Jerry G. Gaff

In recognition of his leadership within the association and his outstanding contributions to general and liberal education, Jerry G. Gaff was named a Distinguished Fellow of AAC&U in 2016. Dr. Gaff has served as vice president of AAC&U, founding director of the Network for Academic Renewal, and director of the Preparing Future Faculty program. He is coauthor of many AAC&U publications, including Revising General Education—And Avoiding the Potholes: A Guide for Curricular Change (2009); The Future of the Professoriate: Academic Freedom, Peer Review, and Shared Governance (2009); The Status of General Education in the Year 2000: Summary of a National Survey (2001); Building the Faculty We Need: Colleges and Universities Working Together(2000); and General Education: The Changing Agenda (1999).

Dr. Gaff is an internationally recognized expert on general and liberal education. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a PhD in psychology from Syracuse University. He has served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts, vice president and interim president of Hamline University, and as a faculty member at Sonoma State University, the University of Leyden, the University of the Pacific, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He has served in Hong Kong as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in General Education, directed projects on faculty and curriculum development for the Society for Values in Higher Education, and conducted research at the Center for Research and Development in Higher Education at the University of California–Berkeley. The Jerry G. Gaff Award is given annually by the Association for General and Liberal Studies in recognition of leadership in the areas of general and liberal education; outstanding teaching in general and liberal education courses; and achievement in curriculum development, innovation, or implementation.