Register to attend the Frank Rhodes Lecture Series featuring Gerald Chan, Feb. 24

The ASU Frank Rhodes Lecture Series and the University Design Institute invite you to the Spring 2026 Scholar Lecture featuring Gerald Chan, co-founder and chairman of Morningside Group.

Chan’s lecture, “From John Dewey to Zohran Mamdani — The Future of Higher Education in America,” offers a candid examination of why the current U.S. higher education model is falling short of public expectations — and the bold structural reinvention required to ensure its long-term relevance and impact.

Frank Rhodes Lecture Series — Gerald Chan
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026
5:30–7:45 p.m.
Thunderbird School of Global Management (TGHB), Haas Digital Global Forum, Downtown Phoenix campus [map]
Register to attend

Gerald Chan
Co-founder and chairman of Morningside Group

Gerald Chan is a scientist and a venture capitalist who has started and built over twenty biotech companies. He is both a supporter and an insightful critic of higher education whose advice is sought by university leaders from around the world. Educated at the University of California, Los Angeles and Harvard University, he has been honored with eight honorary degrees for his leadership in science, public health and higher education.

About the lecture

Higher education in America is in a state of crisis. The confidence of the public toward higher education is at an all-time low. Incremental changes will no longer suffice. The operating model and the value proposition of higher education will have to undergo fundamental remaking. This lecture will explore the deficiencies in the current model and suggest radical changes to realign American higher education with the expectations of the American public.