Auld Lang Syne

By Kim Thanos, CEO

At the end of the calendar year, it’s customary to raise a glass and toast the days we’ve passed, along with our hopes for what the future will bring.

Thanks to a marvelous community of institutions, faculty, and our dedicated internal team, Lumen Learning has seen a year of milestones. Reflecting on 2018, I propose this toast:

• To an epic year of growth and collaboration, supporting 235,000 students at 200+ institutions using OER courseware to strengthen learning
• To the $20 million those students did not spend on textbooks because they used Lumen courseware instead
• To champions of open educational resources (OER) around the world motivating action, inspiring the OER Champion Playbook, and devising new models for achieving impact with OER.
• To David Wiley and Ross Strader, helping us realize our vision for data-driven continuous improvement of OER to strengthen learning
• To scores of uncommon women of the Commons, both the sung and unsung, who do the hard work of opening access and opportunity for disadvantaged students every day
• To the audacious moustache of Jamison Miller (see photo), leading the charge to go big or go home
• To an office with (count them) FOUR restrooms on two floors
• To a seasoned team hitting its stride in the way we support great people enacting positive change for teaching and learning
• To the stalwart support of our partner Follett, helping us grow further and faster than we could ever do alone

May the new year bring us many steps closer to (borrowing the words of Salt Lake Community College’s Jason Pickavance), “a fundamental shift towards a future where faculty have greater control over how course materials support student learning.”

That. That is the change we want to see because it opens the door to unprecedented learning for every student.

Wherever you are as you read this post, please join me in raising a glass to this great work we’re doing together.

Cheers!

And from all of us at Lumen Learning, thank you.