Building a University, Not a Platform — How Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich is Shaping Newstate University to Bridge Workforce Skill and Higher Ed

Hi Sasha—thanks for being here. I think this will be a valuable conversation for the ETM audience.

Great to be here. Thanks for having me.

Let’s start with an intro. You’ve led online education at LSU and SNHU, spent time at Pearson, and ran Skillswave. When did you decide to start a university?

I started seriously thinking about it last fall, though in truth it’s been a decade in the making. I’ve worked across K–12, curriculum, and instructional design. From a systems perspective, a lot keeps higher ed from being more effective and affordable. Someone joked on LinkedIn that I “woke up and decided to start a university.” Honestly, that’s how big ideas begin—then you do the work.

You’re proposing radically affordable upskilling. How does your model meet a middle-class learner’s need for high-value skills—without significant debt?

I have friends still paying student loans decades later—that’s life-altering. Meanwhile AI is reshaping work, and we’ve never needed to learn faster. At current costs, that’s unsustainable. So we started with a blank sheet: focus on high-value careers, no physical classrooms, and design from the ground up. Two or three years ago the infrastructure would’ve been too expensive, but consumer tech and AI now make it possible.

College for $300 a month, with stackable certificates into degrees—that’s a game-changer. Exciting and a little intimidating.

I saw a LinkedIn post from a learner who finished a course already. You launched in July—how did a working professional complete a course in under a month?

Early learners give us invaluable feedback. Motivation plays a big role—especially in AI, people see the need. What’s different is that, at a professional-development price point, our certificates are for-credit and lead to degrees. And you can start any day. Everything else in life is on-demand; admissions shouldn’t take weeks. With us, you submit materials, get provisionally accepted, and start the same day. We add friendly nudges—log in a few minutes daily and it adds up.

You’re making it on-demand and stripping out complexity.

Exactly. We avoid massive admin costs by not offering federal financial aid or loans, admitting daily, and not scheduling fixed classes. That cuts a lot of red tape.

You’ve also streamlined teaching and learning. With your CBE background, what did you change to help people finish faster?

We watched what worked—and didn’t—in competency-based models. Western Governors University (WGU) has CBE in its DNA; we’re doing something a bit different. Our model is gated: learners pass several quizzes before the capstone media project. It trains you for the final deliverable and prevents “throwing a project over the wall.” We’re seeing people accelerate but still move methodically.

We’ve also shifted community to LinkedIn—no forced discussion boards or group projects (most adult learners dislike them). We’re building a professional network where new students get welcomed. Our “AI Unboxing” series demos new tools with minimal prep because the space moves fast. Continuous learning is the point.

Friendly nudges, clear wayfinding, and that community vibe—our goal is to encourage your inner geek.

Right—I love it. We’ve talked about how Newstate defines itself not just by what it is, but what it isn’t. Can you draw the distinction between Newstate and a platform like Coursera? How should we think about that?

First, we’re building a university, not a platform. Doing great software is hard; starting a university is hard. Doing both at once is extraordinarily challenging. Curated B2B or consumer learning platforms have their place, but we’re aiming deeper—bridging workforce skill development and higher education in a truly debt-free way. We want something scalable, effective, and nimble. That’s why we’re even asking, “What’s the minimum viable course inventory to run an excellent university?” Things move so fast that you can’t update 1,500 courses and stay affordable. We’re not trying to be Harvard.

And our goal isn’t to be SNHU or WGU—both great institutions. We’re focused on zero-debt education priced like other subscriptions in your life. We also want completion rates far north of 10–20%. From short courses through master’s degrees, learning should translate directly to current or future jobs—ROI for learners and win–win ROI for employers.

As you differentiate, what’s the middle ground Newstate occupies between self-paced online courses and traditional degrees—especially around real faculty, community, and structured pathways?

Faculty are essential—real humans. From day one, adventurous faculty helped design and develop the model. We use AI in that process, but faculty assess projects, participate in our LinkedIn community, and bring in industry guests through their networks.

We also apply “choice constraints.” We don’t offer an open-ended “Perspectives” menu. You pick a degree and follow a structured path. Too much choice is paralyzing.

We accept transfer credit and industry credentials—Product School, PMI, SHRM—because all learning should count toward your degree. Within the structure, there’s flexibility: you set your pace and often the focus of projects. Core to CBE, though, is doing the thing. We assign letter grades, but progression requires meeting proficiency (or excellence). If not, it’s lather, rinse, repeat.

Makes sense. Bari Weiss and others helped launch the University of Austin. They’re getting attention for blending liberal arts with practical skills. How does Newstate resonate with—or diverge from—that model?

I come from a theatrical family—creative class through and through. I want everyone to have a little Shakespeare in their lives. We teach history and psychology through context—e.g., psychology of decision-making and power in organizations. My read is that University of Austin centers on liberal arts and open discourse for traditional-age, place-based students who live and learn together—an amazing model for that life stage.

Newstate serves people who need career outcomes sooner. We’re designed for working adults who must pay bills and upskill quickly. Also, I love seeing new universities launch. The outliers push the middle of the bell curve—and that helps everyone.

As you’ve built this more efficient model, what practical learnings could other institutions adopt without starting over?

Relentlessly remove steps from admissions and retention. Automate where it helps, but more importantly, interrogate every step: “Do we still need this, or was it added decades ago for a one-off?” Inject serious process rigor. We should Lean/Six Sigma the crap out of higher ed.

Most students attend college for career outcomes—even the underwater basket weavers want jobs. Keep programs career-relevant and strip out the gunk.

You’re very career-forward—maybe career-first. For the wonky side of me: what’s your strategic approach to accreditation for Newstate?

Two quick “rules” of accreditation: you don’t talk about accreditation…and you don’t talk about accreditation. So I’ll talk quality. Strong institutions build documented, data-driven processes and methodologies that an external party can verify—learning outcomes, rigor, student results. I value that deeply and believe every new institution, including Newstate University, should pursue it.

We’re also building transfer and articulation pathways. Because we focus on a few areas—business, customer experience/marketing, project and product management, all with AI—someone might later want psychology, for example. I want a path for that learner. We have three articulation agreements signed and three more in progress.

We currently operate in nine states. You can only join SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) once accredited, which opens access to 49 states; California is separate, and we’ve applied there as well. My background—K–12, nonprofit EdTech, community college, SNHU, LSU (R1 flagship), Pearson—taught me to begin with the end in mind, then build the plan and the processes. Accreditation is one piece. New universities aren’t accredited on day one; it takes years and real student data. We believe in it—and in giving students options along the way.

Completion is a historic challenge for self-paced online learning. What supports are you putting in place so busy adults finish?

Community and relevance. At LSU Shreveport my husband’s MBA cohort had a fantastic Facebook group—sharing tips, celebrating milestones. That’s the energy we want. We’re “nudge-friendly” in the LMS, but the real stickiness comes from career relevance and a visible community, so we host it on LinkedIn where people already engage.

Life happens. Because we’re monthly subscription, if someone needs to stop out for a couple months, their course is right there when they return—no re-scheduling or waiting a year. The model is flexible and supportive, but the community is the multiplier.

Sounds easier than managing my Netflix subscription.

Ha—clarity matters. I’m also one of the thriftiest people you’ll meet. I don’t believe in debt, and I don’t want students in debt. You can serve students well and run a sustainable business. Both are possible.

Future question: where do you want the institution in 5–10 years?

The first 100 students are the hardest, then the first thousand—then the flywheel. We have benchmarks and work backward; some of this is just math. In five years, I want us to have impacted hundreds of thousands of learners—U.S. and international. The tech makes this increasingly feasible (translation, tooling, etc.).

The whole point is better jobs. To get there, we have to stay focused and keep asking, “Is this the thing we should be doing?”

Part of my work is coaching higher-ed startup founders through Transcend Network’s fellowship. None are building a university, but all want to disrupt. What advice would you give to anyone creating more accessible, effective, debt-free pathways for working adults?

Talk to as many people as you can. Invite them to poke holes in your model. You don’t have to accept every piece of feedback—half won’t apply—but the process makes you better. I’ve had conversations where I thought, “They don’t get it,” and still walked away with one invaluable insight. That hour was a gift. Seek out those gifts, even if people think you’re a little crazy. Crazy women get a lot done.

That resonates. In higher ed, you’re often talking to educators—they want to help. It’s a missed opportunity not to learn from multiple perspectives. We’ve covered a lot. Anything we didn’t hit?

I could talk for 15 hours—I’m so excited about this—so we’d better pack it in while we can, Darin. This is about hard work and smarter work. It’s more feasible now than ever.

I’m going to check out your courses. My two adult sons are curious learners, and my wife and I love learning too. We’ll explore Newstate.

We’re about to launch a non-credit storefront: longer-form microcourses (minimum 30 hours) that stack directly into our for-credit pathway—non-credit to credit, building the pathway.

When does that release?

In 2–3 weeks—we’re finishing a couple of integrations.

Maybe by the time this is out.

Potentially, yes.

Great.

Visit newstateu.com.

We’ll plug it.

Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich, thank you for introducing us to Newstate University. Wishing you the best—this is a wonderful venture.

Thank you, Darin.

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