State Farm® & Arizona State University Announce Public-Private Partnership

State Farm and Arizona State University today announced the introduction of a new education and career development program called Pathways for the Future. The program will provide a personalized approach to higher education with a focus on innovative & technological skills, fueled by a $30 million contribution from State Farm.

As emerging technologies rapidly transform the workplace, experts predict significant displacement and demand for new skills to fill future jobs. The ability to adapt, learn, and transition to new and emerging employment opportunities will be essential for workers worldwide. Pathways for the Future is designed to address these changes, focused specifically on high school students, community college and university students, and career professionals who wish to compete for new and evolving jobs in the changing marketplace.

“Technological change holds enormous promise and the potential for job creation. It also challenges employees, employers and students and presents a change we all must adapt to,” said State Farm Chairman and CEO Michael Tipsord. “Today represents a new milestone in our relationship with ASU and builds on our corporate commitment to prepare not only for what’s coming, but for what is already happening. We look forward to growing this commitment with ASU and working together to build the workforce of the future through universal learning.”

With the online nature of the program, State Farm’s gift will enable ASU to assist many more learners regardless of their location and will provide students access to the transfer and transition tools which support curriculum pathway mapping and sequencing. This component will also help people discover career interests and provides a way for ASU to share pertinent information with mid-career adults and to students navigating higher education options.

There are four targeted groups for the Pathway Program, including:

• High School Students
• Maricopa County Community College Students
• Arizona State University Students
• Employees, already in the workforce, wanting to learn new skills, including State Farm employees

“State Farm has been a good neighbor to ASU for the past several years – our aligned values and our mutual commitment and investment of human and financial capital makes for an ideal partnership in Pathways for the Future,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow. “We believe strongly in the evolving model of universal learning, making higher education available to those from all socioeconomic backgrounds at any point in their lives. This is what the workforce of the future needs and what we hope to accomplish with State Farm. Together, our goal is to help people work through what will be a significant transformation in the economy.”

The program has three specific Academic Tracks, including STEM/Engineering, Business/Leadership and Humanities/Social Sciences. For more information on the tracks and complete program details, please visit: https://pff.asu.edu/. The Pathways for the Future portal can be accessed here.