For Immediate Release

Contact:    
Debra Humphreys, Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs
humphreys@aacu.org
202.387.3760, ext. 422
(E-mails preferred during the Annual Meeting – January 26-29.)

Two Thousand College Educators Meet in San Francisco at AAC&U Annual Meeting to Explore Ways to Increase Student Success and to Debate the Meaning of U.S. College Degrees

Washington, DC—January 26, 2011—Two thousand educational leaders from the United States and abroad—presidents, provosts, deans, and faculty members—gathered together this week at AAC&U’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco, where they debated the meaning of student success in an increasingly globally interdependent world. Participants discussed 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, AAC&U’s 2011 Annual Meeting—the largest in the association’s history—included presentations, sessions, and workshops on the latest research on teaching and learning; new campus approaches to global learning, assessment, and general education; the resurgence of liberal education in the United States and around the world; maintaining academic quality in tough economic times; and how to navigate the changing policy and funding environment for higher education institutions.

Highlights of the meeting included keynote speeches by:

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
Mark Schapiro, senior correspondent, Center for Investigative Reporting
Mark C. Taylor, chair, Department of Religion, Columbia University and author of Crisis on Campus: A Bold Plan for Reforming Our Colleges and Universities

Other highlights included:

Discussion of the Lumina Foundation for Education’s new Degree Qualifications Profile, 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

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. Learn more about what’s happening at the Annual Meeting on the AAC&U blog, http://blog.aacu.org. Follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/aacu, #aacu11.

Podcasts of selected Annual Meeting presentations available in February 2011.

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.