Vote Today: SXSW EDU 2025 PanelPicker
WGU is ready to take center stage for SXSW EDU (March 3-6, 2025) in Austin, Texas, but we need your help!
We're revolutionizing the student experience through AI, apprenticeships, and workforce development, and we want to highlight our work through six prospective panel discussions. In order to get on stage and share our vision of connecting talent with opportunity, we need your vote.
View an explanation of the six panels below and visit the links to give us a quick upvote. You’re also welcome to leave comments below your favorite sessions. To vote, you must sign in with your existing account or create a SXSW ID here.
Voting is open through Sunday, Aug. 18. Your input will account for 30% of the total score, so let your voice be heard!
Revolutionizing Higher Education: The AI Advantage
Step into the future of learning and go beyond the buzzwords to dissect how artificial intelligence is transforming the higher educational landscape. We'll dive into cutting-edge AI initiatives that are reshaping institutions and redefining student success, and we'll discover bold strategies that educational and tech leaders are implementing today to build the universities of tomorrow. Join us as we challenge conventional wisdom, showcase case studies, and reveal how to measure the true impact of AI!
Presenters:
David Morales, Senior Vice President, Technology and CIO, Western Governors University
Troy Davis, Chief Information Officer, BYU - Pathway Worldwide
Ashish Fernando, CEO, iSchool
John Sperry, CEO/Founder, Halosight
Apprenticeships: A Nuts-and-Bolts Guide
The value of a higher education degree continues to be called into question, even as workforce shortages deepen in key fields — including teaching. Embracing apprenticeships is one way to better align degrees and career paths with workforce needs and to improve student success and affordability. In this session, join four experts as they share insights and how-to tips on apprenticeships in higher education and workforce alignment, particularly to address the teacher shortage.
Presenters:
Courtney Hills McBeth, Chief Academic Officer and Provost, Western Governors University
Ryan Craig, Managing Director, Achieve Partners
Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, CEO, The Craft Education System
Dwana Franklin-Davis, CEO, Reboot Representation
New Tool, Same Story? Will Students Buy AI Disruption?
Postsecondary is continually awash in nontraditional offerings that threaten to upend the industry, from massive open online courses to boot camps—with little success. With the advent of accessible AI, Western Governors University and WGU Labs have embarked on a moonshot: a degree for the cost of a gym membership. Will this transform the postsecondary landscape? More importantly, will students buy it this time? In this debate, leading voices in AI, higher ed, and media discuss whether continued innovations will gain the traction needed to upend the system—or if history will repeat itself.
Presenters:
Courtney Hills McBeth, Chief Academic Officer and Provost, Western Governors University
Sheri Ranis, Director for Workforce Education and Innovation, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Phil Hill, Partner and Publisher, Phil Hill & Associates
Narine Hall, CEO, InSpace Proximity
Capacity, Care, and Community for Educators
“We are a community of possibilities, not a community of problems.” This quote from author Peter Block encapsulates the hope that many in the K-12 education space possess after several challenging years for teachers, principals, and most of all, students. During this panel discussion, leaders from Western Governors University and school districts will take a deep dive into an approach that prioritizes solutions, creativity, and forward-thinking when it comes to the well-being of our nation’s teachers and school administrators, and how they can work together to execute these solutions.
Presenters:
Stacey Ludwig Johnson, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the School of Education, Western Governors University
Milton Collins, Principal, Lincoln Elementary School
Troy Wilson, Principal, Great Oaks Charter School NYC
Dr. Mamie Pack, Manager, Healthy Learning, Western Governors University
Overlooked: Tapping the Hidden Potential in Frontline Workers
Fifteen percent, or 24 million, of the 160 million working-age individuals are stuck in low-wage jobs with little to no education. These individuals are often seasoned workers yet seem to be overlooked or unsupported when it comes to education-centered career growth opportunities. What’s the deal? In this panel, leaders in workforce and education will discuss this population and what it takes to help them fulfill their potential, including shifting attitudes on who deserves the investment, impact on the bottom line, and strategies to support career, financial & personal success.
Presenters:
Betheny Gross, Research Director, WGU Labs
Jenna Cullinane Hege, Vice Chancellor, Office of Institutional Research & Analytics, Austin Community College
Robert Trenholm, Nursing Senior Instructional Faculty, Western Governors University
Tammy Thieman, Director, Amazon Career Choice
Beyond Degrees: Driving Impact and Return for Students
Facing a crisis of confidence, higher education is under scrutiny for the value and impact of degrees. Traditional policies have often sidelined student outcomes. Modern universities are adopting innovative strategies like success and leadership coaching to address basic needs, boost self-efficacy, and support career trajectories. Leaders from Purdue Global, UT Austin, and Western Governors University will share the impact of their initiatives on student success and the future of higher ed. This interactive panel will include audience participation and practical applications.
Presenters:
Jennie Sanders, Vice President of Instruction, Western Governors University
Karen McGregor, Executive Director of Student Success, Purdue Global
Natalie Murray, Postdoctoral Fellow, Microcredentials, University of Texas Austin
Rachel Cohen-Ford, Associate Director, University of Texas at Austin
