From the Desk: Six Courses and Counting…

by | Nov 30, 2018 | From the Desk

There is always a certain pressure and sense of urgency that comes with leading a startup organization. When you mix in the added urgency associated with being a mission-driven, non-profit organization, the pressure and urgency intensify significantly.

The hectic pace of attempting something big and important makes it all the more important to step back occasionally and remind yourself of your blessings and of the important things you have accomplished so far.

I took such a moment of reflection last night.

Last summer we were working like crazy to get our first college-credit course launched and reach a minimum threshold of 200 lessons in our free reference library. Fast forward five months and we now have six courses available for college credit and more than 600 lessons in our free reference library.

And, as they say, we’re just getting started.

At the beginning of January, we will launch three more courses — Psychology, Physical Science, and Introduction to Computer Systems. Those will be followed later in the spring by U.S. History 2 and Quantitative Literacy 2, which means that by March we will have 11 courses available to students. By August, this number will swell to almost 20 including language courses and science lab components. Equally important, we will have more than 1,500 lessons in our free reference library by August.

Of course, none of this would be even remotely possible without a dedicated, mission-minded staff that is committed to making high-quality, college-level education available to everyone in the U.S. at truly affordable prices. As a leader, I am blessed to be surrounded by people who believe that equitable access to quality education is a way to provide hope and opportunity to the communities we serve.

Even more humbling is the faith that parents, school leaders, institutions, and donors are placing in our vision and mission. We are a small, unknown organization, yet people have been compelled by our commitment to affordable, quality education. As a result, they have been willing to look past the lack of an established brand and I am incredibly grateful for that.

It will grow increasingly difficult to fall asleep at night in the coming months as the lists of opportunities and projects scroll through my mind. There is so much to be done and, like our catalog and services, our organization will continue to grow as well. Which is all the more reason to take a step back, for just a moment, and say thanks for the blessings and accomplishments we have experienced to this point on our wonderful journey.

– Rob Reynolds, Ph.D.
Executive Director

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