The Honorable Bob Kerrey
The Honorable Bob Kerrey joined M & F Worldwide Education Holdings as Company Chairman in July 2011. M & F Worldwide is the parent company of GlobalScholar, Scantron and Spectrum K-12, whose collective education offerings are marketed under the “GlobalScholar” brand. As Chairman, Kerrey will be responsible for the company’s education businesses and will also lead strategic initiatives and evaluation of future investments in the education sector.
Prior to joining GlobalScholar, Kerrey served as the seventh President of The New School, a university founded on strong democratic ideals and daring educational practices.
Under his leadership, The New School experienced an unprecedented period of growth. Enrollment and full-time faculty increased significantly. The undergraduate population alone increased by more than forty percent to 5,000 students. Since 2001, the university raised a record $198 million for scholarships, professorships, capital projects, major conferences and cutting-edge research.
During his tenure, Kerrey devoted significant time to reforming the university’s administrative system. As a result, four percent of the university’s budget shifted from administrative to academic efforts. The university also built an information system, which allows prospective, current and former students to manage their affairs online. This also allowed a significant expansion of online offerings for students enrolled at the New York campus and those who are enrolled only online.
Prior to The New School, Kerrey represented Nebraska as both a United States Senator and Governor. For 16 years, Kerrey worked to improve the quality of Nebraska’s primary, secondary and post-secondary schools. Following the 1982 “Nation At Risk” report, Nebraska changed its laws to improve the quality of the K-12 curriculum. This not only helped teachers with professional development, but also ensured that at-risk and advanced students had equal opportunity to advance.
As Senator, Kerrey lead the development of a statewide education technology plan, which established the first virtual high school in the country and made Nebraska one of the first states to wire its schools to the Internet in the early 1990s.
In the Senate, Kerrey co-chaired the Congressional Commission on Web-Based Education and helped enact legislation for education technology subsidies. Further, he assisted both the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in their efforts to improve science education.
Since leaving the Senate, Kerrey has continued to be involved in public service. He is a member of the 9-11 Commission, a co-chair of the National Commission on Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as a co-chair of the Concord Coalition. Additionally, he is a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s action committee and a board member of New York City’s Reading Reform Foundation. He is also an advisory board member of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association and was chairman of the College Board’s National Writing Commission.
Kerrey attended public schools in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated with a degree in pharmacy from the University. He also served three years in the United States Navy and received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service.
