Higher Ed Leaders Invited to Event on Overcoming Barriers to Social Mobility
May 29, 2019

Which colleges and universities are driving social mobility for students of color and students from low income families, and how are they doing it? What are the barriers these students face when trying to climb the economic ladder with the help of higher education? What are the federal policies and other conditions that would better enable and reward colleges to serve as engines of upward social mobility?

These are some of the questions that will be addressed during a fast-paced, interactive discussion next month involving researchers, college leaders, students, and policymakers. Mark P. Becker, president of Georgia State University, ACE Board chair, and the 2019 TIAA Institute Hesburgh Award winner, and ACE Vice President for Research Lorelle Espinosa will be among the featured speakers at the event being held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC, on June 25. 

Espinosa will present relevant findings from ACE’s Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education​ report, which was released earlier this year. The report showed that while the number of students of color on our nation’s college and university campuses continues to rise, gaps in access, attainment, and debt levels remain. Espinosa will also lead a conversation about these findings and potential policy implications.  

Other featured speakers include:

  • Brenda Allen, president, Lincoln University

  • Stephanie Bell-Rose, TIAA senior managing director and head, TIAA Institute

  • Camille Busette, director, Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative, Brookings Institution

  • Wil Del Pilar, vice president of higher education policy and practice, The Education Trust

  • José Luis Cruz, president, Lehman College 

  • John Friedman, founding co-director, Opportunity Insights 

  • Tracy Hall, president, Southwest Tennessee Community College

  • Tiffany Jones, director of higher education policy, The Education Trust

  • Marvin Krislov, president, Pace University

The keynote session will include a conversation between John B. King Jr., president and CEO of The Education Trust, and Anthony Jack, assistant professor of education at Harvard University and author of “The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Poor Students.”

The event is being co-hosted by The Education Trust and the TIAA Institute​ and is free for attendees, but space is limited. The deadline to RSVP is May 31.​