Opening Session Remarks, Austin Award Presentation
Jamie P. Merisotis, President, Lumina Foundation for Education
Opening Session Remarks, Austin Award Presentation, AtD Strategy Institute, Charlotte, NC
Feb. 2, 2010
I bring you greetings from Indianapolis, home of the soon-to-be world champion Indianapolis Colts. Now I want to be honest, everyone in Indianapolis is really rooting for New Orleans and its success...just not in the Super Bowl.
It's wonderful to be here at the outset of what promises to be another hugely successful Strategy Institute. I'm told we have nearly 1,000 attendees at this year's event, which makes this a record-breaking year. Of course, you've just been introduced to Bill Trueheart, Achieving the Dream's newly named President and CEO, which makes this year's meeting that much more historic.
Bill, I can't tell you how pleased and excited we are at Lumina Foundation that you have come on board, and I want to take this opportunity to welcome you publicly and to pledge Lumina's continued enthusiasm for AtD and all that it represents. This initiative is a real source of pride for Lumina, and we're thrilled by the prospect of your leadership going forward.
Five years ago, when my predecessors and colleagues at Lumina helped launch Achieving the Dream, they did so because they knew that much more needed to be done to foster success among underrepresented students—and because they knew that community colleges would have to play a central role in that vital effort.
Well, in the intervening years, the need has only grown more acute, and the role of community colleges has become even more central. Since then, economic, social and demographic trends have combined to make student success an urgent priority. That's why we decided soon after my arrival at the Foundation to focus all of our energy and resources toward the achievement of one "Big Goal:" that 60 percent of Americans will hold high-quality college degrees and credentials by 2025.
For many reasons, that goal of dramatically increasing high-quality degree attainment is fast becoming a national goal. You see it reflected in the Obama administration's recent calls to return the U.S. to a position of global leadership in educating its citizens. You recognize it in the outstanding leadership being provided by our colleagues at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and by many of our other peers in philanthropy. You hear it in the State of the State addresses of governors who recognize that high quality postsecondary education is critical to economic and social well-being. You recognize it in the public calls for expanded degree attainment from national organizations ranging from APLU to SHEEO. And you hear it in conversations that are occurring at all types of institutions of higher education, around kitchen tables, and in statehouses and governors' offices all over the nation.
Clearly, the work that you have been doing for years in Achieving the Dream is increasingly being recognized as vital. It is rightly being viewed as work that will help put this nation and its citizens on the path toward a brighter future. It is work that must be done ... and all of you should be proud of your part in it. You are all leaders—and my colleagues and I at Lumina are deeply grateful for your leadership.
And, speaking of leadership ... it's my happy task this evening to reflect a bit on that topic, and to celebrate it. I am here to recognize the leadership shown by three impressive Achieving the Dream colleges—this year's honorees in the Leah Meyer Austin award program.
The award is named for a wonderful leader in philanthropy and higher education—my friend and former Lumina colleague Leah Meyer Austin. It is no exaggeration to say that, without Leah's visionary leadership, none of us would be gathered here today, because Achieving the Dream would not exist. When Leah retired two years ago, we knew the best way to honor her would be to honor the best examples of the work she held so dear: enhancing the success of underserved students.
And so, we created the Leah Meyer Austin Student Success Leadership Award, a $25,000 prize that goes each year to the Achieving the Dream institution that shows "outstanding achievement in creating excellence and equity through policies, practices, and an institutional culture and climate that support and nurture student success."
This year, we are recognizing three institutions. In addition to this year's Austin Award winner—which I will announce in a moment—two institutions earned special recognition for their work, and each of these colleges will receive a $5,000 prize to augment their student-success efforts in any way they choose.
I'll ask the teams from each of these two colleges to stand and be recognized.
The first is South Texas College in McAllen, Texas. South Texas is being honored for its work in increasing college readiness among its largely Latino student population along the U.S.-Mexico border. Congratulations to President Shirley Reed and her colleagues at South Texas College.
Also receiving special recognition this year is Zane State College in Zanesville, Ohio. Zane State, a small college that serves the low-income residents of rural Appalachia, is being recognized for its impressive use of data-driven decision making to transform its institutional culture. Congratulations to Zane State, and its president, Paul D. Brown.
A special brochure has been prepared to provide more details about the good work of these two exemplary institutions—as well as this year's Austin Award winner. I urge you to review the brochure and get the full story of the innovative work being done on these campuses.
And now, for the announcement of this year's top honoree. As I announce the winner, I would like to invite the president of the college to join me on stage to tell us all a bit more about the work you've been doing.
The winner of the 2010 Leah Meyer Austin Institutional Student Success Leadership Award is ... Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina. Guilford, under the leadership of President Donald W. Cameron, was cited for outstanding achievements in changing its institutional culture—systematically using student outcomes data across the college and fully embracing a student success agenda.
President Cameron, congratulations to you and your colleagues at Guilford Tech.
Board