, student model and location.
Member universities will share infrastructure, follow Minerva’s academic standards and participate in ongoing innovation and improvement, according to the organisation.
