AAC&U News | July/August 2004

AAC&U officers and staff regularly travel throughout the country, and occasionally the world, to speak and consult at AAC&U member schools through seminars, institutes, and workshops as well as in more informal gatherings.AAC&U staff also regularly speak on the value of liberal education at various media and public affairs events. These meetings are an opportunity for the membership to influence the direction of AAC&U's initiatives. We look forward to seeing you the next time we are on your campus.

AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider traveled to Georgia July 12-13 to speak to the vice presidents for academic and student affairs of the University System of Georgia and to speak at the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. From July 23 to July 26, she attended a meeting of the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate in Stanford, California, where representatives from the English departments of major research universities worked together on the future of the doctorate in English studies. Schneider will travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 12-14 to participate in and speak at the State Higher Education Executive Officers’ (SHEEO's) Professional Development Conference. AAC&U Senior Fellow Robert Shoenberg will join her in discussing the Greater Expectations work on general education and transfer with state system leaders.

Esther Merves, AAC&U's director for membership, led a session on "Attention to Diversity Issues" on June 18 at the American Sociological Association's capstone conference in Washington, DC. The theme of the conference was "Addressing the Quantitative Literacy Gap in Undergraduate Sociology."

Alma Clayton-Pedersen, vice president for the Office of Education and Institutional Renewal, delivered a keynote address at "Mission, Values and Identity: 2004 Conference for Carnegie Doctoral/Research Intensive Institutions." The topic of her address was "Leadership for Greater Expectations: Creating Environments of Engagement, Inclusion, and High Achievement." The conference was hosted by Illinois State University and took place July 10-12.

Caryn McTighe Musil, vice president for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives, presented on the Journey Towards Democracy project at the American Democracy Project conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 2. Musil will deliver a keynote address, "Democracy's Promise: Making Excellence Inclusive," at Meredith College's faculty-staff planning conference in Raleigh, North Carolina on August 10. On August 24, she will lead a workshop for faculty and staff at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

Vice President Andrea Leskes and Director of Programs Ross Miller, both from AAC&U's Office of Education and Quality Initiatives, attended a project meeting of Integrative Learning: Opportunities to Connect from July 21 to July 25. Leskes and Miller helped to design the meeting and led discussions for the ten campuses involved with the project, which is a collaborative effort of AAC&U and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The meeting was held at the Carnegie Foundation headquarters in Stanford, California. Andrea Leskes and AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider will attend Wabash College's third annual assessment conference in Crawfordsville, Indiana, August 8-10. On August 20, Leskes will travel to Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, to present on the integration of liberal education and professional studies.