Jamie Merisotis

President and CEO

Jamie Merisotis, an internationally recognized leader in higher education, human work, philanthropy, and public policy, has been Lumina Foundation’s president and CEO since 2008.

More about Jamie
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What will make college truly affordable?

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Higher ed leaders and policymakers need to fundamentally rethink the system of who pays for college, and how.
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Degrees of Impact: Redefining the Value of Higher Ed

Jamie Merisotis  | 
At the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit, Lumina Foundation President and CEO Jamie Merisotis gave a LightningX keynote on increasing the value of higher education.
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Higher education’s big test: Proving the value of college degrees

Jamie Merisotis  | 
In response to falling public confidence, higher ed needs to deliver greater value and a clear return on investment.
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Weekly wisdom interview with Jamie Merisotis

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Merisotis talks about Lumina’s new goal for a successful labor force, the value proposition of higher education, the importance of perceived equity, and the urgency for higher ed reform.
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A bold vision for a prosperous future

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Seventeen years ago, Lumina Foundation set an ambitious goal: By 2025, 60 percent of working-age adults in the United States would have a degree, certificate, or industry-recognized certification. At the time, only 38 percent had one. Today, that number has risen to 55 percent, thanks to the dedicat
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Black History Month matters—for everybody

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Much of what makes America the envy of the world is its great diversity. That diversity cuts across many different lines: Income, geography, gender, ethnicity, race, and many other factors contribute to the nation’s economic strength and competitive ingenuity.
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Boosting civics lessons helps strengthen civil discourse—And democracy

Jamie Merisotis  | 
We disagree so much in this country that it’s heartening to find an idea that nearly everybody supports—at least generally.
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Yes, the country’s people are better trained and educated as we begin 2025

Jamie Merisotis  | 
But our collective efforts must keep evolving until learning after high school prepares graduates to thrive economically.
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Cost is one thing—Value is another

Jamie Merisotis  | 
A shift to skills-based hiring is a good development, but don’t be fooled—the advantage for college-educated workers will continue to grow, Jamie Merisotis writes.
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Gen Z students are optimistic about higher education—let’s prove them right

Jamie Merisotis  | 
The end-of-year news retrospectives are over, and the “what’s ahead” predictions are wilting faster than New Year’s party flowers. But one significant 2025 milepost got little notice: Generation Z, the world’s largest generation, now makes up more than a quarter of the global labor force.
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Progress in a time of disruption: The urgency of reimagining higher ed

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Higher education has an opportunity to use this moment of extreme stress to pursue genuine, urgently-needed systemic change.
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Job hunters gain a lot by learning the value of connections

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Half a year after the Class of 2024 donned caps and gowns, even some highly skilled graduates are struggling to find jobs in their field or at the level they expected.
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Retooling higher education to meet the needs of Gen Z

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Marketers love them. Politicians court them. Colleges want them—badly. For the 69 million members of Gen Z in America, things might finally be looking up.
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To advance our social missions, philanthropy needs to address climate change

Jamie Merisotis  | 
The devastation of recent hurricanes in the U.S. Southeast brings a sobering reminder that none of us can ignore the growing dangers of climate change. Hurricanes Helene and Milton gained intensity from warming ocean temperatures, to catastrophic and deadly effects on parts of the country that once
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Non-degree credentials are great tools, but some need sharpening

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Medical billing, supply chain management, web design and development—name a field, and there’s probably a course available to learn it. Recent years have seen an explosion in the number of workforce credentials—degrees, certificates, badges, apprenticeships—over 1 million nationwide by one c
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Let’s tap the real power of college alumni

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Football games, open houses, booths selling swag—it’s fall homecoming season on college campuses, and your alma mater is eager to show off its athletic accomplishments, its new energy-efficient buildings, and its innovative academic programs. A goal of these perennial pep rallies, of course, is
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Lumina Foundation President and CEO Jamie Merisotis on #WeeklyWisdom

Jamie Merisotis  | 
In this episode of the Innovating Together podcast, Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance and Sara Custer, Editor-In-Chief of Inside Higher Ed are joined by Lumina President and CEO, Jamie Merisotis.
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A shifting landscape: reflecting on higher ed’s role in democracy, citizenship, and our overall prosperity

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Higher education and workforce leaders from more than 30 states gathered this week in Baltimore to explore national trends related to education and training after high school, equitable public financing and individual benefits, and the value and purpose of colleges and universities in American socie
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Everyone counts: Colleges, companies, and communities must work together to build greater higher ed value

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Given that higher education is all about developing critical thinking skills and challenging assumptions, educators should welcome the increasingly tough questions about the value of college degrees.
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For college students—and for higher ed itself—AI is a required course

Jamie Merisotis  | 
Some of the nation’s biggest tech companies have announced efforts to reskill people to avoid job losses caused by artificial intelligence, even as they work to perfect the technology that could eliminate millions of those jobs.

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