Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Jefferson Education Accelerator to Test New Education Delivery Approaches

  • 02/23/15

INDIANAPOLIS — USA Funds® recently announced a $3 million investment in the Jefferson Education Accelerator, which will identify, test and nurture innovative education technology solutions. An initiative of the University of Virginia Curry School of Education Foundation, the accelerator will support education technology entrepreneurs with consulting, mentoring, testing, piloting and financing.

“We are pleased to serve as lead investor in this education innovation accelerator as part of our focus on Completion With a Purpose,” says William D. Hansen, USA Funds president and CEO. “We believe that emerging technologies hold great promise for reshaping the pathway to and through college and on to rewarding careers and fulfilling futures for our nation’s students.”

Although best known for its historic role as a student loan guarantor, during the past year, USA Funds has made significant investments in initiatives that promote completion of postsecondary education and training programs with a strong connection to success following graduation. USA Funds is advancing Completion With a Purpose through grant making, policy research and investments in new solutions, such as the Jefferson Education Accelerator.

A unique aspect of the Jefferson Education Accelerator that made it especially attractive to USA Funds is its ability to test new education innovations. “The accelerator will apply the expertise of faculty, students, teachers and administrators to identify which innovations will work in a ‘real-world’ setting,” says Mark L. Pelesh, USA Funds, executive vice president, Corporate and Business Development. “This type of research is invaluable in helping both investors and educators support initiatives that will deliver the greatest impact.”

During the past year, USA Funds has awarded philanthropic grants totaling more than $20 million to initiatives that promote Completion With a Purpose.

USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that supports Completion With a PurposeSM, building a more purposeful path for America’s students to and through college and on to rewarding careers and successful lives. USA Funds pursues its nonprofit mission through philanthropic activities and partnerships, policy research, and programs and services that enhance preparation for, access to and success in higher education. Learn more at www.usafunds.org.

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.