Academy of Achievement
Encyclopedia
The Academy of Achievement is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization founded in 1961 by photographer Hy Peskin
. He established the Academy of Achievement to bring aspiring young people together with accomplished people. The first annual Banquet of the Golden Plate program was held at Monterey, California in September of 1961.
The Academy of Achievement is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
and is run by Peskin's son, Wayne Reynolds. The Academy headquarters includes the Museum of Achievement, a video archive containing the personal life stories of hundreds of Academy members, and it shares office space with EduCap and Loan to Learn, and the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, all run by Reynolds's wife, Catherine Reynolds.
The Academy’s Golden Plate Awards Council annually reviews a broad spectrum of candidates for invitation to the Summit. From this list, the Awards Council, which is composed of past honorees of the Academy, selects the 20 new Academy guests of honor.
The Academy of Achievement launched its series of International Achievement Summits in Budapest, Hungary in June of 1999, and subsequent summits were held in London, England (2000), Dublin, Ireland (2002), Washington, D.C. (2003), Chicago, Illinois (2004), New York City (2005), Los Angeles, California (2006), Washington, D.C. (2007), Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (2008), Cape Town and Singita Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa (2009) and Washington, D.C. (2010).
reported that the Academy shares office space and staff with EduCap, a non-profit company that has sold 350,000 private student loans. The Post said the Academy is one of the largest beneficiaries of the non-profit, which as a legal entity combines three organizations: the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, EduCap, and Loan to Learn. EduCap pays Catherine Reynolds about $1 million per year in compensation and donated at least $9 million to the Academy which then paid her husband Wayne Reynolds at least $1.7 million through his for-profit ASC Management Co.
About two weeks later, The Chronicle of Higher Education
reported that EduCap had reduced its involvement in the student loan industry due to "uncertainties" in that market. In 2009 at about the time of his US Senate confirmation hearing for director of the Central Intelligence Agency
, The Wall Street Journal
said that Leon Panetta
had used EduCap's Gulfstream IV
jet only "once or twice". Others including former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens
(who lost his job for failing to disclose gifts) and Tom Daschle
(who removed his name from consideration for a US Cabinet post) also rode on the jet. By later in 2009, EduCap had sold its jet, whose flight list also included former FBI director William S. Sessions
and former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley
.
In about 2006, as reported by CBS 60 Minutes
in a segment in 2009 called "Who Is Catherine Reynolds?", Catherine Reynolds, who as an accountant is responsible for EduCap's success, withdrew a gift of $38 million from the Smithsonian Institution
when her idea for a "Hall of Achievement" exhibition based on the "individual
" was rejected. She instead gave $100 million to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Ralph Nader
thinks the Smithsonian sold out to corporate interests (Ralph Lauren, Lockheed Martin and Orkin Pest Control) and that their criticism of Reynolds is unfair. CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reported that "Educap is under investigation by the IRS and Congress for alleged abuse of its tax-exempt status because it charges high interest on charitable student loans, and provides lavish perks with millions in compensation for Reynolds and her husband".
Hy Peskin
Hyman "Hy" Peskin was a Jewish-American photographer notable for several famous photographs of American sports people and celebrities published by Sports Illustrated and Life...
. He established the Academy of Achievement to bring aspiring young people together with accomplished people. The first annual Banquet of the Golden Plate program was held at Monterey, California in September of 1961.
The Academy of Achievement is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and is run by Peskin's son, Wayne Reynolds. The Academy headquarters includes the Museum of Achievement, a video archive containing the personal life stories of hundreds of Academy members, and it shares office space with EduCap and Loan to Learn, and the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, all run by Reynolds's wife, Catherine Reynolds.
International Achievement Summit
The Academy held its first annual International Achievement Summit in 1999 in Budapest, Hungary. The forum continues to be held every year and gives exceptional graduate students the opportunity to interact one-on-one with Nobel Prize-winners in the arts and sciences, public servants, prize-winning journalists, explorers, humanitarians, financiers, athletes, and entertainers. The Academy invites the leaders in these categories to attend the Summit and address the students at a series of symposiums and roundtable discussions. Approximately 50 men and women, 30 distinguished previous awardees and 20 new members, interact with 200 domestic and international graduate students over the course of several days in an informal setting.The Academy’s Golden Plate Awards Council annually reviews a broad spectrum of candidates for invitation to the Summit. From this list, the Awards Council, which is composed of past honorees of the Academy, selects the 20 new Academy guests of honor.
The Academy of Achievement launched its series of International Achievement Summits in Budapest, Hungary in June of 1999, and subsequent summits were held in London, England (2000), Dublin, Ireland (2002), Washington, D.C. (2003), Chicago, Illinois (2004), New York City (2005), Los Angeles, California (2006), Washington, D.C. (2007), Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (2008), Cape Town and Singita Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa (2009) and Washington, D.C. (2010).
Student Delegates
The graduate student attendees of the International Achievement Summit are selected through a roster of recipients of scholarship and exchange programs like Rhodes, Fulbright, Gates, Marshall, Soros and Hughes. The faculty of colleges and universities like Harvard Law, Wharton Business, MIT, Georgetown, Oxford, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins also nominate student delegates for the International Achievement Summit. Notable student delegates include:- Larry PageLarry PageLawrence "Larry" Page is an American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, with Sergey Brin, is best known as the co-founder of Google. As of April 4, 2011, he is also the chief executive of Google, as announced on January 20, 2011...
and Sergey BrinSergey BrinSergey Mikhaylovich Brin is a Russian-born American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the largest internet companies. , his personal wealth is estimated to be $16.7 billion....
(Class of 1974) - Lisa RandallLisa RandallLisa Randall is an American theoretical physicist and a leading expert on particle physics and cosmology. She works on several of the competing models of string theory in the quest to explain the fabric of the universe. Her most well known contribution to the field is the Randall-Sundrum model,...
(Class of 1980) - Bruce ReedBruce ReedBruce Reed was the CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council and currently serves as the Chief of Staff to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, having been appointed on January 14, 2011 to succeed Ron Klain.-Early life and education:...
(Class of 1978) - Steven D. Levitt (Class of 1985)
- Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. (Class of 1967)
- Debra Ann LivingstonDebra Ann LivingstonDebra Ann Livingston is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.-Early life and education:...
(Class of 1977) - Herschel WalkerHerschel WalkerHerschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
(Class of 1980) - Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
(Class of 2008)
EduCap
In July 2007, The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reported that the Academy shares office space and staff with EduCap, a non-profit company that has sold 350,000 private student loans. The Post said the Academy is one of the largest beneficiaries of the non-profit, which as a legal entity combines three organizations: the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, EduCap, and Loan to Learn. EduCap pays Catherine Reynolds about $1 million per year in compensation and donated at least $9 million to the Academy which then paid her husband Wayne Reynolds at least $1.7 million through his for-profit ASC Management Co.
About two weeks later, The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
reported that EduCap had reduced its involvement in the student loan industry due to "uncertainties" in that market. In 2009 at about the time of his US Senate confirmation hearing for director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
said that Leon Panetta
Leon Panetta
Leon Edward Panetta is the 23rd and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama since 2011. Prior to taking office, he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency...
had used EduCap's Gulfstream IV
Gulfstream IV
The Gulfstream IV and derivatives are a family of twin-jet aircraft, mainly for private or business use. The aircraft was designed and built by Gulfstream Aerospace, a General Dynamics company based in Savannah, Georgia, United States from 1985 until 2003.-Design and development:Gulfstream, in...
jet only "once or twice". Others including former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
(who lost his job for failing to disclose gifts) and Tom Daschle
Tom Daschle
Thomas Andrew "Tom" Daschle is a former U.S. Senator from South Dakota and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(who removed his name from consideration for a US Cabinet post) also rode on the jet. By later in 2009, EduCap had sold its jet, whose flight list also included former FBI director William S. Sessions
William S. Sessions
William Steele Sessions is a civil servant who served as a judge and 4th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
and former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
.
In about 2006, as reported by CBS 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
in a segment in 2009 called "Who Is Catherine Reynolds?", Catherine Reynolds, who as an accountant is responsible for EduCap's success, withdrew a gift of $38 million from the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
when her idea for a "Hall of Achievement" exhibition based on the "individual
Individual
An individual is a person or any specific object or thing in a collection. Individuality is the state or quality of being an individual; a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs, goals, and desires. Being self expressive...
" was rejected. She instead gave $100 million to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
thinks the Smithsonian sold out to corporate interests (Ralph Lauren, Lockheed Martin and Orkin Pest Control) and that their criticism of Reynolds is unfair. CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reported that "Educap is under investigation by the IRS and Congress for alleged abuse of its tax-exempt status because it charges high interest on charitable student loans, and provides lavish perks with millions in compensation for Reynolds and her husband".