Carnegie Forum on Money and Politics
On January 26, 2004, Carnegie Corporation of New York held a forum on Money and Politics, with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) as the featured speaker. A panel discussion followed Senator McCain’s keynote address; it focused on the future of campaign finance reform and included Charles E. Kolb, president, Committee for Economic Development; Chellie Pingree, president, Common Cause; and Trevor Potter, general counsel, The Reform Institute, all Corporation grantees.

One month before the forum took place, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision that essentially upheld Congress’ right to limit the influence of money in politics. The ruling meant that most of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act—
more popularly known as the McCain-Feingold law, after the two senators who sponsored it, McCain and Russell Feingold (D-WI)—would stand, and would apply to the 2004 presidential election.

Over more than a decade, the Corporation’s investment in campaign finance reform—nearly $20 million—is viewed by many as having had a major role in building the “modern” campaign finance reform movement. In introducing Senator McCain to the approximately 100 policymakers, leaders in the nonprofit field, voting rights and other activists gathered at the forum, Vartan Gregorian said, “Campaign finance reform
is not a Democratic or Republican issue—it is an American issue. To keep our democracy strong and vital, we all have to work toward clean elections, toward reducing the influence of money and special interests in the choices available to us as citizens.”

Echoing Gregorian’s concerns, McCain pointed to the Supreme Court decision, saying the Court had made it clear that “money is not free speech.” He also credited much of the success of the McCain-Feingold legislation to the fact that “enough Americans were aroused by the issues that they demanded that we bring about change” in the way we fund election campaigns. He concluded his remarks by saying, “There is great dissatisfaction throughout the country with the state of politics in America,” and called for bipartisan reform in a number of other areas, including Social Security and Medicare.

The 2003 Carnegie Medals of Philanthropy are Awarded
In 1901, Andrew Carnegie sold his vast steel empire to J.P. Morgan for $480 million (the equivalent today of approximately $10.1 billion). With that sale, the second phase of the industrialist’s life began—that of philanthropist. Many also mark the date as the beginning of the modern era of philanthropy. For the next 18 years, until he died in 1919, Carnegie proceeded to give away the vast bulk of his fortune with a single purpose in mind: the betterment of humankind.

On December 10, 2001, the 22 nonprofit and philanthropic organizations that Andrew Carnegie created—in the U.S. and abroad—inaugurated the Andrew Carnegie Medals of Philanthropy to mark the centennial observance of the beginning of Carnegie’s philanthropic career by recognizing individuals who, like Andrew Carnegie, have dedicated their private wealth to the public good and who have made long-term philanthropic contributions in the United States and throughout the world. At that time, it was announced that the Carnegie Medals would be awarded every two years.

Carnegie Corporation of New York hosted the first medals ceremony, which was initiated by the Corporation’s president, Vartan Gregorian. Walter and Leonore Annenberg, Brooke Astor, Irene Diamond, the Gates Family, the Rockefeller Family, George Soros and Ted Turner were the first honorees.

“We seek to reinvigorate and challenge the philanthropic community for tomorrow,” said Gregorian at the 2001 presentation.

On December 8, 2003, the Carnegie Institution of Washington held the second medal awards, presenting the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy to the Sainsbury family of Great Britain and Dr. Kazuo Inamori of Japan.

In the Sainsbury family, one of Great Britain’s most notable philanthropic powerhouses, Andrew Carnegie’s vision of philanthropy thrives. Today, there are 19 Sainsbury trusts, set up by 18 different family members spanning more than three generations. They support a wide variety of causes—from the arts and mental health to education and the environment—in regions as diverse as sub-Saharan Africa, Russia and the U.K.

Dr. Kazuo Inamori, Japan’s well-known, self-made business visionary, lives his belief that one should contribute both materially and spiritually to society. Throughout his legendary business career, Inamori has used his gains to promote academic and cultural development and international understanding. His Inamori Foundation, with its annual Nobel-class Kyoto prizes, the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and his endowed university chairs are among his many means for contributing to the world community. His book, A Passion for Success, outlines his philosophy that philanthropy is part of a productive life.

The next Carnegie medals will be awarded in 2005.

A Nation at Risk Revisited
In 1983, when the 18-member National Commission on Excellence in Education issued its report, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, concern about the status of American education in the United States resulted in an unanticipated level of public attention and debate. The report famously warned that, “Our Nation is at risk. The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people.”

In the years that followed, many educational reforms were undertaken, among them, a governors’ conference on education convened by then-President George Bush, which was directly inspired by the report; 13 years later, President George W. Bush signed the landmark No Child Left Behind legislation into law. But for all the debate, increased spending, and national attention, how much has teaching and learning improved in the nation’s schools since the release of A Nation at Risk more than two decades earlier?

That question was discussed at an October 23 symposium, which focused on Reflecting on Two Decades of Reform—a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the findings of the Nation at Risk report. The Corporation hosted the gathering along with the California-based J. Paul Getty Trust, bringing together the remaining 12 members of the Commission and about 75 other educational leaders, including U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. The current chairman of the Trust, David Gardner, had served as the chairman of the National Commission on Excellence in Education.

The symposium consisted of two panel discussions, one looking back on the report’s legacy and another panel looking forward to the future of education. Many symposium participants agreed that America is still educationally at risk, and that a number of the reforms urged by A Nation at Risk and subsequent reports—including improving teacher education—remain unfinished. Even so, as Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, pointed out, “As the result of A Nation at Risk—and the growing body of research on how children learn and what constitutes good teaching—we have come a long way. The challenge ahead of us is to continue to improve our schools and the quality of American education.”