Higher education is a cautious and deliberative enterprise by nature, but we cannot – and must not – allow deliberation to become an excuse for inaction. Change requires steady leadership, a commitment to following the data wherever they lead, and a willingness to buck conventional wisdom and prevailing incentive systems.

Remarks (as prepared) by Dan Greenstein at the Accelerating Latino Student Success (ALASS) Institute Conference Dan Greenstein is the director of Postsecondary Success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Fri., Oct. 6, 2017, Washington, D.C. Good afternoon, and thank you for having me. It is a privilege to be with my colleagues from philanthropy […]

By Dan Greenstein For the past several weeks, I have been taking a critical look at conventional wisdom and common assumptions about higher education to raise awareness of the realities facing today’s colleges and universities, and their students. This week, I’m focusing on a debate that lies at the heart of the completion movement: #4: […]

By Dan Greenstein Over the past couple of weeks, I have taken a critical look at two common assumptions about higher education – that selective equals better and that colleges and universities can’t become bigger and better at the same time. This week I’m wading into the digital dimension to tackle another oft-heard assertion: #3: […]

Remarks (as prepared) by Dan Greenstein at the NALEO California Statewide Policy Institute Conference Dan Greenstein is the director of Postsecondary Success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Fri., Sept. 22, 2017 Thank you for inviting me to join you. I am honored. I am also painfully aware of the pitfalls of being a lunch-time […]

  By Dan Greenstein Last week, I kicked off a series of posts exploring what I believe is a growing disconnect between higher education and the American people. In that piece, I unpacked one of the possible causes of that disconnect – the ways in which academe celebrates exclusivity over opportunity. This week, I’m taking […]

The dangerous misconception that being a “good” college requires exclusivity is hurting our country, writes Director Dan Greenstein.

By Dan Greenstein I’m just now sending my oldest child back to college for his sophomore year, which has caused me to pause and reflect about what we’ve both learned from the experience of his freshman year. It also got me to thinking about the approximately 25 percent of students who won’t be returning to […]

Dan Greenstein’s speech on closing the opportunity gap delivered at ACT’s 32nd Annual Enrollment Planners Conference on July 19, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.

In my five years at the foundation, I have done a good number of presentations, panel discussions, and speeches. And one of the things I enjoy most about these experiences is the opportunity to hear from people from across our enterprise and our nation. The most common— and vexing— question I receive from audiences is “What is your read on the future of college?”