Media Alert

Contact:
Carrie Johnson, Assistant Director, Marketing and Media Relations
johnson@aacu.org
202.884.0811

What is American Higher Education’s Global Positioning?
What is the Currency of a US College Degree?

Nearly Two Thousand Educational Leaders Gather at AAC&U Annual Meeting in San Francisco to Debate the Meaning of Student Success and American Higher Education’s “Global Positioning”

Washington, DC—January 3, 2011—Nearly two thousand educational leaders from around the country—presidents, provosts, deans, and faculty members—are expected at AAC&U’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco, where they will debate the meaning of student success in an increasingly globally interdependent world.  Participants will learn about and discuss new frameworks for clarifying the meaning of college degrees, the latest research on the quality of student learning in American higher education, and leading-edge campus innovations in globalizing the undergraduate curricula.

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:

Kavita Ramdas, visiting fellow and scholar, Center on Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law, Stanford University
Leo Chávez, professor of anthropology, University of California, Irvine, and author of The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens, and the Nation
Catharine R. Stimpson, university professor, New York University
Eduardo M. Ochoa, assistant secretary for postsecondary education, US Department of Education;
Holiday Hart McKiernan, vice president, operations and general counsel, Lumina Foundation for Education, Inc.
Arthur Zajonc, professor of physics, Amherst College, coauthor of The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal
Mark Schapiro, senior correspondent, Center for Investigative Reporting
Hilary Pennington, director of education, postsecondary success, and special initiatives, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Other Highlights:

Discussion of the Lumina Foundation for Education’s new Degree Qualifications Profile (scheduled for release in mid-January), including presentations and discussions with foundation executives and Carol Geary Schneider, president, AAC&U; Peter Ewell, vice president, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems; and Carolyn Campbell, head of international affairs, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education

Presentations by Josipa Roksa, assistant professor of sociology, University of Virginia, and Richard Arum, professor of sociology and education, New York University, coauthors of Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses

Opening Night Forum on “Globalizing Education” featuring a presentation from Mark C. Taylor, chair, Department of Religion, Columbia University and author of Crisis on Campus: A Bold Plan for Reforming Our Colleges and Universities

An E-Portfolio Forum on Saturday, January 29, featuring sessions on the latest developments in the use of student e-portfolios for learning, reflection, and assessment

A presentation on the latest findings from the CIRP Freshman Survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA

Presentations by leading Chinese educators on “Why Liberal Education and General Education are Becoming Rising Stars in China”

Sessions on the latest research and best practices in AAC&U’s LEAP States Initiative

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

Press passes are required. Please contact Carrie Johnson at Johnson@aacu.org by Monday, Jan. 10, to receive press passes to the meeting.

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 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.

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