Jamie Merisotis
President and CEO
Jamie Merisotis, an internationally recognized leader in higher education, human work, philanthropy, and public policy, has been Lumina Foundation’s president and CEO since 2008.
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Higher education’s big test: Proving the value of college degrees
April 1, 2025
In response to falling public confidence, higher ed needs to deliver greater value and a clear return on investment.
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A bold vision for a prosperous future
March 4, 2025
Seventeen years ago, Lumina Foundation set an ambitious goal: By 2025, 60 percent of working-age adults in the United States would have a degree, certificate, or industry-recognized certification. At the time, only 38 percent had one. Today, that number has risen to 55 percent, thanks to the dedicat
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Black History Month matters—for everybody
Feb. 17, 2025
Much of what makes America the envy of the world is its great diversity. That diversity cuts across many different lines: Income, geography, gender, ethnicity, race, and many other factors contribute to the nation’s economic strength and competitive ingenuity.
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Boosting civics lessons helps strengthen civil discourse—And democracy
Feb. 17, 2025
We disagree so much in this country that it’s heartening to find an idea that nearly everybody supports—at least generally.
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Yes, the country’s people are better trained and educated as we begin 2025
Feb. 4, 2025
But our collective efforts must keep evolving until learning after high school prepares graduates to thrive economically.
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Cost is one thing—Value is another
Jan. 21, 2025
A shift to skills-based hiring is a good development, but don’t be fooled—the advantage for college-educated workers will continue to grow, Jamie Merisotis writes.
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Gen Z students are optimistic about higher education—let’s prove them right
Jan. 15, 2025
The end-of-year news retrospectives are over, and the “what’s ahead” predictions are wilting faster than New Year’s party flowers. But one significant 2025 milepost got little notice: Generation Z, the world’s largest generation, now makes up more than a quarter of the global labor force.
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Progress in a time of disruption: The urgency of reimagining higher ed
Nov. 20, 2024
Higher education has an opportunity to use this moment of extreme stress to pursue genuine, urgently-needed systemic change.
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Job hunters gain a lot by learning the value of connections
Oct. 31, 2024
Half a year after the Class of 2024 donned caps and gowns, even some highly skilled graduates are struggling to find jobs in their field or at the level they expected.
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Retooling higher education to meet the needs of Gen Z
Oct. 25, 2024
Marketers love them. Politicians court them. Colleges want them—badly. For the 69 million members of Gen Z in America, things might finally be looking up.
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To advance our social missions, philanthropy needs to address climate change
Oct. 25, 2024
The devastation of recent hurricanes in the U.S. Southeast brings a sobering reminder that none of us can ignore the growing dangers of climate change. Hurricanes Helene and Milton gained intensity from warming ocean temperatures, to catastrophic and deadly effects on parts of the country that once
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Non-degree credentials are great tools, but some need sharpening
Oct. 10, 2024
Medical billing, supply chain management, web design and development—name a field, and there’s probably a course available to learn it. Recent years have seen an explosion in the number of workforce credentials—degrees, certificates, badges, apprenticeships—over 1 million nationwide by one c
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Let’s tap the real power of college alumni
Sept. 24, 2024
Football games, open houses, booths selling swag—it’s fall homecoming season on college campuses, and your alma mater is eager to show off its athletic accomplishments, its new energy-efficient buildings, and its innovative academic programs. A goal of these perennial pep rallies, of course, is
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Lumina Foundation President and CEO Jamie Merisotis on #WeeklyWisdom
Sept. 24, 2024
In this episode of the Innovating Together podcast, Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance and Sara Custer, Editor-In-Chief of Inside Higher Ed are joined by Lumina President and CEO, Jamie Merisotis.
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A shifting landscape: reflecting on higher ed’s role in democracy, citizenship, and our overall prosperity
Sept. 13, 2024
Higher education and workforce leaders from more than 30 states gathered this week in Baltimore to explore national trends related to education and training after high school, equitable public financing and individual benefits, and the value and purpose of colleges and universities in American socie
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Everyone counts: Colleges, companies, and communities must work together to build greater higher ed value
Aug. 19, 2024
Given that higher education is all about developing critical thinking skills and challenging assumptions, educators should welcome the increasingly tough questions about the value of college degrees.
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For college students—and for higher ed itself—AI is a required course
July 23, 2024
Some of the nation’s biggest tech companies have announced efforts to reskill people to avoid job losses caused by artificial intelligence, even as they work to perfect the technology that could eliminate millions of those jobs.
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Respect and skepticism collide when it comes to how we view college
July 1, 2024
Students are deeply concerned about college costs and the availability of jobs—but even so, more people than ever are interested in higher education. That’s the news from Gallup’s State of Higher Education 2024 report—and the fact that both those can be true says a lot about higher education
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Don’t let the ‘woke’ narrative blind us to higher ed’s contributions
June 10, 2024
This could be a challenging year for the 4 million or so people just graduating from college: While the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that most employers say they will maintain or increase hiring, sizeable job cuts elsewhere mean an overall decrease in hiring.
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As students question the value of college, higher ed works to fix the ‘time trap’
May 20, 2024
At a time when bachelor’s degrees are more valuable than ever, only about 62 percent of this year’s high school graduates are expected to enroll in college next fall.
