Press Release

CONTACT: Debra Humphreys
(202) 387-3760 (ext. 422)
E-mail: humphreys@aacu.org

Barbara A. Hill Joins the Association of American Colleges and Universities as Senior Fellow

Washington DC—January 5, 2002—The Association of American Colleges and Universities announces the appointment of Barbara A. Hill as senior fellow. Dr. Hill will work as a senior staff member in AAC&U's Office of Education and Quality Initiatives on the national project, Greater Expectations: The Commitment to Quality as a Nation Goes to College. As senior fellow, Dr. Hill will assume responsibility for several of the initiative's constituent projects that gather and disseminate promising practices of an innovative liberal education for the 21st century.

"I am thrilled to have Barbara Hill's insights and wisdom enrich our examination of the challenges facing contemporary higher education," says Andrea Leskes, vice president for education and quality initiatives and director of Greater Expectations. "In addition to her terrific accomplishments, Barbara is also a wonderful colleague."

Dr. Hill served as president of Sweet Briar College from 1990 to 1996. Since that time, she has been an independent consultant specializing in leadership development, institutional change, and strategic planning. In that capacity, she has worked with the American Council on Education (ACE)'s Project on Leadership and Institutional Change from 1996 to 2001, consulting with institutions on the processes of change and serving as co-writer of the five publications from that project. She has also worked with the ACE Office of Women in Higher Education, the American Association of University Women, and the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in International Development.

Prior to her presidential tenure at Sweet Briar College, Dr. Hill served as provost of Denison University (OH) from 1986 to 1990 and as the associate dean of the faculty of Barnard College/Columbia University (NY) from 1983 to 1986. Her teaching career includes positions at Holyoke Community College (MA), Smith College (MA), Goucher College (MD), and Hood College (MD).

Dr. Hill is returning to the Association of American Colleges and Universities where she served as editor of the journal, Liberal Education, from 1980 to 1988. She also has served on the board of directors of the Association as well as the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges.

Dr. Hill's academic degrees are in English Literature and include a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle.

"As a former board member and also an editor of Liberal Education, Barbara brings a wealth of campus and national experience, and a long history with AAC&U's work. We are delighted to welcome her back." said Carol Geary Schneider, president, AAC&U.

Greater Expectations is a multi-year initiative to define the aims of a twenty-first century undergraduate education and to discover the best strategies for achieving those aims. It is supported with grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

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 730 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.