ACCE Partners with Lumina Foundation to Support Chambers’ Higher Education Attainment Goals

Published Thursday, June 12, 2014

The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) has joined a promising initiative led by Lumina Foundation to increase postsecondary education attainment. The initiative provides seven chambers of commerce with a one-time award of $40,000 each to advance previously defined education attainment goals. The chambers also will receive technical and planning assistance and access to a powerful network of national thought-leadership organizations, including ACCE, which will provide guidance as they implement their action plans.

“Research shows a direct correlation between thriving cities and education beyond high school,” said Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. “Increased attainment delivers stronger local economies, greater individual earning power, and better quality of life. Every community in America wants that, and this collaborative work gives business leaders the tools they need to be successful in achieving the attainment goals of their communities.”

The awards support chambers of commerce that have demonstrated momentum in advancing education attainment agendas and established goals to increase the percentage of high-quality credentials held by area residents. Nearly 40 chambers applied for the awards under this new initiative.

“We have been excited to work with Lumina Foundation on regional strategies to engage businesses in education attainment,” said Mick Fleming, president of ACCE. “This latest step in that strategy enables us to support chambers that are maximizing the link between post-secondary education and economic development goals.”

The seven winning chambers are: Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber; Metro South (Mass.) Chamber; Greensboro (N.C.) Chamber; Greater Sarasota (Fla.) Chamber; Birmingham (Ala.) Business Alliance; Greater Omaha Chamber; and the Aurora (Ill.) Regional Chamber

This awards program serves to advance chambers’ previously defined education attainment goals with the understanding that they will help ACCE and their peers around the country build replicable programs and policies. The overall effort connects to Lumina Foundation’s Goal 2025, a national effort to increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025. For more information about ACCE’s Education Attainment Division visit: http://www.acce.org/divisions/education-attainment-division/

About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina’s outcomes-based approach focuses on helping to design and build an accessible, responsive and accountable higher education system while fostering a national sense of urgency for action to achieve Goal 2025. For more information, visit www.LuminaFoundation.org