AAC&U News | October 2004

AAC&U's Biennial "Diversity and Learning" Conference to Explore Democracy's Compelling Interests

It's not too late to register for "Diversity and Learning: Democracy's Compelling Interest," an AAC&U Network for Academic Renewal Conference which will be held October 21-23 in Nashville, Tennessee. Participants will explore how democracy's compelling interests are tied to educational excellence and consider what the structures, pedagogies, programs, and policies in a truly inclusive academy would look like. Plenary speakers at the conference include Patricia Williams of the Columbia Law School, Diana Eck of Harvard University, and Kati Haycock of the Educational Trust. Registration forms and additional information are available online, and registration will continue on site at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown throughout the conference.

Interested faculty, administrators, staff, and students should register now for "Educating Intentional Learners: New Connections for Academic and Student Affairs." Participants at this Network for Academic Renewal Conference will consider ways of increasing student engagement and achievement, helping students become intentional learners, and creating inclusive environments that support intentional learning. Special emphasis will be placed on collaboration among academic and student affairs professionals in the context and service of student-centered learning. "Educating Intentional Learners" will be held November 11-13 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; registration forms are available on the conference Web pages.

AAC&U's 2005 Annual Meeting to Explore "Liberal Education and the New Academy"

AAC&U's 2005 Annual Meeting--"Liberal Education and the New Academy: Raising Expectations, Keeping Promises"--will be held January 26-29, 2005, in San Francisco, California. A pre-conference symposium, "Working Convergences: Liberal Education, Creativity, and the Entrepreneurial Spirit," is scheduled for Wednesday, January 26. The opening and closing plenary speakers at the main conference will be Lee Shulman of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Lani Guinier of the Harvard Law School. The conference will open Wednesday evening with a public forum on "Degrees of Mediocrity, Degrees of Excellence," with discussion led by John Merrow of The Merrow Report, which airs on PBS and NPR.

Hundreds Gather Online for AAC&U Webcast on Students and Democracy

On September 29, 2004, AAC&U's Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement hosted an interactive Webcast, "Journey Towards Democracy: Involving Students in the Political Process." The Webcast focused on patterns of student political participation, student-driven political organizing, and new technologies that engage students with political issues. The entire Webcast has been archived and can be viewed online. For more information about AAC&U's work on civic engagement, visit our civic engagement resources page and the Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement.

AAC&U Collaborates with Campus Compact on Campaign to Promote Civic Learning in College

AAC&U's Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement is collaborating with Campus Compact and other organizations on the Campaign for Civic Learning in College, a national initiative that seeks to advance the civic mission of higher education. The campaign was launched October 5-6 at the Carmel Valley Ranch with a gathering of more than 100 college and university presidents, chancellors, trustees, and legislators. Among those in attendence were Elisabeth Zinser, chair of AAC&U's board of directors, and Robert Corrigan, a member of the board. For more information about the Campaign for Civic Learning in College and the opening Presidents' Leadership Colloquium, visit Campus Compact's Web site; for more information about AAC&U's work to promote civic engagement among college students, visit our civic engagement resources page and the Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement.

New Liberal Education Explores Cultural Studies in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Watch your mail for the summer issue of Liberal Education, which considers how cultural studies can advance liberal learning and contribute to the reform of general education. The issue also features articles on building civic engagement, political bias in undergraduate education, and other topics.

AAC&U Welcomes New Development Director, Candace D. Kuhta

Candace D. Kuhta was appointed last month as director of AAC&U's first Office of Development. Kuhta, who previously served as a major gifts officer at St. Lawrence University and has worked in the development offices of various Washington, DC nonprofits, will assist AAC&U as it expands fundraising, builds new capacities to support member programs and services, and launches new public advocacy in support of liberal education. The office's work is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Christian Johnson Endeavor Foundation. For more information, see the press release announcing Kuhta's appointment.

L. Lee Knefelkamp Appointed as AAC&U Senior Scholar

L. Lee Knefelkamp, professor of education and psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, was recently appointed as an AAC&U senior scholar. Knefelkamp is widely known as a speaker and scholar on higher education and has been a leader in several of AAC&U's recent national initiatives. As a senior scholar, she will help AAC&U engage campus faculty and academic leaders with the latest research and practice on student intellectual and ethical development. A press release announcing Knefelkamp's appointment is available online.

Three New Senior Fellows to Assist in AAC&U's Efforts to Advance Liberal Education

AAC&U has appointed educational leaders Stephen Bowen, Deborah DeZure, and Elizabeth Minnich to serve as senior fellows. All three of the new fellows will assist with AAC&U projects to prepare students for an era of greater expectations and educate the public about what really matters in college: Stephen Bowen will help AAC&U develop new initiatives focused on undergraduates in science, math, and engineering, and will support AAC&U's new public advocacy project to raise public awareness of liberal education; Deborah DeZure will conduct research for Integrative Learning: Opportunities to Connect, a project which the Association sponsors in collaboration with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; and Elizabeth Minnich will assist in AAC&U's efforts to create more engaged and inclusive curricula and to cultivate new connections among liberal learning, democracy, and diversity. For more information, see the press release announcing the appointments.