A Letter from USV's President

To the parent or prospective student reading this,

I ask: what does it take to thrive in a world that never stops changing?

There was a time when higher education not only prepared learners for the workforce but also empowered them to build the very companies and ideas that defined their generation.

Somewhere along the way, that promise began to fade.

Too many institutions now cost too much, take too long, and produce skill sets misaligned with the pace and needs of today’s world.

And the schools that do produce the most “work-ready” graduates?

They often do so by the design of exclusion—selecting only the top 1% of talent who likely would have succeeded with or without them.

At , we are going to change that.

While many institutions are still grappling with how to adapt, USV is already charting a new course. My mission is to advance that work—to design an education that moves at the speed of one’s ambition, is accessible to all ready to earn it, and remains relentlessly relevant to the future of work.

We are building a university where students learn like the future depends on it.

That means a formative education—one that develops not only skill, but also character, creativity, and conscience. Learners here will create works of genuine consequence—solutions and innovations that shape culture, technology, and society itself.

I’m no cynic when it comes to higher education. I’ve spent my life inside it—from serving as Student Body President at Arizona State University, to helping govern three of the nation’s largest public universities, to leading a student-driven research and development lab that built real-world innovations for industry partners.

And now, as one of the youngest university presidents, I intend to put the learner back where they belong—at the center.

The promise of USV is simple yet radical:

To deliver an education that teaches the most relevant tools of today, while forming the timeless qualities of mind and character that define great thinkers, builders, and leaders.

We will provide a holistic, polymathic™ education—one that fuses design, analytics, engineering, art, and entrepreneurship.

Our students will learn by doing—developing real solutions for real partners, all while still in school.

At USV, we will select for potential, form for excellence, and champion those who bear our credential for a lifetime.

I hope you will join us at a university built for a world that never stops changing.

Dr. Mark Naufel
President

Ready to Build What Comes Next?

Join the university built for creators & entreprenuers

Ready to Build What Comes Next?

Join the university built for creators & entreprenuers

Ready to Build What Comes Next?

Join the university built for creators & entreprenuers

Ready to Build What Comes Next?

Join the university built for creators & entreprenuers

Copyright © 2025 | All Rights Reserved

is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway Suite 500 Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.  WSCUC is an accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. is not regulated in Texas under Chapter 132 of the Texas Education Code. is a private institution and is approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) in the State of California. .  Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Any question a student may have that has not been satisfactorily answered by the University may be directed to the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. 1747 N. Market Blvd, Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834 or PO Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA  95798-0818.  (888) 370-7589 or (916) 431-6959. Fax: (916) 263-1897. is approved/exempt for distance education in AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, IL, IA, LA, ME, MO, NV, NH, ND, NJ, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, and WA. For important regulatory information, please visit our Disclosures Page.

Copyright © 2025 | All Rights Reserved

is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway Suite 500 Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.  WSCUC is an accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. is not regulated in Texas under Chapter 132 of the Texas Education Code. is a private institution and is approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) in the State of California. .  Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Any question a student may have that has not been satisfactorily answered by the University may be directed to the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. 1747 N. Market Blvd, Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834 or PO Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA  95798-0818.  (888) 370-7589 or (916) 431-6959. Fax: (916) 263-1897. is approved/exempt for distance education in AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, IL, IA, LA, ME, MO, NV, NH, ND, NJ, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, and WA. For important regulatory information, please visit our Disclosures Page.

Copyright © 2025 | All Rights Reserved

is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway Suite 500 Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.  WSCUC is an accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. is not regulated in Texas under Chapter 132 of the Texas Education Code. is a private institution and is approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) in the State of California. .  Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Any question a student may have that has not been satisfactorily answered by the University may be directed to the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. 1747 N. Market Blvd, Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834 or PO Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA  95798-0818.  (888) 370-7589 or (916) 431-6959. Fax: (916) 263-1897. is approved/exempt for distance education in AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, IL, IA, LA, ME, MO, NV, NH, ND, NJ, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, and WA. For important regulatory information, please visit our Disclosures Page.

Copyright © 2025 | All Rights Reserved

is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway Suite 500 Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.  WSCUC is an accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. is not regulated in Texas under Chapter 132 of the Texas Education Code. is a private institution and is approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) in the State of California. .  Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Any question a student may have that has not been satisfactorily answered by the University may be directed to the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. 1747 N. Market Blvd, Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834 or PO Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA  95798-0818.  (888) 370-7589 or (916) 431-6959. Fax: (916) 263-1897. is approved/exempt for distance education in AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, IL, IA, LA, ME, MO, NV, NH, ND, NJ, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, and WA. For important regulatory information, please visit our Disclosures Page.

Copyright © 2025 | All Rights Reserved

is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway Suite 500 Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.  WSCUC is an accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. is not regulated in Texas under Chapter 132 of the Texas Education Code. is a private institution and is approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) in the State of California. .  Approval to operate means the institution is compliant with the minimum standards contained in the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (as amended) and Division 7.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Any question a student may have that has not been satisfactorily answered by the University may be directed to the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. 1747 N. Market Blvd, Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834 or PO Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA  95798-0818.  (888) 370-7589 or (916) 431-6959. Fax: (916) 263-1897. is approved/exempt for distance education in AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, IL, IA, LA, ME, MO, NV, NH, ND, NJ, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, and WA. For important regulatory information, please visit our Disclosures Page.