Press Release

Contact: Debra Humphreys
202-387-3760 ext. 422
Humphreys@aacu.org

Association of American Colleges and Universities Welcomes New Development Director, Candace D. Kuhta

Kuhta to Assist in Association's New Efforts to Generate Public Support for Liberal Education

Washington, DC—September 15, 2004—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today the appointment of Candace D. Kuhta as director of AAC&U's first Office of Development. Kuhta will work with the AAC&U board, senior staff, and president to expand the Association's fundraising, to build new capacities to support member programs and services, and to launch new public advocacy in support of liberal education. The new AAC&U Office of Development will complement existing fundraising efforts and is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Christian Johnson Endeavor Foundation. This grant was awarded to engage the public and the country with the critical role of liberal education in students' lives and in democratic societies.

"As AAC&U enters into its 90th year and begins a decade of expanded public advocacy for liberal education, we are delighted to welcome Candace D. Kuhta to our staff," said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider. "AAC&U is moving forward vigorously with efforts to better prepare all students for an era of greater expectations and to ensure that every student--including those traditionally underserved--benefits from a strong liberal education. Candace's appointment will help AAC&U expand these efforts and increase their impact on campus and among members of the general public."

Kuhta has a BA in English from Queens College, City University of New York, and advanced degrees in librarianship, which she earned in the United Kingdom. She has been involved in development work at many organizations and institutions, working as both a staff member and a consultant. She has worked with several Washington, DC nonprofits, including the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She moved to Washington in 1994 from Canton, New York, where she served as major gifts officer at St. Lawrence University. She continued to work for the university from Washington, DC from 1994 through 1997.

AAC&U Board Chair and President of Southern Oregon University Elisabeth Zinser remarked that "AAC&U has found an ideal person in Candace Kuhta to join AAC&U's growing professional staff. She comes to AAC&U as it celebrates its 90-year history and begins a decade of new work requiring new sources of support to enable AAC&U to help campuses seize new opportunities and meet new challenges in this era of greater expectations, and to engage the public with the outcomes of college that really matter in today's world."

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.