President Makes College Attainment Key Priority in Speech to Nation
Last night, President Barack Obama moved higher education onto center stage as a key factor in rebuilding the U.S. economy. Lumina Foundation for Education applauds President Obama’s recognition that obtaining higher education is a necessity if we are to succeed in this vital national effort.
Lumina’s “big goal,” which has framed the Foundation’s work for more than a year, specifically states that we must increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials from 39 percent to 60 percent by 2025.
“When we started the journey of our big goal,” said Jamie Merisotis, Lumina’s president and CEO, “we knew that it would be seen as audacious. After hearing President Obama’s commitment in his speech last night—and after talking to his transition team and to many other groups and organizations across the country for the last few months—we see the positive energy and drive to move America in this direction.”
On Thursday, Lumina Foundation will publish a special report that can help policymakers and other officials harness that energy and begin applying it in every state. The report, A Stronger Nation Through Higher Education, explains Lumina’s big goal in detail and provides state-by-state statistics that can serve as a starting point for action.
“We realize that Lumina’s goal is far too ambitious for us to reach solely through our efforts,” continued Merisotis. “It will require broad-based strategies that address issues of college affordability, educational quality, student support and social equity. These strategies can only be successful if committed partners work in concert to improve both public policy and institutional practice.”
Merisotis is available for comment—as is Dewayne Matthews, Lumina’s vice president for policy and strategy. Please contact Dianna L. Boyce for further information at (317) 951-5116. Listen to our podcast.
Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based private foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access to and success in education beyond high school. Through grants for research, innovation, communication and evaluation, as well as policy education and leadership development, Lumina Foundation addresses issues that affect access and educational attainment among all students, particularly underserved student groups such as minorities, first-generation college-goers, students from low-income families and working adults. 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 a society can make in its people.
