Press Release

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

The Bildner Family Foundation Awards Association of American Colleges and Universities Second Grant to Support its New Jersey Campus Diversity Initiative

Grant of $158,700 Will Support Summer Institute and Campus Consultations
for Eight Participating Schools

Washington, DC—May 19, 2003—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today that the Bildner Family Foundation will provide to it a grant of $158,700 to support AAC&U's involvement in its New Jersey Campus Diversity Initiative. Building on earlier funding, AAC&U will use this grant to continue to provide support to the eight schools participating in the initiative and receiving separate grants from the foundation.

The New Jersey Campus Diversity Initiative seeks to make diversity a strength on campus and a resource for the future of the state of New Jersey. The Bildner Family Foundation has partnered with the Association of American Colleges and Universities in this initiative because of AAC&U's long-standing commitment to and years of campus-based projects on campus diversity and educational excellence.

The foundation has provided grants to the following institutions in New Jersey as key sites of citizenship and learning, confident that higher education can help reduce prejudice and promote intergroup understanding:

Bergen Community College
Bloomfield College
County College of Morris
Princeton University
Rowan University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Because New Jersey is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse states in the country, and fifth in the nation in foreign-born residents, the Bildner New Jersey Campus Diversity Initiative encourages the state's higher education institutions to embrace campus diversity as an educational resource that can help prepare graduates to live and work in an increasingly diversified society.

"Rutgers University has benefited greatly from its participation in the New Jersey Campus Diversity Initiative," said Susan Forman, vice president for undergraduate education at Rutgers University.
"We have been able to strengthen and integrate our ongoing campus diversity efforts and connect with others doing similar work around the state. We have also strengthened both our curricular and co-curricular efforts to improve our students' understanding and appreciation for diversity and intercultural interaction through this project. The AAC&U-sponsored summer institute was particularly helpful to our leadership team and we look forward to continuing our work at this year's institute."

The initiative builds on efforts already underway at New Jersey campuses and supports institutions that have demonstrated a commitment to re-examining all aspects of their institution, including curricula, student affairs, and relationships with the larger community.

AAC&U organized and sponsored a four-day, residential institute at Princeton University in June of 2002 that brought together teams of faculty and administrators from participating schools to work on campus-based initiatives and learn from national trends and promising practices from across the country. This new grant will support another residential institute in June, 2003, and continue support for AAC&U staff consultations at each of the participating schools.

"AAC&U is very pleased to be able to assist in this statewide effort in New Jersey building on experience from our previous national initiatives including American Commitments: Diversity, Democracy, and Liberal Learning," said project director and AAC&U vice president for diversity, equity and global initiatives, Caryn McTighe Musil. "It is truly heartening to see such commitment and understanding of the importance of diversity for today's college students from funders like Allen and Joan Bildner. At this troubled time in our nation's history, their investment will significantly improve the campus climate and educational experiences for students throughout the state of New Jersey and prepare them well for civic engagement and leadership in the coming years."

For more information, see 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 1000 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.

Information about AAC&U membership, programs and publications can be found at www.aacu.org.