Project

The Lincoln Project: Excellence and Access in Public Higher Education

Democracy & Justice
Education
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higher education

Public colleges and universities are key engines of economic growth, innovation, and upward mobility. This project explored strategies to preserve the strength and diversity of institutions of higher education.

Overview

Public higher education is key to U.S. educational infrastructure and the foundation of competitiveness. As centers of learning, culture, research, and entrepreneurship, these institutions drive social mobility and economic growth. Yet over the past decade, state funding to these universities has declined precipitously, forcing campuses across the country to make difficult choices about institutional spending and resource allocation.

The Lincoln Project: Excellence and Access in Public Higher Education has considered the implications of reduced state investment in public higher education; assessed the role of the federal government in funding our great public research universities; and developed recommendations for ensuring that public universities continue to serve the nation as engines of economic development and opportunity for Americans from all backgrounds.

The Lincoln Project is named for President Abraham Lincoln to commemorate his role in signing the Morrill Act of 1862, which laid the groundwork for the United States’ public university system.

Lincoln Project Introductory Video

Recommendations

People

People

Project Chairs
Advisors

Gene D. Block

University of California, Los Angeles
Chancellor
Academy Member

Henry E. Brady

University of California, Berkeley
Dean, Goldman School of Public Policy & Professor of Political Science and Public Policy
Academy Member

John T. Casteen

University of Virginia
President, Emeritus: University Professor and Professor of English
Academy Member

Donald Graham

Graham Holdings Co
Chairman of the Board
Academy Member

Robert D. Haas

Levi Strauss & Company
Chairman Emeritus, Former President and Chief Executive Officer
Academy Member

Michael Hout

New York University
Professor of Sociology
Academy Member

James Albert Smith Leach

University of Iowa College of Law
Chair in Public Affairs, Visiting Professor of Law
Academy Member

George Miller

House Education and Workforce Committee (former Chair)

John W. Rogers

Ariel Investments, LLC
Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer
Academy Member

Shirley M. Tilghman

Princeton University
President Emerita and Professor of Biology and Public Affairs
Academy Member

Phyllis M. Wise

Colorado Longitudinal Study
Chief Executive Officer, President and Board Member
Academy Member

Pauline Ruth Yu

American Council of Learned Societies
President
Academy Member
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Publications

Publications

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News & Updates

News & Updates

Stanford University Library
In the News
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Improving Intellectual Infrastructure in American Higher Education

Proponents of the historical understanding of infrastructure think in terms of “hard” physical structures. To achieve real social progress, we must address the “soft” infrastructure that improves our quality of life, beginning with healthcare and education.
Source
The Hill
Bulletin
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Priorities for Progress: Advancing Higher Education in America

On October 26, 2017, the American Academy hosted a conversation at the University of California, Berkeley, on "Priorities for Progress: Advancing Higher Education in America," which highlighted two Academy projects – The Lincoln Project: Excellence and Access in Public Higher Education and the Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education.
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Bulletin
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The Lincoln Project Convenes Regional Forums

In its continued effort to identify common concerns and build consensus for innovative solutions in American public higher education, the Lincoln Project recently convened a series of regional meetings in Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; New York City; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Bulletin
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Public Higher Education & the Private Sector

On January 22, 2014, Robert J. Birgeneau, Mary Sue Coleman, Philip Bredesen, Don M. Randel, and Frank D. Yeary participated in a conversation on the future of America’s system of public higher education.
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Events

Events

Project Outreach

Project Outreach

The Lincoln Project held regional meetings and briefings in 15 states across the country bringing together leaders in public higher education, government, policy, business, and philanthropy. Over 38,000 print copies of the project's five publications were distributed to stakeholders around the country. The project was cited extensively in a broad range of media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlantic, CNN Money, Forbes, WGBH News, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed. 

Learn more about the Lincoln Project's influence:

Outreach Activities & Impact 

Media Coverage

 

Project Information

This project was supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Spencer Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, and Robert and Colleen Haas.

Project Date
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