Press Release

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

Association of American Colleges and Universities Announces Five New Directors and New Slate of Officers for Board of Directors

Christopher Dahl, President of the State University of New York – Geneseo, To Serve as Chair

Washington, DC—February 15, 2007—At its recent annual meeting in New Orleans, the Association of American Colleges and Universities named five new directors and elected a new slate of officers.  Christopher Dahl, president of the State University of New York -- Geneseo, assumed the role of chair of the board, taking over from Robert Corrigan, president of San Francisco State University.  Corrigan will continue to serve on AAC&U’s Board Executive Committee as Past Chair.

“This is an exciting time in the history of AAC&U,” said board chair Christopher Dahl. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members to promote liberal learning and especially to advance the goals of the LEAP initiative. AAC&U is asking the right questions about American higher education and providing a powerful framework for the kind of education students in all types of institutions need in the new global century."

In addition to the appointment of Christopher Dahl, AAC&U appointed Daniel F. Sullivan, president of St. Lawrence University (NY) as Vice Chair of the Board.

New Directors appointed to AAC&U’s board of directors include two college presidents, one chancellor, a dean, and a senior vice Provost.  Helen Giles-Gee assumed the presidency of Keene State College on July 1, 2005.  With over three decades of experience as a professor and administrator at public institutions of higher education, Dr. Giles-Gee served most recently as provost of Rowan University in New Jersey.  Prior to her arrival at Rowan, Giles-Gee served as dean of the School of Professional Studies at the State University of New York at Cortland.  Giles-Gee holds a bachelors of arts degree in psychobiology, a masters of science degree in science education, and a Ph.D. in measurement techniques of experimental research from the University of Pennsyvlania.  She also earned a masters of science degree in zoology from Rutgers University.

Evelynn Hammonds is senior vice provost for faculty development and diversity, and professor of the History of Science and Afro-American Studies at Harvard University.  Hammonds was appointed senior vice provost in July of 2005 and has served on the faculty of Harvard since 2002.  In her capacity as senior vice provost, Hammonds will serve as a key adviser to the president and provost on issues related to the recruitment and advancement of women and underrepresented minority faculty at Harvard.  Hammonds is the author of Childhood’s Deadly Scourge: The Campaign to Control Diptheria in New York City, 1880-1930, published in 1999 by Johns Hopkins University.  She is currently completing a history of biological, medical, and anthropological uses of racial concepts entitled, The Logic of Difference: A History of Race in Science and Medicine in the United States, 1850-1990.  Hammonds earned a Ph.D. in the history of science from Harvard University, an S.M. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a B.E.E. in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in Physics from Spelman College.  She taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before coming to Harvard.  While at MIT, she was the founding director of the MIT Center for the Study of Diversity in Science, Technology, and Medicine.

Juan E. Mestas became chancellor and professor of foreign languages at the University of Michigan-Flint in 1999.  Prior to this appointment, he served as the deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C., a position he held since 1994.  Mestas is the author of two books, El Pensamiento Social de José Marti: Ideología y Cuestión Obrera, published in 1993 by Ediorial Pliegos, and Centro de Gravedad, a book of poetry published by Editorial Guajana in 2003.  Mestas holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from the Universidad de Puerto Rico.

M. Lee Pelton was appointed Willamette University’s 22nd president in July of 1999.  Prior to his appointment as Willamette president, Pelton served as dean of the college at Colgate University (1988-91) and Dartmouth College (1991-98).  At Harvard University, Pelton taught in the English Department and was dean of one of Harvard’s 13 undergraduate colleges.  In addition to his administrative duties as president, Pelton continues to teach at Willamette in a variety of subjects ranging from 1st century Athens to post-apartheid South Africa.  Pelton holds a doctorate from Harvard University and an undergraduate degree in English and psychology from Wichita State University.

Robert J. Sternberg currently serves as dean of Tufts University’s School of Arts and Sciences, where he oversees undergraduate and graduate education in 23 departments, more than 10 interdisciplinary programs, and 20 masters and Ph.D. programs.  Sternberg is also professor of psychology and director of the PACE (Psychology of Abilities, Competencies and Expertise) Center.  His work at the PACE Center is dedicated to the advancement of theory, research, practice, and policy advancing the notion of intelligence as modifiable and capable of development throughout the life span.  Before coming to Tufts, Sternberg was IBM professor of psychology and education and professor of management at Yale University.  Sternberg received his Ph.D. from Stanford University and his B.A. in psychology from Yale University.

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.