BHEF members are driving change "on the ground." They develop, adopt and promote best practices and strategic approaches among corporate, education and foundation leaders, nationally and locally.
BHEF In the News
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Invests in BHEF Initiatives—Read more...
BHEF Addresses Globalization and U.S. Education Issues
BHEF's Summer 2008 Member Meeting, held June 19-20 in Washington, DC, focused on the issue of the globalization—specifically of higher education, and science and innovation. Learn more about the event here.
BHEF Hosts First STEM Research & Modeling Network Meeting
On June 19 BHEF hosted the inaugural STEM Research & Modeling Network meeting. More than 40 attendees discussed how to advance a prototype model that can simulate the impact of proposed policy interventions on the number of STEM-interested and capable students. To read more about the project, click here.
For other recent news and events, see News.
The College Readiness Initiative:
An Agenda for Educational Success
About the Initiative
The College Readiness Initiative (CRI) is a dynamic platform for business and higher education to work together to promote college readiness, access, and success for underserved populations, particularly in science and math. The CRI harnesses the influence and resources of BHEF and its membership, a unique cross-section of prominent corporate, higher education, and foundation leaders. 
The CRI is led by BHEF Chairman, David J. Skorton, President of Cornell University, and a BHEF Member Working Group of senior executives.
Goals of the Initiative
Building on this distinctive cross-sector perspective, the CRI:
- Addresses critical P-20 education pipeline issues;
- Identifies practical solutions to local education concerns;
- Focuses on systemic solutions and programs that support systemic change; and
- Creates a platform for local/state member-led partnerships to develop strategic approaches, test them, and disseminate lessons learned.
Implementation Strategies
The CRI achieves these goals through engagement, knowledge-building, dissemination, and advocacy and action, which infuse five inter-related strategies:
1. Engagement of CEOs to raise awareness and galvanize corporate support.
2. Symposia to share knowledge about these issues and to build a corporate philanthropy community of practice; the Institute for Strategic Investment in Education (ISIE), being heldon April 3-5, 2008 at Harvard University, is the first of these.
3. A virtual Resource Center to disseminate research and information on:
- Strategies to maximize corporate investments in the P-20 education pipeline;
- Programs that are effective in improving college readiness, access and success; and
- Tools to assess and strengthen philanthropic investments in education.
4. On-the-Ground Support for local teams of corporate, university, and foundation leaders working to improve college readiness and success; this includes tools, information, hands-on consultation, and resource sharing.
5. A Public Awareness Campaign to change public and parental attitudes about the imperative to improve college readiness, access and success.
See the CRI At A Glance for more detailed information.
See also our Boosting K-12 Student Achievement brochure for information on the early phases of the CRI.
Financial Support
The CRI is supported by BHEF members’ dues and funding from USA Funds, the Goldman Sachs Foundation, the Humana Foundation, the Nationwide Foundation, the KPMG Foundation, TIAA-CREF, and the Sallie Mae Fund.
For more information about why your organization should invest in improving student achievement, college readiness, and success and why the CRI’s strategies most effectively address those needs, contact Brian.Fitzgerald@bhef.com or Nancy.Kuhn@bhef.com.