Newsroom

AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. AAC&U is an excellent source of information on undergraduate curricular change, how colleges are changing to meet the needs of the new global economy, general education reform, student learning outcomes assessment, diversity and equity in higher education, and global issues in higher education.

Recent Press Releases

AAC&U Announces Winner of the Frederic W. Ness Book Award

October 29, 2020

Washington, DC—October 29, 2020—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announces the winner of its annual Frederic W. Ness Book Award, Moving Up Without Losing Your Way: The Ethical Cost of Upward Mobility, published by Princeton University Press. The annual Ness Award recognizes the book that best contributes to the understanding and improvement of liberal education. The award will be formally presented to the book’s author, Jennifer M. Morton, at the AAC&U Virtual Annual Meeting on January 21, 2021. Morton is an associate...Read more

AAC&U Receives Grant from Ascendium Education Group to Support Membership and Event Participation for Institutions Serving Students with High Financial Need

October 13, 2020

Washington, DC—October 13, 2020—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today that it has received a grant of $1,249,400 from Ascendium Education Group to support membership and event participation for institutions that serve a large number of students with high financial need. The grant is intended to help sustain momentum on important student success reforms, support programming that is responsive to the post-pandemic world, and help prevent equity gaps from widening as a result of the crisis.

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The Association of American Colleges and Universities and the College System of Tennessee Announce Tennessee as the 14th Partner State in the AAC&U LEAP States Initiative

August 25, 2020

Washington, DC—August 25, 2020—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the College System of Tennessee announced today that Tennessee is now a state partner in the AAC&U LEAP States Initiative.

Through the LEAP States Initiative, educators in states, state systems, and consortia collaborate in support of transformational change and...Read more

AAC&U Announces Appointment of Lorenzo Esters as Vice President for Advancement and Member Engagement

August 12, 2020
Washington, DC—August 12, 2020—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today the appointment of Lorenzo Esters as Vice President for Advancement and Member Engagement, effective August 17. In this role, he will help promote the mission of AAC&U by leading strategic advancement and membership growth and development.
 
Lorenzo’s professional experience has centered on increasing philanthropic and institutional capacity to support student access, retention, and completion efforts—particularly for low-income...Read more

Four Months into the COVID-19 Crisis, College and University Presidents Remain Cautiously Optimistic about the Financial Fallout, Focusing Strategic Budget Cuts on Areas Not Directly Related to Students or to Core Educational Mission

August 3, 2020
Washington, DC—August 3, 2020—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) today released “Responding to the Ongoing COVID-19 Crisis and to Calls for Racial Justice: A Survey of College and University Presidents,” a new report on how college and university presidents are currently planning to address both the financial fallout from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the campus implications of the national protest...Read more

AAC&U Releases New Report on Campus-Community Collaboration to Break Down Racial Hierarchies and to Promote Equity and Racial Healing

July 2, 2020
Washington, DC—July 2, 2020—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) today released the first report from its Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers effort. Titled We Hold These Truths: Dismantling Racial Hierarchies, Building Equitable Communities, the report documents the innovative work now underway at ten trailblazing colleges and universities to address the historical and contemporary effects of racism—on our campuses, in our communities, and for our nation. In partnership with AAC&U, these...Read more

AAC&U Receives Grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations to Support Faculty Development Related to Improving Course Assignments

June 15, 2020

Washington, DC—June 15, 2020—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced today that it has received a grant of $370,499 from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations to extend seven pilot faculty development programs. Intended to increase student achievement of higher-order learning outcomes, the programs are focused on improving the effectiveness of course assignments. The grant will also support the creation of a new tool for assessing the quality of assignments’ alignment with expected learning outcomes, along with an accompanying examination of variations in...Read more

Association of American Colleges and Universities Releases New Guiding Vision of Liberal Education

May 4, 2020

Washington, DC—May 4, 2020—The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) today released a new vision of excellence in undergraduate education. Titled What Liberal Education Looks Like: What It Is, Who It’s For, and Where It Happens, the vision clearly describes the learning all students need for success in an uncertain future and for addressing the compelling issues we face as a democracy and as a global community—regardless of where they study, what they major in, or...Read more

AAC&U Announces New Directors and Officers for Board of Directors

February 12, 2020

Washington, DC—At the recent Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, the members of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) elected three new directors and selected new officers to serve on its board of directors. William Craft, President of Concordia College, was appointed chair of the board. Carol Leary, President of Bay Path University, will continue to serve on AAC&U’s board as past chair. The members also voted to appoint Lenore Rodicio, Executive Vice President and Provost of Miami Dade College,...Read more

AAC&U Announces Thirteen Additional Institutions to Host Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Centers

January 16, 2020

Washington, DC—The Association of American Colleges and Universities announced today the selection of thirteen institutions to host Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers. An initial cohort of ten institutions was selected by AAC&U in 2017.

“AAC&U is thrilled to partner with these outstanding institutions on our way to establishing 150 centers across the country to ensure that higher education is playing a leadership role in promoting racial and...Read more

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