The Miller Center’s National Commission’s Focus on Educational Change

An active presence in the venture capital and direct equity investment sphere, David Colin Burke maintains a strong relationship with his alma mater, the University of Virginia (UVA), as a global citizen. Among the internationally focused organizations that David Colin Burke is active with is the Board of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at UVA.

Over the decades, the Miller Center has convened a variety of nonpartisan efforts aimed at strengthening democracy and the institutions that make the country function. At the close of 2016, this led to the launch of the National Commission on Financing 21st Century Higher Education. The Commission had a focus on funding and policy transformations necessary to achieve a goal of 60 percent of the U.S. labor force earning a postsecondary certificate or degree in less than a decade.

A particular focus is on pivoting toward higher education finance models that are sustainable in the long term. Of importance is finding lower cost pathways of instruction that are innovative, effective, and able to reach students of color and those of lower income. From a public funding standpoint, this would require making better use of available funds and realigning incentives.

At the core of the National Commission effort has been a 10-paper series, including “State Strategies for Leveraging Employer Investments in Postsecondary Education” and “Higher Education: Social Impact Bonds and Income Share Agreements,” by outside authors that is available on the Miller Center website.