Call for Participation in Project on Integrative Learning

Seven colleges and universities were chosen to participate in the first funded project of the new Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement. The Journey Towards Democracy: Power, Voice, and the Public Good project will sponsor public dialogues about how to put student learning about democracy and the public good at the center of academic inquiry. Through these dialogues, participating institutions will explore how students are currently learning about the practice of responsible citizenship. For a list of grantees and more information about the project, view the press release or the National Dialogue Project's Web page .

New Peer Review on “Educating for Citizenship”

The Spring 2003 issue of Peer Review features articles on the link between civic engagement and liberal learning. It includes an analysis of the “faces/phases” of citizenship by AAC&U Vice President Caryn McTighe Musil, “Lessons from a College Promoting Civic Engagement” by Richard Hersh and James Trostle, and an article on civic engagement and pedagogy by José Calderon, among other articles. For more information about the issue or to participate in the online forum, visit www.aacu.org/peerreview/pr-sp03/pr-sp03contents.cfm.

Pedagogies of Engagement : Call for Proposals

Pedagogies of Engagement: New Designs for Learning In and Across the Disciplines, a Network for Academic Renewal conference, will be held April 15-17, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois. The conference will bring together faculty, student affairs professionals, students, community partners, and administrators committed to engaged learning. Participants will discuss and learn how to institutionalize effective teaching strategies that engage students in deep learning experiences connected to their own goals and interests and that advance their sense of social responsibility. It will highlight innovative teaching strategies that engage students in the classroom, laboratory, campus, community, work place, or natural environment. The call for proposals overview is available now. Watch for the proposal submission form to be posted during August. The deadline is September 10, 2003. For more information on the meeting, visit www.aacu.org/meetings/pedagogies/index.cfm.

Supporters of Women in Higher Education Applaud Affirmation of Title IX by Department of Education

After a highly contentious eight-month review and significant lobbying by higher education institutions, national associations, and women's organizations, Gerald A. Reynolds, U.S. assistant secretary of education for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education issued a letter on July 11th affirming the basic parameters of Title IX. The letter ends the controversial reevaluation of Title IX legislation without making any changes. Title IX forbids sex discrimination at institutions that receive federal funds. Best known for its historic impact on women's participation in collegiate athletics, the legislation also covers other areas such as admissions, employment, career education, the learning environment, and sexual harassment. AAC&U's online journal, On Campus with Women has examined the history and contemporary challenges to Title IX throughout the past year.

To see the letter from Gerald Boyd, see www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/title9guidanceFinal.html.

To see recent issues of On Campus with Women on Title IX, see www.aacu.org/ocww/index.cfm.

To see the coalition letter of support for Title IX signed by AAC&U and 106 other organizations, see www.savetitleix.com/letter.htm.

Third Greater Expectations Institute Draws Teams from Thirty-Nine Institutions to Denver

The Greater Expectations Institute on Campus Leadership for Student Engagement, Inclusion, and Achievement took place in Denver in June. The institute, which brought together 180 people representing thirty-nine institutions, was designed for campuses working to strengthen student engagement, create an inclusive environment, and support high achievement for all students.

Institute leaders included L. Lee Knefelkamp, professor of social & organizational psychology at the Teachers College, Columbia University; George Kuh, chancellor's professor at Indiana University and director of the National Survey of Student Engagement; Peter Smith, president of the University of California Monterey Bay; and Beverly Daniel Tatum, president of Spelman College. For more information on the Institute, visit www.aacu.org/meetings/gexinstitute/index.cfm.

AAC&U Becomes Lead Partner in Pathways to College Network

AAC&U has joined the Pathways to College Network (Pathways) as a lead partner in charge of a working group on college persistence and achievement. Launched in 2001 to advance college access and success for under-served students, Pathways is a network of organizations and foundations that promote college access at national, state, and local levels. As a lead partner working on college persistence and achievement, AAC&U will be contributing to upcoming Pathways publications and to its comprehensive set of electronic resources. For more information, visit www.pathwaystocollege.net/default.htm and see the press release at www.aacu.org/press_room/press_releases/pathways.cfm.

Irvine Campus Diversity Initiative Evaluation Project Hosts Third Seminar

From June 16-17, 2003, participants in the James Irvine Foundation Campus Diversity Initiative Evaluation Project (CDI) (a partnership of Claremont Graduate University and AAC&U) gathered in Pomona, California for its third annual CDI evaluation seminar. The seminar is just one facet of a project that assists campuses in developing and implementing evaluation plans to determine the impact of their diversity efforts and inform their institutional change efforts.

More than 100 people attended plenaries, sessions, and workshops to share insights and promising evaluation practices emerging from the project. For more information about the Irvine CDI Evaluation project, and a list of participating schools and their objectives, visit www.aacu.org/irvinediveval/index.cfm.

SENCER Summer Institute Welcomes International Participants

In August, AAC&U's Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities (SENCER) will welcome scientists and higher education leaders from Africa and Eurasia to this year's SENCER Summer Institute. Funding from the National Science Foundation will help support representatives from Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania. Participation by a team from the Republic of Georgia is being facilitated by the International Women in Science and Engineering (IWISE). These visiting scholars and administrators will join science educators in colleges and universities from across the U.S. to discuss ways to collaborate more effectively in teaching science “through” larger civic issues. For details about the Institute and updates on the SENCER project, you can download a PDF of the SENCER e-newsletter at www.aacu.org/SENCER/index.cfm.

AAC&U President Featured Speaker at AAUP Meeting on Liberal Learning

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) passed a “Resolution on Liberal Learning” at its June annual meeting in Washington DC. The statement notes a “decline in programs devoted to liberal education,” and urges that liberal education is “assured a key role in undergraduate education.” Carol Schneider, president of AAC&U, spoke during the plenary session about ”Contemporary Understandings of Liberal Education.” This meeting also celebrated the leadership of Mary Burgan, AAUP general secretary since 1994. Burgan will be retiring next year and has led AAUP to reengage with the aims of education as it provides valuable leadership for American higher education faculty across the country. For more information about the AAUP meeting, visit: www.aaup.org/events/archived/2003/03am.htm.To view the resolution, visit the AAUP Web site, www.aaup.org/events/archived/2003/libresol.htm.

Maryland College Presidents, Corporate Leaders, and Donors Discuss Greater Expectations National Panel Report

AAC&U News Offers New Page for Member Announcements

Submit resources, calls for papers, announcements, and position openings in the new AAC&U News member announcements section. See recently posted announcements including one about “Mission, Values and Identity: 2004 Conference for Carnegie Doctoral/Research Intensive Institutions,” and many others. Bookmark www.aacu.org/aacu_news/postings/index.cfm for updates throughout the month.

The Living Arts: Comparative and Historical Reflections on Liberal Education
by Sheldon Rothblatt

Technology, Learning,
and Intellectual Development will take place October 30-November 1, 2003, in Cambridge, MA

Achieving Greater Expectations
will take place November 13-15, 2003, in Washington, DC

Practicing Liberal Education:
Deepening Knowledge, Pursuing Justice, Taking Action, the AAC&U annual meeting, will be held January 21-24, 2004, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC

General Education and Assessment: Generating Commitment, Value, and Evidence will take place March 4-6, 2004, in Long Beach, California

For more information on meetings, visit www.aacu.org/meetings/index.cfm.

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