Lumina Foundation President to Deliver Keynote at College Changes Everything Conference

Jamie Merisotis to address college access and completion in Illinois

Deerfield, ILL – Lumina Foundation President Jamie Merisotis will deliver the keynote remarks at the 2012 College Changes Everything Conference in Tinley Park on July 12th. Under the guidance of Mr. Merisotis, the Lumina Foundation embraced a goal of increasing higher education credential completion to 60% by the year 2025. His remarks will begin at 8:45 a.m. at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, IL.

Mr. Merisotis will outline the importance and continued support towards Lumina’s goal of increasing high-quality postsecondary degrees and credentials across the United States to 60% by 2025. In addition, Mr. Merisotis will take the opportunity to recognize the efforts happening across Illinois, especially those who are working towards making college a reality for students.

The daylong conference will bring other state legislators, prominent education leaders, and students together to discuss some of the strategies that are putting Illinois on a path towards increased higher education completion. The 2012 College Changes Everything Conference will feature remarks from Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, April Hansen, Director of Program Solutions, ACT Midwest Region Educational Services, and many more. College Changes Everything is made possible by a grant from Lumina Foundation and administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. For more details and information on attending the conference visit www.collegechangeseverything.org.

About Jamie Merisoties, from the Lumina Foundation

Before joining Lumina Foundation in January, 2008, Merisotis was founding president of theInstitute for Higher Education Policy. IHEP is an independent, non-partisan organization regarded as one of the world’s premier higher-education research and policy centers. While at IHEP, Merisotis managed global work to leverage the social and economic effects of higher education, especially in southern Africa, the former Soviet Union and other developing areas. Merisotis also helped establish the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education, an unprecedented coalition of national associations whose members include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Prior to founding IHEP, Merisotis had served as executive director of the National Commission on Responsibilities for Financing Postsecondary Education, a bipartisan commission appointed by the U.S. president and congressional leaders. Merisotis also helped create the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps), serving as an advisor to senior management on issues related to the quality and effectiveness of national-service initiatives.

College Changes Everything™ is a College Access Movement initiated by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Illinois has set a goal to increase the proportion of adults in Illinois with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60% by the year 2025. The College Changes Everything Movement is an essential part of helping the state reach its goal.