Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have received inadequate funding since their inception. This has challenged the development of programs and infrastructure, the adoption of technology, and the recruitment of faculty and students. Yet among HBCUs there are standouts that, despite unequal funding patterns in comparison to…

The corporate annual report is the chief document that is used to disseminate information about the financial performance and other issues pertaining to an organization. The report is typically divided into two sections: the front half with long narratives and photographs describing achievements, issues, and future goals; the second half…

A surprise request for proposals from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and a forthcoming report on university publishing in the digital age were among topics discussed at the annual meeting of the Association of American University Presses. The offer from the Mellon Foundation concerns support for collaborative, monograph-centered projects in…

Background/Context: At a time when educational research is recognized as capable of improving teaching and learning, it is under attack for falling short of this promise. Part of the solution lies in improving the preparation of educational researchers. Toward this goal, the UW-Madison School of Education (SOE) participated with the Spencer…

These authors state that, while New England schools serve the children of the affluent very well, many children from low-income backgrounds are left behind at key points in the "non-system" that is perpetuated from preschool through college and beyond. They suggest that all segments of New England education should work more closely…

This article talks about a report on fund-raising campaign done by universities and colleges to support their educational programs. According to the "Voluntary Support of Education" annual report released by the Council for Aid to Education, alumni and other individual donors gave just more than half of the total amount raised. The country's…

In England and Wales "independent schools" ("private schools" or, confusingly, "public schools") almost always have "charitable status". Hence, they are now subject to the new "public benefit" test imposed in the Charities Act 2006. There is much discussion as to whether this test will be a…

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.…

Background/Context: In 1994, the Spencer Foundation embarked on an ambitious experimental initiative to support the preparation of education researchers. Over the 13-year span of the Research Training Grant (RTG) program, the foundation made multiyear awards to more than a dozen leading institutions in the United States and South Africa. This…

The first two decades of the 20th century breathed a spirit of progressivism into American life. This freshened sense of possibility extended few social and political benefits to Southern African Americans and their impoverished schools. Several Northern influential philanthropists and their foundations initiated and funded multi-year programs in…

The context in which boards are making endowment spending decisions has changed remarkably in the past year. In January 2008, Senators Max Baucus and Charles Grassley, chair and ranking minority member, respectively, of the Senate Finance Committee, cited "explosive college endowment growth" as evidence that college and university boards should…

This study critically examines the influence of philanthropic foundations on the educational development of African Americans, especially from 1932 to 2007. Attention is given to the positive and negative motives of philanthropists as well as to the ways African Americans utilized funds and leveraged the provided opportunities. In addition, the…

Having read about the 2008 Medicare and Medicaid budgets, the author concluded that more families are going to be turned down for the equipment they are going to need. Here he shares a story of hope, determination, and perseverance. A call came into the ExoMotion office from an anxious mother asking about strollers for her daughter with special…

Looking at potential sources of funding for education reform, Frederic Fransen outlines the dynamics in play as a pragmatist might calculate the worthiness of a cause for his philanthropy. Preeminent is bang for the buck, of course. And though the way to reinvigorate the insatiable blob of higher education isn't readily apparent to Dr. Fransen,…

In the world of corporate philanthropy, there are those who give to educational causes, and this article describes one such philanthropist, Eli Broad, who shares his take on schools in America. Broad is in a category unto himself not only because of the amount of money he has given--more than $280 million since 1999--but also for his unique…