Phil Regier, PhD, is university dean for educational initiatives and CEO of EdPlus at Arizona State University. Regier is responsible for expanding the university’s digital immersion program and advancing the university’s leadership role in education innovation. 

During his tenure as dean, the fully online student population grew from 400 to more than 53,000, and the number of online degree programs grew from six to 186 as of Spring 2019. 

Today, online programs at ASU utilize more than 200 technologies, and the university is a co-convener of the ASU+GSV Education Innovation Summit, the largest and most recognized assembly of education technology entrepreneurs, investors, and users in the world. 

Regier has led many EdPlus initiatives aimed at transforming the education landscape by creating opportunities and increasing access to higher education. In June 2014, the university announced a groundbreaking partnership with Starbucks Corporation to provide ASU’s online degree programs to eligible Starbucks partners at no out-of-pocket cost for tuition. The Global Freshman Academy launched in 2015 as a first of its kind collaboration between ASU and edX. This unique initiative provides first year college-level courses to nontraditional students worldwide who can then transfer their credits to pursue a degree program at ASU or another university. In 2016, ASU, King’s College London and UNSW Australia announced the PLuS Alliance, a global partnership led by EdPlus. The Alliance aims to solve global challenges and reduce educational gaps across the world, making world-class education and research accessible to everyone everywhere. In 2017, the adidas and ASU Digital Education Partnership created a program to provide scholarships for adidas employees to enroll in any of ASU’s online degree programs, and in 2018 an agreement was announced with Uber providing degree and non-degree learning incentives for the company’s most productive drivers or a family member. 

A philosophy major and math minor, Regier earned his undergraduate degree from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He also holds a PhD in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Champaign- Urbana.