AAC&U Annual Meeting Draws Record Participation

AAC&U's annual meeting, Practicing Liberal Education: Deepening Knowledge, Pursuing Justice, Taking Action, drew more participants than ever to Washington DC, January 21-24. The meeting featured hundreds of sessions and many discussions about the future of the New Academy and a more practical and engaged liberal education for today’s students. AAC&U released a paper on the meeting's theme, Practicing Liberal Education: Formative Themes in the Re-invention of Liberal Learning.. At the annual members’ meeting, participants also discussed two forthcoming AAC&U initiatives—a possible campaign for liberal education and the release of an official statement on accountability and assessment. Visit www.aacu.org/meetings/annualmeeting for more information and resources from the meeting.

AAC&U Announces Six New Directors and a New Slate of Officers

At its recent annual meeting, AAC&U named six new directors and elected a new slate of officers for its board of directors. Elisabeth Zinser, president of Southern Oregon University, is assuming the chair of the board, taking over from Jack Noonan, president emeritus of Bloomfield College. New directors include: Gary Orfield, professor of education and social policy, Harvard University; Sharon Stephens Brehm, senior advisor to the president of Indiana University; Rosemary DePaolo, chancellor, University of North Carolina at Wilmington; Carolyn G. Williams, president, Bronx Community College (CUNY); Daniel F. Sullivan, president, St. Lawrence University; and Eduardo J. Padron, president, Miami-Dade College. For additional information, please see the press release. To see the complete list of AAC&U board members, see www.aacu.org/about/bddirectors.

AAC&U Presidents Gather for Forum on "Pluralism, Leadership, and the Arts of Democracy"

More than 70 college and university presidents and foundation officers participated in the Presidents' Forum at the AAC&U annual meeting, which included an inspiring luncheon address by Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Presidents discussed their leadership role in guiding diversity and learning on their campuses in the aftermath of the Michigan cases, in reaching out to the nation's underprepared students, and in publically promoting the value and importance of liberal education in today's society. To see the program for this forum, see www.aacu.org/meetings/annualmeeting/presidentsforum.cfm.

Apply to send a team of campus leaders to one of AAC&U’s summer institutes. The deadline is March 1st to apply to send a team to the AAC&U Institute on General Education that will be held May 21-26 in Newport, Rhode Island. The 4th annual Greater Expectations Institute will be held June 23-27 in Snowbird, Utah. Deadline for applications is March 3rd. AAC&U’s initiative, Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities is also accepting applications (due February 20th) for its SENCER Summer Institute scheduled for August 6-10 at Santa Clara University in California.

For more information or to download applications, visit the Institute's Web sites:

www.aacu.org/meetings/institute_gened
www.aacu.org/meetings/gexinstitute
www.aacu.org/SENCER/summerinst04

Register online now for the spring Network for Academic Renewal conferences, "General Education and Assessment: Generating Commitment, Value, and Evidence," and "Pedagogies of Engagement: New Designs for Learning In and Across the Disciplines." The "General Education and Assessment" meeting will take place March 4-6, 2004, in Long Beach, California. Deadline for Early Registration Fees is February 16th. Hotel cut-off date for conference rates is Monday, February 9th. Once the conference hotel is filled, AAC&U will provide alternative hotel information at www.aacu.org/meetings/generaleducation. "Pedagogies of Engagement" (POE) will be held in Chicago from April 15-17, 2004. Hotel cut-off date for conference rates is Monday, March 22nd. Once the conference hotel is filled, AAC&U will provide alternative hotel information at www.aacu.org/meetings/pedagogies.

For information see www.aacu.org/meetings/generaleducation and www.aacu.org/meetings/pedagogies.

Program for Health and Higher Education Announces Grants for Development of High School-College Partnerships and Participation in Upcoming Sumner Symposium

AAC&U recently announced the names of 18 colleges and universities selected to participate in new student health initiatives as part of its Program for Health and Higher Education (PHHE). Seven colleges and universities will participate in the initial phase of Project PITCH (Partners in Teaching Community Health), a consortium of institutions developing high school/college partnerships addressing community-based health issues. Eleven institutions have been selected to send teams of students and faculty to participate in AAC&U’s third Sumner Symposium, a two-day event that explores how the power and capacity of students can be linked and integrated with other institutional efforts to solve pressing health problems on campus and in communities. For more information, see www.aacu.org/phhe.

The newest edition of Diversity Digest highlights the work of six of the thirty-four schools involved in the James Irvine Foundation Campus Diversity Initiative. As part of this project, institutions have been engaged in diversity evaluation, first as a way to monitor progress in underrepresented students’ success, and as a way to bring about organizational change. To read or download the entire issue, see www.diversityweb.org/Digest.

AAC&U Welcomes Two New Senior Fellows to the Program on the Status and Education of Women

AAC&U recently announced the appointment of Patricia M. Lowrie and Judith S. White as senior fellows in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives. They are providing strategic counsel to the Program on the Status and Education of Women (PSEW). Patricia Lowrie is currently director of the Women’s Resource Center at Michigan State University. Judith White is the assistant vice president of campus services at Duke University. For further information about PSEW, see www.aacu.org/psew. For information on Lowrie and White, see www.aacu.org/press_room/press_releases/2004/lowrie_white

AAC&U is a lead partner in The Pathways to College Network, a national alliance of 34 organizations, including 11 foundations, established in 2001 to improve college access and success for underserved students. The network serves those who are the first generation in their families to go to college, young people from low-income families, underrepresented minorities, and students with disabilities. A Shared Agenda culminates three years of collaborative effort and offers broad policy recommendations and specific steps that leaders in government, education, and communities can take to improve college access and success for underserved students. AAC&U President, Carol Geary Schneider, will speak at a press event at which the report will formally be released on February 19th in Washington, DC. After that date, the report will be available online at www.pathwaystocollege.net.

AAC&U to Co-Sponsor Humanities Advocacy Day

AAC&U is once again co-sponsoring Humanities Advocacy Day sponsored by the National Humanities Alliance. The national advocacy event promotes federal support for the humanities. The event, to be held March 15-16 in Washington, D.C., represents an important opportunity for educators, scholars, and others to communicate the value of the humanities to Congress. The focus of Humanities Advocacy Day 2004 is funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information and ways to get involved, see www.nhalliance.org/had.

AAC&U Mourns The Death of Preparing Future Faculty Leader

Marcia Landolt, dean of the graduate school at the University of Washington in Seattle, and her husband were killed in an avalanche while in their cabin at an Idaho ski resort in early January. Landolt was a leader in AAC&U's long-running Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program at the university and strongly supported the project on "Re-envisioning the Ph.D." directed by Jody Nyquist. These two projects positioned the University of Washington as a leader among graduate schools nationally in fostering educational innovations. The PFF and AAC&U community has lost a good friend and champion.

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