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 Hosts STEM Research & Modeling Network Meeting
BHEF held the first official meeting of the STEM Research and Modeling Network (SRMN) November 13-14, 2008. The meeting was hosted by the Kauffman Foundation and convened more than 40 researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders across K-12 and higher education. Participants explored the Raytheon education model and established guiding principles for the SRMN. Based on feedback from participants, in the coming months BHEF and its partners will continue to grow the SRMN and refine the model before transitioning it to open source. Learn more about the SRMN.
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.
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:
- Address critical issues in the preschool-through-graduate school education pipeline;
- 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 create a network of leaders equipped to advance these goals.
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) inaugurated a series of institutes. Held in Cambridge, Massachusetts April 3-5, 2008, the ISIE was supported by the Goldman Sachs Foundation. Plans to hold another ISIE are underway, and you can download a guide about lessons learned at the past institute.
3. StrategicEdSolutions,™ a Web-based resource center to disseminate research and information on:
- Strategies to maximize the impact of corporate investments in college readiness, access and success;
- Independently reviewed programs to illustrate replicable models for success; and
- Tools and research 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.
- A public awareness campaign to change public and parental attitudes about the need to improve college readiness, access and success.
5. A Public Awareness Campaign to change public and parental attitudes about the imperative to improve college readiness, access and success.
See our CRI Brochure or CRI At A Glance one-pager for more detailed information.
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, the Sallie Mae Fund, GlaxoSmithKline, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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.