Media Alert

Contact:
Carrie Johnson, Assistant Director, Marketing and Media Relations
johnson@aacu.org
202-884-0811

Maintaining Quality in Undergraduate Education in Challenging Times

Educational Leaders To Share Strategies and Debate Key Issues in College Teaching and Learning at AAC&U Annual Meeting

Washington, DC—January 8, 2010—More than 1,500 educational leaders from around the country— presidents, provosts, deans,  and faculty members—are expected at AAC&U’s annual meeting in Washington, DC where they will debate the future of undergraduate education and how to maintain quality for all students even in challenging times.  Participants will learn about and discuss the implications of the latest research on undergraduate education and leading-edge campus innovations at the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

The premier meeting ground of undergraduate educational leaders from all types of colleges and universities provides a unique opportunity to learn about the latest research on teaching and learning and the latest campus approaches to such issues as global learning, assessment, general education, the resurgence of liberal education, maintaining academic quality in tough economic times, and the changing policy and funding environment for higher education institutions.

Speakers include:

Martha J. Kanter, under secretary of education,
U.S. Department of Education
Eduardo J. Padrón, president, Miami Dade College
Jaime P. Merisotis, president and ceo, Lumina Foundation for Education
Ronald A. Crutcher, president, Wheaton College, Massachusetts
Richard M. Freeland, commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
Edward Ayers, president, University of Richmond
Andrew M. Delbanco, Julian Clarence Levi Professor and chair of the humanities, Columbia University
Frank J. Donoghue, associate professor of English, the Ohio State University, and author of the Last Professors: The Corporate University and the Fate of the Humanities
Andrew McCormick, director, National Survey of Student Engagement
Jane Wellman, executive director, Delta Project on Postsecondary Costs

Other Highlights:

Release of findings from a new LEAP national survey of employers conducted by Hart Research Associates.  The survey questioned employers on their plans for hiring college graduates and what they are seeking in new employees given changing economic circumstances and global competition. The survey findings will be released along with a statement from AAC&U’s board of directors, The Quality Imperative (press conference scheduled for January 20, 2-3 p.m., Burnham Room, Level 3B, Grand Hyatt Hotel)

Release of new report on Assessing Outcomes and Improving Achievement: Tips and Tools for Using Rubrics at Symposium on “The Search for VALUE: Innovation, Economic Uncertainty, and E-Portfolio Assessment” (January 20, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Constitution B, Level 3B, Grand Hyatt Hotel)

Opening night forum with Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide (January 20, 7:00-8:30 p.m., Constitution A/B, Level 3B, Grand Hyatt Hotel)

Forum on STEM priorities, featuring both Jeanne Narum, the founding director of Project Kaleidoscope, and the incoming director of PKAL, Susan Elrod

See the complete program and listing of speakers at www.aacu.org/meetings/annualmeeting.

Press passes are required.  For press registration, contact Carrie Johnson at Johnson@aacu.org or call 202-884-0811.

About AAC&U

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 1,200 member institutions—including accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.

Information about AAC&U membership, programs, and publications can be found at www.aacu.org.