Kaplan Educational Foundation Celebrates 10 Years of Helping Disadvantaged Community College Students
Transfer and Successfully Earn University Degrees
Chancellor James Milliken, City University of New York, and Jonathan Grayer, CEO, Weld North LLC Are Honored at
New York City Event
The Kaplan Educational Foundation (KEF), which helps disadvantaged black and Latino community college students complete their
associate’s degrees and transfer to top U.S. colleges and universities, celebrated its 10 year anniversary at a dinner event last
night in New York City.
James B. Milliken, Chancellor of The City University of New York, was honored with the 2016 KEF College Partner Award in
recognition of the critical support and help provided by the leaders, administrators and faculty at the University and its seven
community colleges, from which all KEF Scholars have graduated.
Jonathan Grayer, CEO of Weld North LLC, an investment firm focused on educational technology businesses, was honored with the
2016 KEF Leadership Award in recognition of his role as founder of the Foundation when he was CEO of Kaplan, Inc. The KEF is an
independent charity created in 2006 and principally funded by employees of Kaplan, Inc., the global educational services company
and largest subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC).
For the past decade, the KEF’s Kaplan Leadership Program has been at the vanguard of helping high-achieving community college
students from underrepresented communities successfully transfer to top colleges and universities such as Brown, Stanford, Mount
Holyoke, NYU, Morehouse, Amherst, Cornell, and others. Through a combination of generous financial support and wraparound
counseling, tutoring and support services, the Kaplan Leadership Scholars attain remarkable outcomes: 87% earn an associate’s
degree and 90% of them transfer to a four-year college; all KEF alumni are employed in their field of study or are in graduate
school.
The Kaplan Leadership Program’s model seeks to fill a gap, ensuring low-income, high-potential community college students of
color successfully complete their associate’s degree and go on to earn a four-year college degree. In demographic terms, Kaplan
Leadership Scholars range in age from 18 to 37 years old and almost all are Pell Grant eligible.
Nationally, the challenges facing low-income, first-generation students are steep; only 12% of minority community college
students transfer to a four-year institution within four years of enrolling and only seven percent complete a bachelor’s degree
within 10 years. The Foundation’s experience proves the effectiveness of financial resources and, more importantly, comprehensive,
high-touch support systems these students may lack in their secondary education or home experiences.
There are currently nine cohorts of Kaplan Leadership Scholars. This includes 17 active Scholars in the program and 35 alumni.
Since the program’s inception, 30 percent of program alumni have enrolled or completed graduate degrees from schools such as the
Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the NYU Silver School of Social Work, and Stanford University. Alumni are
employed in various fields, from education to medicine to scientific research to finance and marketing.
About the Kaplan Educational Foundation
The Kaplan Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity launched in 2006 with funding from Kaplan, Inc.
executives. Its comprehensive program provides financial aid, academic support, leadership skills development, and cultural
enrichment for low-income, high-potential, underrepresented community college students seeking to transfer to highly selective
four-year schools. For more information about the Foundation, which celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year, please
visit www.kaplanedfoundation.org.
Kaplan Educational Foundation (KEF)
Mike Tague, 212-974-2785
Michael.Tague@kaplanedfoundation.org
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