Press Release

Contact: Debra Humphreys
Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs
202-387-3760 ext. 422
humphreys@aacu.org

College Leaders Meet to Explore Education's Stake in Making Democracy Work

Hundreds of Faculty and Campus Leaders Expected to Grapple with Such Tough Issues as Religious Pluralism, Racial Equity, and Success for Underprepared Students

Event: Diversity and Learning: Democracy's Compelling Interest
Sponsor: Association of American Colleges and Universities
Date: October 21-23, 2004
Location: Sheraton Nashville, 623 Union Street, Nashville, TN

Washington, DC—October 14, 2004—Building on decades of campus-based work on diversity and learning, the Association of American Colleges and Universities' upcoming conference will explore the most effective ways to use diversity on the campus and in the curriculum to deepen student learning and prepare students for effective citizenship in an increasingly diverse democracy and a fractured global community.

The conference will explore such questions as:

• What is the role of colleges and universities in a diverse and divided democracy?
• What intellectual and cultural skills do students need to become better local and global citizens?
• What would a truly inclusive academy look like?
• What are the implications for future diversity initiatives of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the University of Michigan's affirmative action program?

Academic leaders from across the country are expected at this gathering to chart the next steps for campus diversity initiatives and grapple with some of the toughest issues at stake. Speakers will present the latest research about diversity and student learning and describe programs that effectively prepare students with the intercultural and global citizenship skills they need in today's world.

The conference is organized around four themes: Building Intercultural Campuses; Teaching the Journey Toward Democracy; Student Identity Development and Learning; and Developing Civic Responsibility Locally and Globally. Plenary speakers will address such topics as Race and Education in America; Closing the Performance Gap; Democracy and Religious Pluralism; and Making Excellence Inclusive.

Featured speakers include: Patricia J. Williams, professor of law, Columbia University; Kati Haycock, executive director, The Education Trust; Diana Eck, professor of comparative religion and Indian studies, Harvard University; Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen, vice president for education and institutional renewal, AAC&U; Estela Bensimon, professor of higher education and director of the Center for Urban Education, University of Southern California; L. Lee Knefelkamp, senior scholar, AAC&U, and professor of psychology and education, Teachers College, Columbia University; and Jeff F. Milem, director of the Higher Education Administration graduate program, University of Maryland.

To see a copy of the preliminary program, see www.aacu.org/meetings/diversityandlearning.

AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to 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.