Press Release

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

AAC&U Appoints David C. Paris as New Senior Fellow

 Washington, DC—September 7, 2006—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today the appointment of David C. Paris as Senior Fellow.  Paris, former vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, will work on AAC&U’s campaign, Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP).

“We are very pleased to welcome David Paris to AAC&U’s impressive cohort of senior fellows,” said President Carol Geary Schneider.  “David brings a wealth of campus experience and a deep knowledge of educational policies and practices that are important especially to AAC&U’s ongoing Liberal Education and America’s Promise campaign.  The AAC&U community is lucky to have him working on our behalf as we continue our efforts to improve American undergraduate education and help the public better appreciate the role of liberal education in the new global economy.”

In his role as senior fellow, Paris will be developing Web resources related to the importance of liberal education in the new global economy.  He also will be working with Senior Fellow Robert Shoenberg in supporting selected advocacy and campus action efforts in Virginia, the second LEAP pilot state, and coordinating LEAP activities being planned by the U.S. military academies.

Paris holds a B.A. in Government from Hamilton College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Syracuse University.  He served as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Hamilton College from 2001 to 2006, a position he assumed after serving there as associate dean of the faculty and as chair of the Department of Government.  At Hamilton, Paris oversaw several important educational reform efforts including a comprehensive review and revision of curricular requirements, the development of a collaborative student-faculty research program, and a diversity strategic plan.  He also oversaw a William and Flora Hewlett-supported “Pluralism and Unity” faculty development project from 2001 to 2004.  Paris was also the primary author of Hamilton College’s current five-year strategic plan (2002-2007).  Among many other honors, Paris served on the steering committee of the Grinnell Consortium for a  Stronger Minority Presence and received the Sears Foundation Award for “Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership” in 1990.  Before assuming his first position as assistant professor of government at Hamilton College in 1979, he served as assistant professor of political science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1975 to 1979.  Among many publications on education, public policy, and political science, Paris has authored two books, Ideology and Education Reform: Theories and Themes in Public Education (Westview Press, 1995) and The Logic of Policy Inquiry (with James F. Reynolds, Longman Press, 1983).

The LEAP Initiative on which Paris is working is a ten-year campaign to champion the value of a liberal education—for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. The campaign seeks to expand public and student understanding of what really matters in college—the kinds of learning that will truly empower them to succeed and make a difference in the 21st century. Launched in 2005, on the occasion of AAC&U’s 90th anniversary, LEAP is AAC&U's primary vehicle for advancing and communicating about the importance of undergraduate liberal education for all students.

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. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises more than 1,150 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 on the AAC&U Web site.