Michelson 20MM
in the News
A Dose of Positivity During Uncertain Times: Podcast Interview with Our Founder, Dr. Gary K. Michelson
Michelson 20MM founder Dr. Gary K. Michelson was recently invited as a guest on the Positive Phil podcast, a weekly roundtable discussion centered on inspiration, grace, and affirmative thinking. The 28-minute episode is packed with insights for achieving a brighter...
New Report Uncovers Tactics Textbook Publishers Use to Automatically Bill College Students
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a Michelson Spark Grant recipient, released the findings of its latest study examining the murky tactics textbook publishers are using to boost flagging profits, often at the expense of student choice. “Automatic Textbook...
A Conversation with Dr. Barbara Illowsky on College Affordability and Developing the First Open Textbook
Dr. Barbara Illowsky is a retired mathematics and statistics professor at De Anza College and former Chief Academic Affairs Officer for the California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative. She is also co-author of Collaborative Statistics (later renamed Introductory Statistics), the first free and open textbook published by OpenStax College, as well as Introductory Business Statistics. A pioneer in the open educational resources movement, Dr. Illowsky continues to advocate for greater open educational resources (OER) adoption in order to make the cost of attending college more affordable. Since 2018 Dr. Illowsky has served as the Michelson 20MM Foundation’s OER Fellow.
Zero-Textbook Cost (ZTC) Degrees Included in Governor Newsom’s Budget
On January 10th Governor Newsom released his budget proposal. In it was a $10 million allocation for the Zero-Textbook Cost Degree program. The program was created in 2016-17 to reduce the overall cost of education for students and decrease the time it takes students to complete degree programs offered by community colleges.
David Helene on the Future of Emergency Student Aid
David Helene is Co-Founder and CEO of Edquity, a technology-powered platform that streamlines emergency funds disbursement to college students in need. The startup recently announced the completion of a $2.4 million seed round backed by several funds and foundations including Michelson 20MM.
Angela DeBarger of the Hewlett Foundation on OER
Angela Haydel DeBarger is a program officer in education at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Her portfolio focuses on the Open Educational Resources (OER) Strategy. She is particularly interested in the intersection of OER and deeper learning, with the aim of creating inclusive, purposeful and coherent learning experiences for students and teachers.