Investing to Promote Completion With a Purpose May 6, 2016 By Mark Pelesh Read Time Strada Article Career Connection Completion Value of Education ... For just over two years, USA Funds® has been moving in a new direction to support better outcomes for students in postsecondary education and in their subsequent careers. We call our new focus Completion With a Purpose®, building a more purposeful path for students to and through college and on to rewarding careers. We promote Completion With a Purpose through two primary means: Philanthropic support of programs, research and convenings that enhance postsecondary program completion rates as well as the career readiness of students. Investing in companies, organizations and funds that deliver solutions to the challenges we are trying to address through our focus on Completion With a Purpose. Since we began implementing this new focus, we have supported philanthropic projects of significant impact and national scope, including the following examples: Connecting 14,000 at-risk youth and young adults who are out of school and not working to work experience and education through our support of several outstanding community-based organizations. A national initiative that aims to narrow the skills gap by putting employers in the center of the education process as key customers of the services that colleges and universities deliver. Partnerships with national higher education associations and consortia of colleges and universities that aim to improve student persistence to graduation, deliver higher education programs more effectively and at less cost to students, and ensure the benefits of improved academic success and college completion reach all demographics of the student population. Groundbreaking research through Gallup on the experiences and outcomes of minority and associate degree graduates and the recent announcement of a long-term collaboration with Gallup on a daily higher education poll of prospective, current and former students on the value of postsecondary education they completed or attempted. . . . Connecting 14,000 at risk youth and young adults who are out of school and not working to work experience and education through our support of several outstanding community based-organizations. . . . At the same time, we have been investing in companies, organizations and funds with the twin aims of advancing better college and career outcomes for students while generating financial support for our philanthropic initiatives. Although these investment activities have received less public attention than our philanthropy, we are just as proud of the organizations in which we are investing as we are of the projects to which we provide philanthropic support. Here are three examples: Education at Work. This nonprofit organization, which is a USA Funds affiliate, helps students pay for college while gaining valuable work experience. Roadtrip Nation. This new affiliate of USA Funds offers engaging resources that help students and adults alike explore their interests and career options so they can plot the best course through education to their futures. Jefferson Education. With ties to the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, this organization “road tests” promising new education innovations, so educators and potential investors can support initiatives that will deliver the greatest impact. The practice of nonprofits’ investing in for-profit enterprises to further their missions and support their philanthropy is not only permissible, it is a tool that many leading foundations use. For example, Lumina Foundation recently announced a social investment strategy as one of the channels for achieving its goal of enhancing higher education attainment levels. Articles in The New York Times and Washington Post report that nonprofits as diverse as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Calvert Foundation and the Washington, D.C.-based Case Foundation, among others, pursue social investment activities comparable to USA Funds’ practices. The challenges of helping more students earn college degrees or other postsecondary credentials that provide stronger linkages to rewarding employment and fulfilling careers are significant. Organizations like USA Funds need to use every available tool — including social investing — to move the needle so that students can reap the highest returns from their own investment in higher education. Group 13 Group 11 Group 12 To create a PDF of the webpage, choose in opened window 'Save as PDF' option in 'Destination' select or something like that and click to save or print button. Got it Mark Pelesh Executive Vice President, Corporate and Business Development Strada Education Network Learn More In the news from Strada January 27, 2025 Strada awards eight grants to institutions focused on quality education-to-career guidance Strada, in partnership with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, awards eight Innovation in Career Services grants to institutions focused on quality education-to-career guidance. Strada Article Quality Coaching July 24, 2024 Clear Outcomes: An Interview With Strada Chief Data Ecosystem Officer Jon Furr Education-to-employment data help individuals make informed decisions about college and workforce training. Strada Article Clear Outcomes State Opportunity... ... June 26, 2024 Mentors ease path to students’ first jobs Mentors in Tech recruits tech industry veterans from the region’s robust tech industry to mentor students at the area’s small, affordable, open-access colleges. The partnership between Green River and Mentors in Tech, or MinT, is supported in part by a $400,000 grant from Strada’s Employer and Community College Partnership Challenge. Strada Article Employer Alignment Our Priorities Quality Coaching Uncategorized ... April 29, 2024 Student Work Reimagined Through the Arizona State-led Work+Collective, more than a dozen institutions are injecting mentorship, career development skills. Strada Article Our Priorities Philanthropy Work-Based Learning ... February 21, 2024 Talent Disrupted: An Interview With Strada CEO Stephen Moret ‘Colleges and universities, states, and our country can do more to help prepare students for the critical transition from college to the labor market.’ Strada Article Uncategorized January 25, 2024 A Salute to Our Mentors The gift of time. A recognition of talent. A helping hand. How our mentors helped shape us as people and professionals. Strada Article Quality Coaching December 12, 2023 Community college, biotech companies partner to prepare students for careers At the heart of MiraCosta College’s Increase Diversity, Equity, and Advancement in Biotechnology (IDEA-BTEC) program, funded in part by a $400,000 grant from Strada Education Foundation, is a unique partnership between the college and two local biotech employers: Sterogene Bio-Separations and Open Biopharma Research and Training Institute. Strada Article Adult Learners ECCPC Employer Alignment Philanthropy Work-Based Learning ... November 1, 2023 Community college, dental insurer come together to address dental hygienist shortage The community college learning lab and dental clinic is now a newly refurbished space where dental hygiene students refine their technique on mannequins outfitted with realistic incisors, molars, and cuspids. The clinic was remodeled through a partnership with Delta Dental of Rhode Island and supported by a $400,000 grant from Strada Education Foundation. Strada Article Advocacy Employer Alignment Philanthropy Work-Based Learning ... November 16, 2022 Listening to Alumni About How Education Enriches Lives A rich mixture of skills gained in college improves post-completion outcomes for graduates Strada Article Our Priorities Public Viewpoint Research ... October 7, 2022 Strada Future Leaders Fellowship A 12-week internship for individuals who are bold, curious, motivated team players — and passionate about advancing equity. Strada Article Equity & Oppo... Our Priorities ... September 12, 2022 Strada Scholar D’Vontae Scott Delaware State sophomore accounting major eyes and a different career path after viewing a wealth of options. Strada Article HBCU Initiative Our Priorities Philanthropy ... September 12, 2022 Strada Scholar Jeremy Jackson Sophomore engineering ‘rock star’ learns to become a leader while following in the HBCU grad footsteps of his parents and brother. Strada Article HBCU Initiative Our Priorities Philanthropy ... September 9, 2022 Strada Scholar Keante’ Lewis As a natural leader, student embraces opportunities to work in her field and build campus community Strada Article HBCU Initiative Our Priorities Philanthropy ... September 7, 2022 Strada Scholar Imani Burke With a passion for writing and teaching, student seeks ways to teach while she’s still learning Strada Article HBCU Initiative Our Priorities Philanthropy ... May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Minnesota Rochester At the innovative Rochester campus of the University of Minnesota, our vision is to “inspire transformation in higher education through innovations that empower graduates to solve the grand health challenges of the 21st century.” Strada Article Beyond Completion... Our Priorities Philanthropy ... May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Oregon Ducks Rise: Empowering Underrepresented Minorities and Low-Income Students Through Research Internships and Intentional Student Experiences Strada Article Beyond Completion... Our Priorities Philanthropy ... May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Texas System Developing In-Demand Skills Among Undergraduates for Better, More Equitable Post Completion Outcomes Strada Article Beyond Completion... Our Priorities Philanthropy ... May 13, 2022 Fulfilling the Promise of Higher Education Access to college isn't enough. Neither is completion of degrees. It's time to focus on outcomes Strada Article Beyond Completion... Our Priorities Philanthropy ... April 7, 2022 ‘I Didn’t Know I Had All This in Me’ Credit for prior learning helped Loyce Shelley see herself in a new way — and complete her degree. Strada CAEL Article Adult Learners Career Connection Collaborative Completion Employers Equity & Oppo... Navigating Education On Purpose Our Priorities Engagement & ... ... March 2, 2022 How Local Partners Can Rebuild the Workforce Equitably Even before the pandemic, employers struggled to find the skilled labor they needed to fill jobs. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Our Priorities ... February 23, 2022 Growing Fairly: How to Build Opportunity and Equity in Workforce Development The labor market in the United States faces seemingly contradictory challenges: Many employers have trouble finding qualified applicants for current and future jobs, while millions of Americans are out of work or are underemployed—their paths to living-wage jobs blocked by systemic barriers or lack of adequate skills. Strada Article Innovation in Wor... Adult Learners Career Connection Equity & Oppo... Navigating Education Our Priorities ... February 1, 2022 How Credentials Can Create Opportunity for More People The origin story of Grow With Google, like so many initiatives at the global technology company, begins with data. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Adult Learners Employers Nondegree On Purpose Our Priorities Research ... January 5, 2022 5 Ways To Integrate Career Connection Into College Experience Recent Strada research points to a striking disparity between first-year students’ aspirations for career planning in their undergraduate years and seniors’ actual experiences. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Our Priorities Public Viewpoint Research ... December 2, 2021 4 Ways To Build Better Education-Workforce Partnerships More than 18 months into the pandemic, the employment headlines can seem like an algebraic riddle: If U.S. employers are seeking workers to fill 10.9 million jobs, how can 8.4 million workers be unemployed? Strada CAEL Article Connections to Ca... Employer Alignment On Purpose ... November 17, 2021 How To Make Sure Education After High School Is Worth the Investment Economist Beth Akers insists she’s not a college debt crisis denier. College is expensive — more than double the cost today compared to the 1980s. And too many students pay too much for it, she said, not only in relation to what they can afford now, but also to what they will earn after graduation. Strada Article Degree and Creden... On Purpose Our Priorities ... November 4, 2021 How To Set Students Up for Success After Graduation As provost and later president at the University of Utah, Ruth Watkins called out the “hollow promise” a university delivers to college students who have access to higher education but leave without completing a degree. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Quality Coaching Research Research Team Work-Based Learning ... October 21, 2021 How To Better Serve Latino Students Deborah Santiago’s parents always made clear she and her three siblings would go to college. Strada Article Navigating Education Advising Lessons Earned On Purpose Our Priorities Engagement & ... ... October 7, 2021 How the HBCU Experience Builds Leaders Roslyn Clark Artis grew up in southern West Virginia, the only African American in her graduating class. The daughter of a coal miner, she dreamed of becoming a lawyer and applied to every public university in her home state, hoping to find an affordable route to college. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... September 22, 2021 6 Ways Our Conversations Are Shaping What We Know Strada CAEL Inside Track Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Advocacy Employers Lessons Earned On Purpose Our Priorities ... September 8, 2021 6 Ways to Upskill Women for In-Demand Jobs Strada CAEL Inside Track Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Our Priorities Technology ...