May 14, 2008

Assorted Thoughts of Interest from the Council on Foundations

by Tim Ogden

I heard a number of interesting things said at the Council on Foundations Summit that don’t fit into any particular category;here are three of them:

1. “Adolescence is a failed 19th century construct.“—Newt Gingrich
Mr. Gingrinch used this line as an illustration of his belief that radical rethinking of our education system was necessary. His point was that until the 19th century, and even today in many cultures, there were only two categories of age: child and adult. The idea that the gray zone of adolescence—when children take on responsibility without serious consequences—is responsible for some of the ills in our school system is worth thinking about.

2. “These are the most complex set of conditions in my lifetime.“—Robert Rubin; “I think we might see a quarter century of lower returns.“—Ellen Shuman
Rubin, currently Chairman of Citigroup and former US Secretary of the Treasury, and Shuman, chief investment officer of the Carnegie Corporation both shared a gloomy view of the immediate and potentially longer term economic situation.

3. “Our industry is rife with people who come into this space and say that everything that came before them was terrible.“—Jim Canales
Canales, now the CEO of the James Irvine Foundation, was explaining some of his motivation to produce the foundation’s widely noted report detailing the mistakes that were made in a program that Canales oversaw before he became CEO.