AAC&U News | April 2004 | News & Events

AAC&U Meeting on General Education and Assessment Draws Record Number of Participants

This year's Network for Academic Renewal Meeting on General Education, "General Education: Generating Commitment, Value and Evidence," which was held March 4-6 in Long Beach, California, attracted more than 550 participants. The meeting featured presentations by national leaders in general education and assessment, including Judith Ramaley, assistant director, Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation; Diane Halpern, president-elect, American Psychological Association; George Sanchez, director, program in American Studies and Ethnicity, University of Southern California; and Peter Ewell, vice president, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.

Selected speeches and resources from the meeting are now available online.

AAC&U Conference on Pedagogies of Engagement to Be Held April 15-17

It's not too late to register for "Pedagogies of Engagement: New Strategies for Learning In and Across the Disciplines," a Network for Academic Renewal Working Conference to be held April 15-17 in Chicago, Illinois. The conference will bring together faculty, student affairs professionals, students, community partners, and administrators committed to engaged learning. Participants will discuss innovative teaching strategies that engage students in the classroom, laboratory, campus, community, workplace, or natural environment. After Wednesday, April 7, register onsite at the Intercontinental Chicago Hotel. Save time at onsite registration by completing the printable online version of the registration form. Workshop tickets will remain on sale as long as space remains available.

"Bringing Theory to Practice" Conference Program will Report on the Impact of Engaged Learning on Substance Abuse and Depression

The Bringing Theory to Practice project, sponsored by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, will release a report on patterns of substance abuse and depression among college students at its first "action-conference" on April 15-17 in Chicago, Illinois. Scheduled to coincide with AAC&U's "Pedagogies of Engagement" meeting, the conference launches a multi-year initiative that will support forty college campuses as they develop and evaluate engaged learning strategies--such as service-learning or collaborative undergraduate research--designed to prevent or reduce rates of substance abuse and depression on campus.

Liberal Education Turns 90

The Winter issue of Liberal Education celebrates the journal's 90th anniversary. Contributors to this special issue reflect on the past, present, and future of AAC&U. Also featured are essays from the original 1915 Bulletin and historical photographs. Excerpts from current and past issues of Liberal Education are available online.

AAC&U Seeks Nominations for Ness Book Award

The Frederic W. Ness Book Award is given annually to recognize a book that contributes to the understanding and improvement of liberal education. The $2,000 award was established in 1979 to honor AAC&U's president emeritus, Frederic W. Ness, and is presented at AAC&U's annual meeting. Nominations are currently being accepted for books published between January 1 and December 31, 2003. Nominations are due by May 15, 2004, and the criteria for submissions is available online. For further information, contact Bethany Zecher Sutton at sutton@aacu.org.

AAC&U Board Members Jamienne Studley and Ronald Crutcher Assume New Positions

Jamienne Studley, former president of Skidmore College, will assume the presidency of Public Advocates, Inc. on May 1, 2004. Public Advocates is a public interest law firm in San Francisco founded in 1971 to challenge the underlying causes of poverty and discrimination and strengthen the voices of poor and underrepresented communities through public policy. Ronald Crutcher, provost of Miami University, will assume the presidency of Wheaton College in Massachusetts in July 2004. Crutcher has served as Miami's provost for five years and is currently the vice chair of AAC&U's board of directors.

AAC&U Recognized with Web Awards

AACU.org and DiversityWeb.org were recently given Golden Web Awards by the International Association of Webmasters and Designers. The AAC&U sites were praised for exemplifying "Creativity, Integrity and Excellence on the Web."