The Lumina Foundation
The Lumina Foundation for Education By. Lloyd Smith
Investing over $1 billion for education, especially higher education, the Lumina Foundation shares a ranking of one of the 40 most prestigious private philanthropic foundations in the nation with foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Founded by Jamie Merisotis, Lumina is an independent private foundation dedicated to increasing college completion rates to 60% by 2025, aka "The Big Goal". Holding the post of our country's largest private nonprofit foundation, Lumina was started in Indianapolis in August 2000. From their inception the foundation has focused on access to and success in higher education for the populace. From the general population of Americans the "Big Goal" concentrates their efforts towards socio-economically challenged, adult and minority students, and first-generation college students. The goal will increase the percentage of those holding postsecondary credentials and degrees of the highest quality.
Quality is the driving force behind founder, president, and CEO Meritosis' endless pursuit for the attainment of the "Big Goal". In order to reach this goal, the 46 staff members at Lumina pinpoint the necessary achievement of following critical outcomes: 1) preparing students academically, financially, and socially to become adept and succeed beyond high school or a GED; 2) attainment rates of students in higher education institutions that exceed the current statistics through improving the students' performance in order to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to meet the demands of a 21st century work-place, and 3) equipping postsecondary education administrators and faculty to become more efficient, effective, and productive. These critical outcomes can be met, according to Lumina, by the identification and support of practioners in higher education, effecting public policy intensely and positively, and using all their resources and assets to build the public will needed to effect change. This work is done through grants to colleges, universities, "peer" foundations, associations and organizations that actively improve student access and outcomes.
Lumina puts their money where their beliefs, and mouths, are. In 2010, the foundation approved around 100 grant proposals in amounts from $3,000 to $2.8 million. Their total grant commitment reached $43.4 million, proving that Lumina is a serious investor in the nation's economy, community, and future. The current workplace in the nation is ever-increasingly requiring high skill levels of their employees, and this will undoubtedly rise to 63 percent by 2018 as noted by labor economists. The rapidly growing divide in the have and have-nots, minority population expansion, and adult students returning to school to achieve greater skills and degrees all are telling signs that radical change is needed. Lumina wants to address these needs by achieving the "Big Goal" of 60 percent increases in matriculation, retention, articulation, and ultimately graduation rates by 2025.
Lumina Foundation fact sheet retrieved from: http://www.luminafoundation.org/about_us/
Investing over $1 billion for education, especially higher education, the Lumina Foundation shares a ranking of one of the 40 most prestigious private philanthropic foundations in the nation with foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Founded by Jamie Merisotis, Lumina is an independent private foundation dedicated to increasing college completion rates to 60% by 2025, aka "The Big Goal". Holding the post of our country's largest private nonprofit foundation, Lumina was started in Indianapolis in August 2000. From their inception the foundation has focused on access to and success in higher education for the populace. From the general population of Americans the "Big Goal" concentrates their efforts towards socio-economically challenged, adult and minority students, and first-generation college students. The goal will increase the percentage of those holding postsecondary credentials and degrees of the highest quality.
Quality is the driving force behind founder, president, and CEO Meritosis' endless pursuit for the attainment of the "Big Goal". In order to reach this goal, the 46 staff members at Lumina pinpoint the necessary achievement of following critical outcomes: 1) preparing students academically, financially, and socially to become adept and succeed beyond high school or a GED; 2) attainment rates of students in higher education institutions that exceed the current statistics through improving the students' performance in order to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to meet the demands of a 21st century work-place, and 3) equipping postsecondary education administrators and faculty to become more efficient, effective, and productive. These critical outcomes can be met, according to Lumina, by the identification and support of practioners in higher education, effecting public policy intensely and positively, and using all their resources and assets to build the public will needed to effect change. This work is done through grants to colleges, universities, "peer" foundations, associations and organizations that actively improve student access and outcomes.
Lumina puts their money where their beliefs, and mouths, are. In 2010, the foundation approved around 100 grant proposals in amounts from $3,000 to $2.8 million. Their total grant commitment reached $43.4 million, proving that Lumina is a serious investor in the nation's economy, community, and future. The current workplace in the nation is ever-increasingly requiring high skill levels of their employees, and this will undoubtedly rise to 63 percent by 2018 as noted by labor economists. The rapidly growing divide in the have and have-nots, minority population expansion, and adult students returning to school to achieve greater skills and degrees all are telling signs that radical change is needed. Lumina wants to address these needs by achieving the "Big Goal" of 60 percent increases in matriculation, retention, articulation, and ultimately graduation rates by 2025.
Lumina Foundation fact sheet retrieved from: http://www.luminafoundation.org/about_us/
