Press Release

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

Sixty Institutions Selected to Attend Institutes on General Education Reform and Campus Leadership for Student Engagement, Inclusion, and Achievement

Washington, DC—May 4, 2006—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today the selection of teams from more than 60 institutions for its 2006 summer institutes. Thirty-one teams will attend AAC&U's Institute on General Education from June 9 to 14. This year's institute will be held on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Teams from 29 campuses will participate in the 2006 Greater Expectations Institute on Campus Leadership for Student Engagement, Inclusion, and Achievement in Snowbird, Utah, which will be held from June 21 to 25. This institute builds on the work of AAC&U's national initiative on the aims of a twenty-first-century liberal education, Greater Expectations: The Commitment to Quality as a Nation Goes to College.

“Colleges and universities across the country are responding to new challenges by strengthening their undergraduate programs and working to ensure that all students get the benefits of a strong liberal education,” said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider.  “The colleges and universities sending teams to this year’s summer institutes represent the best of current reform efforts, and these team members are committed to preparing all students to succeed and thrive in a volatile economy and globally interdependent world.  Their campus work will be strengthened by their participation.”

Teams attending AAC&U's Institute on General Education will examine current trends in general education, discuss strategies for implementing curricular reforms, and refine their own general education reform plans in the context of their campus missions. Participants will attend sessions on such topics as writing clear goals, faculty development, integrative learning, diversity, and assessment.

“We are very pleased with the sophistication of the general education reform efforts represented by those coming to this year’s Institute,” said Institute Co-Director Ross Miller.  “Their plans are driven by important questions about linking goals to institutional mission, fostering high levels of achievement, and assessment for improvement and accountability.”   

Teams come to AAC&U’s Greater Expectations Institute to advance a specific educational change project. The Institute will help teams align their project to their institution’s mission, clarify outcomes, refine planning and processes, and build a culture of organizational learning.  

“We are excited about the variety of educational change projects that selected campus teams will develop at this year’s Institute and the wealth of expertise that our faculty offer,” said AAC&U Vice President Alma Clayton-Pedersen. “We look forward to working with teams to achieve Greater Expectations for all campus constituents and to helping teams ‘make excellence inclusive’ by linking their diversity and inclusion efforts with their academic quality and assessment initiatives.”

See the below for lists of schools selected to participate in these two institutes. For additional information about the institutes or AAC&U programs and initiatives, visit www.aacu.org. 

AAC&U Summer Institutes: Participating Schools

Institute on General Education

Albright College, PA
Appalachian College Association, WV
Arizona Board of Regents, AZ
Cabrini College, PA
California State Polytechnic University, CA
Central Michigan University, MI
CUNY Kingsborough Community College, NY
Clarion University of Pennsylvania, PA
Dowling College, NY
Elon University, NC
Iowa State University, IA
Kansas State University, KS
Minnesota State University, MN
Nazareth College, NY
North Georgia College & State University, GA
Pacific Lutheran University, WA
Roosevelt University, IL
Salt Lake Community College, UT
Santa Clara University, CA
Trinity University, D.C.
United States Air Force Academy, CO
University of Kentucky, KY
University of Michigan-Flint, MI
University of Nebraska at Omaha, NE
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
University of the District of Columbia, DC
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, WI
Utah State Board of Regents, UT
Wilmington College, OH
Wingate University, NC
Winston-Salem State University, NC

Greater Expectations Institute: Campus Leadership for Student Engagement, Inclusion, and Achievement

Buffalo State College-SUNY, NY
California State University-Long Beach, CA
Chestnut Hill College, PA
Columbia College-Chicago, IL
Columbia State Community College, TN
Delta State University, MS
Fairmont State University, WV
Georgia College and State University, GA
Grand Valley State University, MI
Kansas City Kansas Community College, KS
Kenyon College, OH
Manchester Community College, CT
New College of Florida, FL
Norfolk State University, VA
Penn State University, PA
Ramapo College of New Jersey, NJ
San José State University, CA
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, SD
Trinity University, District of Columbia
Troy University, AL
United States Air Force Academy, CO
University of Connecticut, CT
University of Guelph, Canada
University of Idaho, ID
University of La Verne, CA
University of Massachusetts-Boston, MA
Vassar College, NY
Weber State University, UT
Wells College, NY

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 1,000 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.