The national context

The Lincoln Project: Excellence and Access in Public Education

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The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) announced on Monday the creation of the Lincoln Project, a public higher education advocacy effort. The endeavor will be led by University of California Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau when he steps down from his post on June 1.

The three-year project recognizes that public higher education is facing massive challenges — decreased state support, competition from for-profit and online colleges and universities, and new technology and methods of delivery (MOOC’s). The Lincoln Project will examine the issues facing public higher education and develop recommendations on how to succeed amid such challenges.

Chancellor Birgeneau spoke about the crisis facing public higher education at an Academy symposium yesterday:

“Public disinvestment and escalating costs are increasingly threatening our vaunted system of public higher education,” Birgeneau said. “Without bold steps to stabilize the financial model of our public universities, hundreds of thousands of deserving students will be denied access to a better life and the country’s ability to innovate, create jobs, and support a strong economy will be severely compromised.” He added that as an independent, nonpartisan, and cross-institutional organization, the American Academy is ideally suited to sponsor such a study.
“America’s system of higher education, both public and private, has long given America a decisive competitive advantage in the global economy,” Berlowitz said. “Public universities have provided a special pathway for immigrants and new generations of learners in America. Today, the ability of the system to maintain high quality and access for all qualified applicants is at risk.”

“Public disinvestment and escalating costs are increasingly threatening our vaunted system of public higher education. Without bold steps to stabilize the financial model of our public universities, hundreds of thousands of deserving students will be denied access to a better life and the country’s ability to innovate, create jobs, and support a strong economy will be severely compromised.”

The effort intends to bring together members of government, education, business, and philanthropy and will eventually reach out to the general public through a series of national conferences.