Press Release

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

New Faculty Fellow to Research World Bank at Business Information Center

Washington, DC—February 16, 2007—The Washington Internship Institute (WII) and the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) have announced the appointment of the Spring 2007 faculty fellow. Linda Cornett is an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina – Asheville. This spring, she will spend her semester at the Business Information Center (BIC), an international organization that partners with civic organizations and developing countries to influence the World Bank and other international financial institutions to promote social and economic justice.

At BIC, Dr. Cornett will examine how the World Bank group is incorporating governance and anti-corruption strategies into its lending projects and operations. She will research the implications for civil society organizations like BIC and write a number of analytic articles for BIC's electronic newsletter.

The WII Faculty Fellows Internship Program is co-sponsored by AAC&U and enables faculty to broaden their professional, disciplinary, and personal horizons, reinvigorating their own work as scholars, teachers, and educational leaders. Fellows spend one full semester in a challenging professional environment in the Washington, DC area. In collaboration with local leaders, faculty fellows investigate applied areas of knowledge, develop skills, and explore the systems and policies of their host organizations or agencies. Through these professional internship experiences, fellows gain new insights into how the aims of liberal education can be enhanced by high-quality experiential learning programs.

“I am always amazed by the transformative experiences that the internships provide for the fellows,” says WII President Mary Ryan. “The fellows are able to use their vast knowledge in their discipline and apply it to issues of national importance. They model and practice the best principles of liberal education – developing intellectual and practical skills across the curriculum; cultivating social responsibility and civic engagement; and fostering integrative and culminating learning. The internships do all of that and more!”

For information about the program, see www.wiidc.org/faculty-about.shtml. For more information about AAC&U's projects and initiatives, see www.aacu.org.

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 1,200 member institutions—including 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.