Academy of Achievement
| Academy of Achievement | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Formation | 1961 |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., USA |
| Chairman & CEO | Wayne R. Reynolds |
| Vice Chairman | Catherine B. Reynolds[1][2] |
| Website | www.achievement.org |
The Academy of Achievement is a United States-based non-profit organization that aims to bring high profile, successful people from various fields together with "young achievers" to inspire them to succeed. The Academy was founded in 1961 by Hy Peskin (who later changed his name to Brian Blaine Reynolds), and is now run by his son, Wayne Reynolds. The organization is based in Washington, D.C..
In July 2007, The Washington Post reported that the Academy received large donations from EduCap, a non-profit company that has sold 350,000 private student loans, and shares office space and staff with them. [3]
The organization presents its annual "Golden Plate" award to high achieving individuals. Notable recipients of the award include Barack Obama, Jonas Salk,[4]Wole Soyinka, [5] Ronald Reagan,[6] Maya Angelou,[7] Desmond Tutu and Steve Jobs.[8]
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[edit] Background
[edit] Founding
The Academy of Achievement was founded by freelance magazine photographer Brian Reynolds in 1961[9][10] to honor high achievers and to inspire young people by introducing them to high achieving individuals.[7] The first event hosted by the Academy was a "Banquet of the Golden Plate", in September 1961, held in Monterey, California. At the event, 50 individuals were awarded the Academy's "Golden Plate" for their contributions as leaders in science, the arts, public service and industry. The first honorees were chosen by a national board of governors and included Charles Mayo, Willard F. Libby and Wernher von Braun. Edward Teller gave the keynote speech.[11]
[edit] Mission
The Academy's mission is to recognize outstanding achievement in a variety of fields, including the arts, business, science, politics and the humanities.[12][13] The organization also aims to provide inspiration and encouragement to young people to reach a high level in their careers and personal interests by bringing them into contact with successful individuals.[14] [15] According to The Press Enterprise, the organization's founder Brian Reynolds wanted the Academy to teach young people about "adversity and how to overcome it".[16]
[edit] Organization and funding
Brian Reynolds led the Academy as its executive director[11][9] until 1985, when his son Wayne Reynolds assumed leadership.[17][6] Wayne Reynolds is the current chairman of the Academy of Achievement, which he manages with his wife, Catherine B. Reynolds,[17] the vice chairman.[18] In the 1990s, Reynolds moved the organization from Malibu, California to its current headquarters in Washington, D.C.[6] In addition to the Academy's annual events, it also runs the Museum of Achievement and a website, which features biographies and videos of interviews with Academy of Achievement inductees.[19][13]
The Academy, which operates as a non-profit organization,[20] was initially funded with Brian Reynolds' personal wealth. More recently, donations from corporate sponsors support its activities[6][17] and the Academy's website states that its funding is primarily provided by The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation.[4]. In 2007, The Washington Post reported that the Academy is one of the "largest beneficiaries" of EduCap (of which The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation is part), receiving at least $9 million from the student-loan company. Per the Post, the Academy shares office space and staff with EduCap, a non-profit student-loan company run by Catherine Reynolds, the Academy's vice chairman. According to the Post, the Academy has paid at least $1.7 million to ASC Management Co., whose sole shareholder is her husband, Wayne Reynolds.[3]
[edit] International Achievement Summit
This annual meeting 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 leaders in these categories to attend the Summit and address the students at a series of symposiums and roundtable discussions. Approximately 30 previous awardees and 20 new ones interact with 200 domestic and international graduate students in an informal setting over the course of several days .
The Academy’s Golden Plate Awards Council annually reviews a broad spectrum of candidates for invitation to the Summit. From this list, the council, composed of past honorees of the Academy, selects the 20 new awardees.
The first of these meetings was held in Budapest, Hungary in June 1999; subsequent ones were held in London, England (2000), Dublin, Ireland (2002), Washington, D.C. (2003),[13] Chicago, Illinois (2004),[21] 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).
[edit] Student Delegates
The graduate student attendees of the Summit are selected through a roster of recipients of scholarship and exchange programs like Rhodes, Fulbright, Gates, Marshall, Soros and Hughes, and [13] the faculty nominations from some leading universities. [13] Notable student delegates include:
- Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Class of 1974)
- Lisa Randall (Class of 1980)
- Bruce Reed (Class of 1978)
- Steven D. Levitt (Class of 1985)
- Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. (Class of 1967)
- Debra Ann Livingston (Class of 1977)
- Herschel Walker (Class of 1980)
- Taylor Swift (Class of 2008)
[edit] References
- ^ Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation website
- ^ "Who Is Catherine Reynolds?"; CBS News 60 Minutes, Aug 22, 2003
- ^ a b Paley, Amit R. and Valerie Strauss (July 16, 2007). "Student Loan Nonprofit a Boon for CEO". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/15/AR2007071501448.html. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ^ a b "About the Academy". achievement.org. Academy of Achievement. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pagegen/brochure/p1.html. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- ^ "About the Academy". achievement.org. Academy of Achievement. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pagegen/brochure/p4.html. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d David Montgomery (9 April 2002). "Inspiration Investor; For Entrepreneur/Philanthropist Catherine Reynolds, Achievement Is Both End and Means". The Washington Post: p. C01.
- ^ a b Larry King (8 July 1996). "Honoring the best and the brightest". USA Today: p. 2D.
- ^ Paul Hendrickson (13 July 1982). "Getting Along Famously; The Academy of Achievement's Corner on Celebrity". The Washington Post: p. C1.
- ^ a b Jean Marbella (23 May 1997). "A blend of talent and teens". The Baltimore Sun: p. 1E.
- ^ Anahad O'Connor (7 June 2005). "Obituary: Hy Peskin, 89, Photographer; Sharp Pictures, Sharp Angles". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E3DB1238F934A35755C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Banquet Will Honor 50 for Achievements". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 7 September 1961. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=83NQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KREEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7291,3510742&dq=Academy-of-achievement&hl=en. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ Ed Power (10 June 2002). "Academy pays tribute to political figures". The Irish Times: p. 5.
- ^ a b c d e Roxanne Roberts. "You Have a Dream". Washington Post, May 4, 2003.
- ^ Annette Burget (31 May 1999). "Leaders gets "salute" for excellence". The Daily News of Los Angeles.
- ^ Ellen Warren (14 June 2004). "A meeting of the minds". The Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-06-14/features/0406140115_1_mayor-daley-chicken-soup-wrigley-field. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ James Nash (21 November 2000). "Aiming a camera at himself: Murrieta man's photos as legendary as subjects". The Press Enterprise (Riverside, CA): p. B01.
- ^ a b c Matt Schudel (5 June 2005). "Brian Blaine Reynolds, Also Known as Hy Peskin, Dies". The Washington Post: p. C09.
- ^ Judy Wells (9 March 2003). "Reynolds to speak at EVE luncheon". Florida Times-Union: p. D1.
- ^ "Gen. Colin Powell Going 'Live' On Bell Atlantic-Sponsored Web Site". PR Newswire. 5 February 1997.
- ^ Ann L. Trebbe; Jana Salmon-Heyneman (30 June 1986). "The Great and the Near-Great Top Teen-Agers Advised by Adult Achievers". The Washington Post: p. C1.
- ^ "A meeting of the minds ; Hollywood A-listers, Nobel Prize winners and myriad other geniuses rub elbows at International Achievement Summit"; (Chicagoland Final , CN Edition) Ellen Warren. Chicago Tribune. : Jun 14, 2004. pg. 1
