News Release
October 28, 2004
Lumina Foundation names panel to review solutions to rising college costs
Deadline nears to respond to "Call for Solutions"
INDIANAPOLIS—Lumina Foundation for Education has named a national panel of experts to review potential solutions submitted for making college more affordable.
The solution papers, due November 30, 2004, will be evaluated by a national panel of experts, including:
- Dr. David Breneman, dean, The Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
- Dr. Carol D'Amico, chancellor, Central Indiana Region, Ivy Tech State College
- Dr. Joni Finney, vice president, National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
- Dr. Brian K. Fitzgerald, staff director, Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance and associate professor of Public Policy, American University (Editor's note: On Jan. 17, 2005, Fitzgerald will leave his position with the Advisory Committee to join the Business-Higher Education Forum.)
- Dr. Juliet Garcia, president, University of Texas at Brownsville
- Dr. Paul Lingenfelter, executive director, State Higher Education Executive Officers
- Mr. Kenneth Redd, director of Research, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
"Lumina Foundation is honored to add these great minds to this process," said Martha D. Lamkin, president and CEO of the Indianapolis-based foundation. "We will only be successful if the papers submitted are properly evaluated by experts who can identify promising solutions."
"We at Lumina Foundation believe that one of the most critical issues affecting higher education access today is the still-rising cost of college, particularly for families whose incomes cannot keep pace," said Lamkin. "We are launching a national dialogue to generate practical solutions that will keep college open to all college-ready students." The initiative encourages many parties to come together and share constructive ideas, according to Lamkin.
The "Call for Solutions" (PDF) invites decision-makers in higher education, state government, federal government, secondary schools and the private sector to participate in the initiative through the submission of papers that propose specific ideas to solve the college cost crisis. The submissions will help spark the dialogue that will lead to affordable postsecondary education to all students who are college-ready.
The selected policy papers will be the focal point of a multi-year effort to produce innovative solutions to ensure continued academic access for students who embody America's future.
The papers are being submitted in response to a policy brief that explores the complex issue of rising college costs. The policy brief, titled Collision Course (PDF), asserts that because the problem has no single cause, and no single entity can solve it, solutions will require shared effort among secondary and postsecondary institutions, state and federal governments, the private sector and students and families. The panel will place the highest value on solutions that are consistent with this shared approach.
During the next year, the Foundation will invite a variety of stakeholders to come together, raise their mutual level of understanding, and pursue policy solutions that involve the best thinking of all parties.
About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation for Education, a private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. Through research, grants for innovative programs and communication initiatives, Lumina Foundation addresses these issues, particularly among underserved student groups, including students 25 years of age and older. The Foundation bases its mission on the belief that postsecondary education remains one of the most beneficial investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people.
