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

    Nancy E. Cantor

    Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
    Chancellor, Rutgers-Newark
    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
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    Publications

    Publications

    Show More Publications
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    News & Updates

    News & Updates

    Stanford University Library
    In the News
    |

    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.
    Show More News & Updates
    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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