Arizona State University has announced a $25 million gift from Phoenix philanthropists Francis and Dionne Najafi in support of educating 100 million students by 2030 at the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

The funding will support an accredited online Global Management and Entrepreneurship Certificate program that consists of five courses available in 40 languages, as part of the Francis and Dionne Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative. To be launched in April, the certificate course will be covered by full scholarships. Students will receive a badge for each course they complete and a 15-unit accredited certificate upon successful completion of all five courses. In addition, they will have lifelong learning options and alternative educational pathways through Thunderbird and ASU and will be able to transfer the credits to other universities.

During the first year, the initiative intends to reach out to students in Iran, Kenya, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, India, Senegal, Brazil, and Vietnam in their native languages. By the second year, the program will expand to Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. By the fourth year, the program aims to expand to Europe and Central Asia.

“There is a large body of people around the world who have no access to education,” said Francis Najafi, who came to the United States from Iran and founded Pivotal Group, a real estate opportunity fund. “My wife and I think of education as part of your basic human rights. ...As an immigrant some five decades ago, I learned the value of education. I learned my basic management skills and leadership here at Thunderbird, where I also learned that you can work through your cultural and social differences. That is so unique to Thunderbird.”

(Photo Credit: Thunderbird/Arizona State University)