The new College Readiness Consortium was initiated by President Robert Bruininks to better serve the needs of the education community. It will engage educators, school districts, state education organizations, and the business community with University faculty and staff to collaborate in addressing critical education issues. These collaborative efforts are aimed at improving the coherence, relevance and visibility of university PreK-12 activities, enhancing public and private PreK-12 education systems, preparing youth for higher education, closing the achievement gap for underrepresented groups, and ensuring access to post-secondary education opportunities.