Thanks to a generous gift from the Barnett Charitable Foundation, the School of Education has a new endowed chair in education policy. The Barnett Family Professorship in Education was established with a gift from the foundation at the direction of Karrie and Larry Barnett, '78; Annie and Jim Barnett, '80, JD/MBA '84; and Laurey Barnett Treiger, '81, and Brian Treiger, and with university matching funds. Professor Susanna Loeb, the faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA), has been named the inaugural chair.

By providing rigorous, scientific research needed to inform education policy in meaningful ways, CEPA connects the deep knowledge and resources of the School of Education to the people responsible for running our nation’s school systems. As early supporters of CEPA, the Barnett family has a keen interest in the leveraging that power with their investment. "The idea of transforming the world through education really resonated with us," explains Jim Barnett. "It's a highly leveraged cause that can bring great benefits to the community at large."