This study provided Radford University with an opportunity to better understand the motivating behaviors of faculty and staff while distinguishing the strategies that influence their interest in giving or choosing not to give. In this study, I used a mixed-methods approach for data collection to answer my research questions and to inform the…

In order to understand our present and future work in planting the seeds of solidarity, we excavate the past, through an exploration of transnational solidarity and the vestiges of U.S. legislative policy and philanthropy. Through life notes and sharing circles, we examine policies (Morrill Act of 1862, Refugee Act of 1980, and the Gates…

The research funding patterns at ten doctorate-granting universities across the country were investigated. These universities were classified by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education as R2: Higher Research Activity institutions. Findings pointed to patterns in funding and research growth and the relationship between research administrators…

The retreat of state funding at public institutions paired with the growing concerns surrounding vulture capitalism that has weaponized philanthropic gift-giving (i.e., distinguished chairs, scholarships and fellowships, academic research centers, faculty lines, campus maintenance) means educators must find ways to teach students about the…

In December 2020, Complete College America (CCA), in partnership with the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, launched a rigorous 12- to 18-month project designed to increase student success and completion rates at small liberal arts institutions. The focus was on building and enhancing support systems for first-generation and Pell-eligible students, and…

Ten years ago, MDC's report, "The State of the South 2007: Philanthropy as the South's 'Passing Gear,'" (ED519455) examined how philanthropy can accelerate progress toward a South that is both equitable for all its residents and competitive with other regions of the country. A decade later, our second iteration, commissioned by the…

Just a few years ago, the University of Notre Dame averaged about six mega gifts--$10 million or more--a year. Last year, however, the Fighting Irish received only one such donation. "That multimillion donation has become more difficult to obtain," says Lou Nanni, vice president for university relations at the Indiana institution.…

This descriptive study surveyed current, lapsed, and major gift donors to explore the impact of college communications on donors' decisions to contribute to the college, the likelihood of donor financial support for various college projects, and the philanthropic motivation profiles of the donors of a midsized, multicampus community college in…

STEM--the catchy shorthand for "science, technology, engineering and mathematics"--has been part of the school improvement discussion for more than a decade, as educational leaders and policy makers have underscored the importance of these areas in preparing students for an internationally competitive, 21st-century economy. But while the…

American public higher education is in trouble. Besieged by declining state and Federal support for more than 30 years, public colleges and universities are facing a "game-changing" set of challenges that threaten to alter the very nature of the institutions. As two recessions withered state budgets in the first decade of the 21st…

The Curry School of Education's Young Writers Workshop at the University of Virginia transforms young people as it did the author. The program brought the author to poetry and prompted her to attend the University of Virginia, where she completed a book of poetry and a thesis on metaphor's effect on religious conflict. All of these outcomes trace…

This article presents an interview with Mary Bitterman and James Narduzzi. Mary Bitterman, former President and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation, is President of The Bernard Osher Foundation and Immediate Past Chairman of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). James Narduzzi is Dean of the University of Richmond's School of Continuing Studies.…

A herd of camels meanders through the 115-degree heat as sand billows across the abandoned stretch of desert that once was to be a branch campus of George Mason University. Nearby, alongside the road that leads into the tall sand dunes is a sign that reads: "REDUCE SPEED: MOVING SANDS AHEAD." The sign is intended for motorists, of…

The National Capital Region (NCR) is home to more than one-and-a-half million children and youth (ages birth through 24 years). Although the NCR is known as a place with a highly transient population, if history is any guide, many of these young people will remain in this region and fundamentally shape the quality of life--not only for themselves,…

The Jeanes Fund helped solve the rural school problem and recognized the work of Virginia Randolph whose philosophy and teaching techniques were adopted by the Jeanes teachers. The work of Virginia Randolph and the Jeanes teachers is detailed and how their contributions throughout the South earned accolades for local school and community…