Press Release

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

Donald W. Harward Appointed Senior Fellow at the Association of American Colleges and Universities

Former President of Bates College to Focus on Developing Institute
for The Liberal Arts and Civic Engagement

Washington, DC—January 17, 2003—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announces the appointment of Donald W. Harward as a senior fellow. Most recently president of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, Harward brings to AAC&U decades of experience as a leader and innovator in higher education. As an AAC&U senior fellow, Harward will work with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives on advancing AAC&U's ongoing work on liberal education and civic engagement.

With a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Maryland, Harward served as president of Bates College from 1989 through June, 2002, when he was appointed President Emeritus. Before taking office at Bates, Harward served as vice president for academic affairs at The College of Wooster in Ohio. Harward also served as chair of the philosophy department and director of the University Honors Program at the University of Delaware.

"Don Harward has been a national leader among college presidents for many years. He has inspired many of us by his dedication to advancing the best innovations in undergraduate education and to envisioning ways for higher education to better fulfill its civic obligations," remarked Nancy Schrom Dye, president of Oberlin College, and past chair of AAC&U board of directors.

Harward serves on many boards of national and regional educational, corporate, and social service organizations. Most recently, he worked to establish LA Excels, a college and community collaboration recognized as one of New England's most extensive community development projects. Harward's teaching interests and scholarly areas of published research include the foundations of mathematics, analytic philosophy, epistemology, and logic. He is a frequent published contributor and consultant on such topics as institutional planning, research and liberal education, civic engagement and service learning, and the financing of higher education.

"Don Harward comes to AAC&U with a distinguished career as a president who forcefully advocated that campuses be engaged with their communities. Bates College is testimony to how thoroughly he implemented that vision," says Caryn McTighe Musil, AAC&U vice president for diversity, equity, and global initiatives. "It was Don who first proposed the idea for a national institute on liberal education and civic engagement. We are delighted to have him at AAC&U to help us bring that idea to fruition."

Harward began his tenure at AAC&U in December working on a project to develop in collaboration with both AAC&U and Campus Compact a new Institute for the Liberal Arts and Civic Engagement.

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.