In a January speech at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, laying out his policy for higher education, President Obama opened by noting his agenda: "How can we make sure that everybody is getting the kind of education they need to personally succeed but also to build up this nation--because in this economy, there is no greater predictor of individual success than a good education." Although the United States still has "the best network of colleges and universities in the world, the challenge is it's getting tougher and tougher to afford it." Thus his primary policy concerns were high tuition and student debt. At Ann Arbor, President Obama captured the spirit of the megafoundation program for higher education. In this article, the author wonders if people should be worried about that confluence. Megafoundations used to be quiet giants. Now they're noisy activists, shaping policy and politics.