Press Release

CONTACT: Debra Humphreys
(202) 387-3760 (ext. 422)
E-mail: dh@aacu.nw.dc.us

Association of American Colleges and Universities' Annual Meeting Features the Needs of College Students in a Post-September 11 World

Washington DC—January 23, 2001—More than 1,000 college leaders gathered at the Association of American Colleges and Universities' 88th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC to discuss how best to educate today's college students and to debate the question:

"What are the academy's obligations to today's students and tomorrow's world after September 11th?"

The meeting, held from January 23-26, 2002 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel focused on the topic, "Changing Students in a Changing World--Culturally Diverse, Economically Divided, Globally Interdependent." Recent evidence suggests that the events of September 11th have profoundly changed how today's college students view their studies and their future plans. They are asking profound questions about their safety, their future career choices, what they value, and where their nation is headed. In turn, college leaders are faced with the urgent challenge of meeting students' and society's needs in a time of crisis, reflection, and transition.

AAC&U's annual meeting addressed these and many other challenges facing higher education today as more than 70 percent of high school graduates pursue college degrees. The meeting also highlighted ways the academy is reinventing and renewing its commitment to liberal education as the best preparation for 21st century challenges. The meeting featured such prominent speakers as:

• Benjamin Barber, Gershon and Carol Kekst Professor of Civil Society at the University of Maryland, College Park, and author of the best-selling book, Jihad vs. McWorld.
• James A. Joseph, Director, the United States-South Africa Center for Leadership and Public Values, Duke University and the University of Capetown, and former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa.

At its Presidents' Forum on January 24, 2002, AAC&U also launched a Presidents' Campaign for the Advancement of Liberal Learning (CALL) to build public understanding of the value of a contemporary liberal education and to make excellence in liberal education an equal opportunity commitment for every college student.

The meeting also featured a pre-conference symposium on January 23rd on the topic of "Liberal Learning and the Challenge of Uncommon Values," with speakers Alan Wolfe, Director, Boise Center for Religious and American Public Life, Boston College and author of Moral Freedom: The Search for Virtue in a World of Choice, and Beverly Daniel Tatum, interim president, Mt. Holyoke College, and author of Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, among others.

More than 1,000 college faculty and administrators attended the meeting presenting and attending sessions, forums, and workshops on such topics as: the academy's responsibilities in a time of war; trends in globalizing the college curriculum; research on students' spiritual and ethical values; the latest research on student engagement in learning; new strategies to better prepare high school students for college; and trends in student activism. For further information about speakers and events and a full program listing, visit www.aacu.org .

AAC&U is the leading national association devoted to advancing and strengthening liberal learning for all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Since its founding in 1915, AAC&U's membership has grown to more than 750 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.

AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, and faculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.

For additional information about AAC&U programs and publications, visit www.aacu.org.