Anil Agarwal
Cause: University education in India. The London-based mining magnate has pledged $1 billion to establish a world-class, need-blind university in Orissa, eastern India. To be called Vedanta (the name of his mining group), the school will focus on liberal arts, in contrast to India's many technically oriented schools.
Impact: Vedanta will help address the region's dearth of university spots, which keeps qualified students from going to high-quality colleges.