# The Forces Shaping Higher Education According to [The Chronicle of Higher Education](http://chronicle.com/article/The-Gates-Effect/140323/), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $472 million to fund and shape higher education. The idea they’re pushing is to use technology to turn higher education into a more measurable, results-driven operation. The ultimate goal is to get more Americans to graduate college quickly and cheaply. All this money comes at a time when several other factors are aiming for similar goals. The Gates Foundation is joined in its effort by the Obama administration, state lawmakers, and other private foundations. There’s so much money and momentum driving these ideas that critics of the movement are having a difficult time getting their voices heard. They argue that Gates and company are building a system that’s overly focused on short term employment, while ignoring the need for a foundation of general knowledge. You can read more about the forces shaping higher education in [The Chronicle of Higher Education](http://chronicle.com/article/The-Gates-Effect/140323/) and [The Wall Street Journal](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/07/15/bill-gates-expands-influence-and-money-into-higher-education/). ![](/files/Qh1UrIuCGZXn0KO1xY3v) Bill and Melinda Gates --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.simnetonline.com/blog/2013-posts/the-forces-shaping-higher-education.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.