An Open Letter to all Laureate Students

Dear Laureate Students,

You are part of a community of more than 850,000 students who together make up the Laureate International Universities network.

When deciding where and when to study, you trusted us, not only with your investment, you trusted us to help accelerate your career. We know you have many options to choose from, and we take our responsibility to you and your family extremely seriously.

This is an unfamiliar and uncertain period we find ourselves in. I have not seen anything like this in my lifetime. However, what I am certain of is that education has never been more important. 

It will be the scientists, researchers, doctors, nurses, first responders, and all those working in our grocery stores (and throughout their supply chains) that will get us through this period – along with the community leaders, writers, artists and those who inspire, entertain and empower us from afar.

For several weeks now, we have been working on preparing our network to rise to this challenge. We moved fast in asking our staff and faculty to work remotely, and most importantly, implementing a plan to move all learning online to continue to serve each of you. Fortunately, we have a great deal of expertise in digital educational delivery. Walden University in the U.S., is, and has always been, a global leader in online education. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, 28% of our students across our network of campus-based institutions were enrolled in a hybrid delivery model of both face-to-face and online learning. Over the coming weeks, we will do everything we can to bring as many of our students as possible online to minimize any disruption to your learning journey.

Of course, some of our universities are able to adapt and manage this transition very quickly. For others, it will take some time. In each country and municipality, there are important rules and regulations, which we are proactively reviewing with the appropriate government authorities. Our common goal is to provide you with uninterrupted quality education in a safe and compliant manner during these challenging times. 

There are two thoughts I would like to leave you with:

1. Everything is changing. What was certain and familiar a month ago, is no longer certain, nor familiar. Times like this can lead to great innovation, often led by young citizens who emerge as influential leaders. Can you be one of them? What can you do?

2. Don’t stop learning. Continue your academic journey and remain connected to your learning community.

Take some time to learn something new. Reflect on how you might use the skills you are developing to make a lasting impact in the world, especially at times like this when our world needs you most.

We recently launched a free online course, Voices of Social Change, which runs over five weeks, and encourages you to consider the impact you can make in the world. The content is delivered by Laureate students and alumni, and by some of the more than 3,000 young social entrepreneurs Laureate has supported. You can find out more here.

I thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we do all we can to support you while you continue to learn. Most of the time we will get this right, but sometimes we won’t. Sometimes we will move quickly, sometimes we can’t. What I promise you as President and CEO of this great company is that every decision we are making is with you in mind.

We are in this together.

Sincerely,

Eilif Serck-Hanssen
President and Chief Executive Officer
Laureate Education, Inc.