2004 Foundation Conversation

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2004 Conversation Between Foundation Officers
and College and University Presidents

Monday, September 20, 2004
8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
TIAA-CREF Headquarters
730 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10017

• Theme
• Agenda
• Program
• Speakers
• Hotel Information
• Registration
• Questions

Click here for a newsletter article on the 2004 Foundation Conversation in the Summer 2004 issue of the Independent.

Theme

Foundations' Changing Priorities for Independent Colleges and Universities

This year's 16th annual CIC "Conversation Between Foundation Officers and College and University Presidents" will focus on the question of why foundations shift their priorities. The leaders of several major foundations that have recently completed thorough reviews of the effectiveness of their past grantmaking in higher education have agreed to discuss candidly with CIC presidents the process they went through, the reasons for reordering priorities, and to explain the basis for the new grantmaking programs that are now emerging. While some of what we will learn will please us and some will not, all of it should lead to better understanding of the ways in which the stewards of these large fortunes view the roles of their grants to colleges and universities in relation to our other sources of financial support—including government funds and fees received for services (that is, tuition). The conference will also explore the effectiveness of independent colleges as agents of social change and the implications of this role for state tax policy and spending.

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Agenda (Tentative)

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Program

The format of the Conversation will differ from that followed in recent years, reflecting feedback we have received from both college presidents and foundation officers. The day will be divided into three plenary sessions, each with one or two presentations and with ample time for discussion. In addition, we anticipate long coffee breaks and other informal junctures for individual conversations to take place between foundation officers and college presidents.

Further program details will be made available.

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Speakers

Several influential leaders of the foundation world have already agreed to participate:

Michael Gilligan, president of the Henry Luce Foundation since January 2003, will describe the review of priorities that is currently under way at the Foundation and is expected to be completed at about the time of our meeting. Mr. Gilligan served as director of the Foundation’s theology program from 1998 until assuming the presidency; and earlier he was director of accreditation and leadership education for the Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada. In these capacities, Mr. Gilligan became familiar with many CIC institutions. The Luce Foundation, with total assets of about $725 million in 2003, is a major supporter of liberal arts colleges.

W. Robert Connor, president of the Teagle Foundation since May 2003, previously served as president and director of the National Humanities Center, an institute for advanced study in the humanities. He is a former professor of classics at Princeton. The Teagle Foundation currently has a moratorium on new institutional grants but remains strongly committed to strengthening liberal arts education at independent colleges. The Teagle Foundation, with assets of $140 million in 2002, has supported many CIC institutions.

Neil Grabois, vice president and director for strategic planning and program coordination of the Carnegie Corporation of New York since June 1999, is responsible for the direction, conduct, and evaluation of all programs. A trained mathematician, Grabois served as president of Colgate University for 11 years (1988-1999) and for 25 years in various administrative positions at Williams College. Grabois has been responsible for the implementation of many new programs at Carnegie over the past few years. The role of independent colleges and universities in these programs has been narrowly defined, but Carnegie, with assets of $1.8 billion in 2003 and more than $80 million in grantmaking during fiscal year 2003-2004, is now thinking about new possibilities.

Alison Bernstein, vice president for knowledge, creativity, and freedom of the Ford Foundation, recently wrote “Is Philanthropy Abandoning Higher Education?,” which appeared in ACE’s magazine, The Presidency (Fall 2003). She argues that foundations have not stopped their support of higher education but have simply changed the aspects of education in which they have interest. Bernstein joined the Ford Foundation in 1982 as a program officer and served as director of the education and culture program from 1992 to 1996. At the Ford Foundation, with assets of $10.6 billion in 2003, she has been responsible for many initiatives of interest to CIC colleges.

Jamie Merisotis, president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, has been a vigilant analyst of the changing apportionment of who pays for higher education. He has testified before Congress on legislation that would increase the affordability of college, and has examined the shares of the total costs covered by state governments, individual students and their families, and private philanthropy.

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Hotel Information

For those who will need hotel accommodations, we have made arrangements for a discounted rate at:

New York Helmsley Hotel
212 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017

The New York Helmsley is approximately three blocks from TIAA-CREF’s headquarters, and is offering a rate of $190 for single or double occupancy. To make reservations, call (212) 490-8906 and be sure to request the rate for the Council of Independent Colleges. Reservations must be made by August 18, 2004.

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Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact Fred Ohles, CIC’s vice president for development at (202) 466-7230 or fohles@cic.nche.edu. We look forward to welcoming you to New York on Monday, September 20, 2004.

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