Boise State is on the move, and the latest recognition of the university’s efforts to embrace the changing landscape of higher education comes from Silicon Valley-based Constellation Research.
College of Innovation and Design Dean Gordon Jones has been named to Constellation Research’s 2019 Business Transformation 150, an elite list of executives leading business transformation efforts around the globe.
“This is truly a recognition of our collective efforts at Boise State to forge new pathways of learning, from new degrees to co-curricular learning experiences to affordable and accessible online programs that meet the needs of both students and industry,” Jones said.
By collaborating with corporate and community partners, Boise State continues to find innovative ways to increase access and affordability to earning a college degree. For example, Passport to Education, the newest program in the College of Innovation and Design, enables more than 75,000 Idaho-based credit union members to pay a monthly subscription rate for online college courses, allowing them to earn a college degree or certificate at a significant cost savings over traditional tuition.
“This year’s BT150 is a particularly intriguing list of digital leaders because so many of them have grappled in unique ways with the challenges of digital transformation, particularly in the realm of customer experience,” said Dion Hinchcliffe, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research. “Their stories will help us understand the art of the possible as organizations journey into the digital future.”
Jones joined Boise State in 2015 as the founding dean of the College of Innovation and Design (CID). He previously served as the Evans Family Foundation Managing Director of the Harvard Innovation Lab. Hired as the inaugural director in 2011, Jones led the i-lab from launch to maturity with 600 ventures incubated and $250 million raised in professional funding since opening. He has 20 years of private sector experience in addition to teaching at both the secondary and university levels. Jones holds a bachelor of arts degree from Brown University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
The 2019 Business Transformation 150 identities the world’s most influential executives across a variety of industries, including higher education. Nominations from peers, industry influencers, technology vendors and analysts powered the six-month selection process.
“As organizations seek growth amidst a punishing push for EBITDA, these leaders have not only made the business case for transformation but also took initiative to bring success to their organizations,” said R “Ray” Wang, founder and CEO at Constellation Research. “Traits of the BT150 winners include a passion for productive disruption, a willingness to pay it forward, a desire to break the status quo, and a strong ambition to apply exponential technologies to new business models.”
The full list of executives can be found at: constellationr.com/business-transformation-150/2019