Press Release

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

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

Participants Will Work on Strengthening General Education Programs, Becoming More Intentional About Student Learning and Engagement

Washington, DC – May 10, 2007 -- The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today the colleges and universities sending teams to its 2007 summer institutes.  Teams were chosen competitively to attend one of two different summer institutes: the Institute on General Education in Newport, Rhode Island (May 18-23, 2007); and the Greater Expectations Institute on Campus Leadership for Student Engagement, Inclusion, and Achievement in Burlington, Vermont (June 20-24, 2007). 

 “AAC&U’s 2007 summer institutes will cover a wide array of issues important to advancing liberal-education outcomes on today’s college campuses,” said AAC&U president Carol Geary Schneider.  “The work these campus teams accomplish this summer will help their institutions become more intentional and more effective at providing all students with the essential learning outcomes of a liberal education.” 

The Institute on General Education will provide participants an opportunity to examine current trends in general education, discuss strategies for implementing curricular reforms, and refine campus-specific general education reform plans in the context of campus missions. Participants will attend sessions on such topics as developing clear learning goals, faculty development, integrative learning, diversity, and assessment.  Teams come to AAC&U’s Greater Expectations Institute to advance a specific educational change project. The Institute helps teams align their project to their institution’s mission, clarify outcomes, refine planning and processes, and build a culture of organizational learning. 

All AAC&U institutes offer campus teams a time and place for sustained collaborative work on a project of importance to their campus.  For more information on AAC&U meetings and institutes, visit www.aacu.org.      

Institute on General Education Participating Campuses:

Auburn University, AL
Berea College, KY
Bergen Community College, NJ
Chestnut Hill College, PA
College of the Desert, CA
Fisk University, TN
Florida Community College at Jacksonville, FL
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, IN
Mars Hill College, NC
Morehead State University, KY
Mount San Antonio College, CA
Norfolk State University, VA
North Seattle Community College, WA
Northern Michigan University, MI
Norwalk Community College, CT
Notre Dame de Namur University, CA
Regis University, CO
Saint Mary's College, IN
Southeast Missouri State University, MO
Thomas Edison State College, NJ
University of Massachusetts, MA
University of Nebraska at Omaha, NE
University of North Carolina at Pembroke, NC
University of South Carolina-Aiken, SC
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI
Westfield State College, MA
Wheelock College, MA
Yeshiva University, NY

Greater Expectations Institute Participating Campuses:

Acadia University, NS, Canada
Adelphi University, NY
Agnes Scott College, GA
Albertus Magnus College, CT
Auburn University, AL
Augustana College, IL
Bishop’s University, PQ, Canada
Bowling Green State University, OH
Community College of Vermont, VT
Douglas College, BC, Canada
Elizabethtown College, PA
Eureka College, IL
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, IN
Kansas State University, KS
Keene State College, NH
Lyndon State College, VT
Marywood University, PA
Missouri State University, MO
Mount Saint Mary College, NY
Paul Smith’s College, NY
San José State University, CA
Spelman College, GA
Springfield College, MA
State University of New York College at Oneonta, NY
United States Air Force Academy, CO
University of Alaska Anchorage, AK
University of California, Riverside, CA
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, CO
University of Nevada, Reno, NV
The University of Vermont, VT
Vassar College, NY
Winona State University, MN

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.