Program Directory

 
City Club of Cleveland - Jamie P. Merisotis, President and CEO, Lumina Foundation
City Club of Cleveland
 
 
 
The 21st century job market demands high-level learning ? skills and knowledge that can only be gained through postsecondary education. In fact, with labor experts predicting that nearly two-thirds of all jobs will require some form of postsecondary education by the end of the decade, it's clear that millions more Americans must enroll and succeed in college. Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, discusses the economic imperative behind his organization's commitment to a "Big Goal" for college completion - even now, when rising college costs pose a major challenge.

Lumina Foundation for Education is the nation's largest private foundation committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college -especially low-income students, students of color, first-generation students and adult learners. Our goal is to increase the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina pursues this goal by identifying and supporting successful practices, through public policy advocacy, and by using our communications and convening power to build public will for change.

We strive to be a catalyst in efforts to reach three critical outcomes: First, that students are prepared academically, financially and socially for success in college; second, that college-completion rates improve significantly, and finally, that the higher education system boosts productivity so that it can increase capacity and serve more students.

Merisotis has served as trustee and director for numerous organizations around the globe. He is a member of the board of trustees of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and previously served as president of the college's alumni association. He also serves on the board of Anatolia College in Thessaloniki, Greece, a bicultural institution that includes a college, a high school and an elementary school. He serves on several Indiana-based boards and commissions, including the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, the leading voice for regional economic development in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, as well as The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the world's largest museum for children. Merisotis' previous board service included chairman of the board for Scholarship America, the nation's largest privatesector scholarship and educational-support organization; vice chairman of the board of directors for the Washington Internship Institute; and a member of the executive committee of the London-based European Access Network.
June 1, 2012