AAC&U News | April 2005 | News & Events

Enjoy Spring in Washington, DC--Register Now for Pedagogies of Engagement

"Pedagogies of Engagement: Deepening Learning In and Across the Disciplines," an AAC&U Network for Academic Renewal conference, will take place April 14-16 in Bethesda, Maryland (near Washington, DC). The conference will explore the latest approaches to deepening students' engagement in their learning. Keynote and plenary speakers, including Jose Mestre (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Alicia Juarrero (Prince George's Community College), Valerie Purdie-Vaughns (Yale University), and Randy Bass (Georgetown University), will discuss how to foster a culture of learning and engagement from a variety of campus perspectives. Registration is ongoing and will continue on-site during the conference.

AAC&U Invites Proposals for Conference on Civic Engagement

AAC&U is now accepting proposals for "The Civic Engagement Imperative: Student Learning and the Public Good," a Network for Academic Renewal conference to be held November 10-12, 2005, in Providence, Rhode Island. The conference will seek to advance student learning and the public good by clarifying definitions and outcomes for civic engagement, exploring new scholarship on coherent and effective civic engagement programs across the curriculum and cocurriculum, and considering innovative collaborations between educational and community leaders. Proposals for meeting sessions may be submitted online through April 18.

"Learning about Other Cultures" Featured Topic of April Webcast

AAC&U and the TLT Group invite individuals and campus teams to participate in "Greater Expectations for 21st-Century Learning," a series of Webcasts focused on technology and general education. The series will address whether advances in the uses of computing and the Internet have implications for what students should learn in college and whether computing creates new opportunities for improving general education. "Learning about Other Cultures" will be held April 25 and "Integrative Learning and Electronic Portfolios" will take place on May 12. Information about the Webcasts is available on AAC&U's Web site.

AAC&U Board Passes Resolution of Appreciation for Work of AAHE

AAC&U's board of directors, on behalf of all AAC&U's members, has issued a statement expressing appreciation for the nearly forty years of work by the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) to create a more engaged and educationally powerful academy. The higher education community, the statement says, has "benefited from AAHE's far-sighted leadership on behalf of such important issues as 'powerful pedagogies,' assessment as a catalyst for educational focus and improvement, the scholarship of teaching and learning, new approaches to faculty roles and rewards, inclusive educational communities, and the campus as a locus of engaged citizenship. . . . We thank AAHE and its leaders for their visionary service and regret the loss of this important and creative catalyst for change."

University of Wisconsin System Becomes Partner in AAC&U's Liberal Education Campaign

The University of Wisconsin (UW) system is entering into a partnership with AAC&U to promote the value of liberal education. As a partner, Wisconsin will become the first state to pilot activities in AAC&U's national advocacy campaign, Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP): Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College. Together, the UW system and AAC&U will conduct focus groups to better understand students' goals for college learning; hold campus-based dialogues to chart changes in teaching and learning; host campus-community dialogues on what really matters in college; and develop a diverse leadership council to advocate on behalf of liberal education in the state. For more information on Wisconsin's involvement in LEAP, read the press release by UW announcing the partnership.

AAC&U Invites Nominations for Ness Book Award

AAC&U invites nominations for the 2006 Frederic W. Ness Book Award. This award is given annually to recognize a book that contributes to the understanding and improvement of liberal education. The award, which includes a prize of $2,000, is a mark of distinction for both authors and publishers and is presented at AAC&U's annual meeting. For information on eligibility, please visit AAC&U's Ness Book Award page. Nominations are due by May 16, 2005.

Bringing Theory to Practice Conference to Examine Connections between Student Learning, Mental Health, and Civic Development

The Bringing Theory to Practice (BTtoP) project's second annual working conference will be held in Bethesda, Maryland, on April 15 and 16 in conjunction with AAC&U's upcoming Network for Academic Renewal meeting, "Pedagogies of Engagement: Deepening Learning In and Across the Disciplines." Participants will examine what existing research shows about the connections between engaged learning and student mental health and civic development. They will also explore strategies that are being developed by participating institutions to improve student learning, mental health, and civic engagement on and beyond campus. Additional information about BTtoP is available on AAC&U's Web site.

AAC&U Announces New Members and Officers for Its Board of Directors

AAC&U recently named three new directors and elected a new slate of officers to its board of directors. Ronald Crutcher, president of Wheaton College, is assuming the role of chair of the board, and Robert Corrigan, president of San Francisco State University, will serve as vice chair. Former chair Elisabeth Zinser is continuing to serve as an officer of the board. The new directors include Bobby Fong, president of Butler University, Shirley Strum Kenny, president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and Arnold Rampersad, a leading scholar who is currently serving as dean of the humanities at Stanford University. For further information about the new directors, see the press release announcing their appointment.

Leadership Fund Established in Honor of Frank Newman (1927-2004)

Campus Compact, the Newman family, and Frank Newman's many friends and admirers have established the Frank Newman Leadership Fund to enable college students with demonstrated financial need and potential for leadership to receive financial assistance and mentoring, and to have a significant experience in civic leadership, during their college years. For more information on the award, including how you may contribute to the fund, please visit Campus Compact's Web pages.