Academic Innovation Speaker Series: John Katzman

On April 29, 2025, Penn Engineering’s Office of Academic Innovation held its second installment of the Academic Innovation Speaker Series.

The discussion featured John Katzman, Founder and CEO of Noodle. Katzman also founded and ran 2U, which delivers world-class education through its global online learning platform edX. He also founded The Princeton Review, which helps students find, get into, and pay for higher education.

Katzman is the co-author of five books and has served as a director of several organizations and non-profits, including Carnegie Learning, Renaissance Learning, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, and the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools.

The conversation was facilitated by Richard Forman, the Chair of Penn Engineering’s Board for Online Engineering Education. Forman and Katzman’s chat explored three strategies for sustaining academic excellence while lowering administrative costs. Their discussion also explored expanding reach and impact and regaining public trust in higher education amidst political pressure, shifting demographics, rising costs, and evolving workforce demands.

Watch the recording to gain insights from a visionary who has transformed the education landscape through technology, and keep an eye out for future events in the Academic Innovation Speaker Series.