Arizona State University expert directory

Phil Regier serves as the University Dean for Educational Initiatives and CEO of EdPlus at Arizona State University.

In this role, he is accountable for expanding the university's digital immersion programs and enhancing its leadership in education innovation. During his tenure as dean, the fully online student population experienced significant growth, increasing from 400 to over 90,000 students, with the number of online programs expanding from six to more than 325. ASU's online programs now utilize over 100 technologies, and the university plays a key role in co-convening the ASU+GSV Education Innovation Summit, the nation's largest and most recognized gathering of education technology entrepreneurs, investors, and users.

Phil Regier has led various EdPlus initiatives to transform the education landscape, create opportunities, and enhance access to higher education. In 2014, a groundbreaking partnership with Starbucks Corporation was launched, providing eligible Starbucks partners with ASU's online degree programs at no out-of-pocket cost for tuition.

The Global Freshman Academy, launched in 2015 in collaboration with edX, offered first-year college-level courses to nontraditional students worldwide, allowing them to earn and transfer credits to pursue a degree program at ASU or another university.

An agreement with Uber in 2018 provided degree and non-degree learning incentives for the company’s most productive drivers or family members.

In recent years, EdPlus has undertaken other transformative initiatives. A partnership with the Al Ghurair Foundation for Education created a college and career readiness platform for Arab youth in the MENA region. Sponsorship by the Mastercard Foundation supports programs that offer high-quality training in e-learning to universities in Africa and the Middle East. Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base and the lead agent for Air Force education, partners with EdPlus@ASU to bring an agile learning environment to the Air Force’s online military education. The MACS Accelerator, developed by EdPlus, aims to significantly improve student success in STEM subjects in grades 8 through 14.

Phil Regier, a philosophy major with a math minor, earned his undergraduate degree from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He holds a Ph.D. in Accountancy from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.