Press Room

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.

AAC&U champions a contemporary vision of liberal education and sponsors a campaign called Liberal Education and America's Promise to expand public and student understanding of what really matters in college—the kinds of learning that will truly empower students to succeed and make a difference in the 21st century.

Recent Press Releases

Accreditation Proposals Put Quality College Learning at Risk, Says AAC&U President in Strong Message to the Accrediting Community

December 2, 2015

Carol Geary Schneider, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), sent a strong message today to the accrediting community and to policy and higher education leaders urging more forceful and concerted action to ensure and report students’ achievement of the full set of the learning outcomes most important for success and flourishing in life, work, and citizenship. Read more

College Leaders Embrace High-Impact Practices to Address Equity Gaps, but Give More Attention to First-Year Experiences Than to the Entire Educational Pathway or to Tracking Learning Outcomes, New National Survey Reveals

November 16, 2015

AAC&U announces the release of the first of three planned reports highlighting findings from a national survey of AAC&U member chief academic officers (CAOs) conducted by Hart Research Associates. The initial report, “Bringing Equity and Quality Learning Together: Institutional Priorities for Tracking and Advancing Underserved Students’ Success,” highlights findings from both the national survey and from structured interviews related to goal-setting and priorities for diversity, equity, and student success in both completing degrees and achieving key learning outcomes.Read more

Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Michigan Association of State Universities Announce Michigan As 12th Partner State in AAC&U's LEAP States Initiative

November 12, 2015

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the Michigan Association of State Universities announced today that Michigan is now a state partner in AAC&U’s national initiative, Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP). Read more

AAC&U Launches New Project to Advance The LEAP Challenge at New England Institutions

November 3, 2015

Washington, DC—November 3, 2015—Supported by a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is pleased to announce a new cohort of eight institutions joining The LEAP Challenge initiative.  The LEAP Challenge calls on educators to engage students in Signature Work that will prepare them to integrate and apply their learning to a significant project with meaning to the student and to society.

The new cohort of LEAP...Read more

Forum Will Address Bringing Together a Focus on Quality Learning Practices with Equity-Minded Approaches to Advance Underserved Student Success

November 6, 2015

On November 17th, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is sponsoring in New York City its final LEAP (Liberal Education and America’s Promise) Centennial Forum, “Bringing Quality and Equity Together: Mapping Guided Pathways for First Generation Student Success." The event is open to the media and will be held at the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel in New York City.Read more

Higher Ed Groups Unveil New National Designation for Colleges & Universities Excelling at Self-Assessment to Drive Student Success

October 27, 2015

A group of higher education organizations today announced the creation of a new national designation program for colleges and universities that demonstrate excellence at self-assessment to drive internal improvement and further student success.  The Excellence in Assessment (EIA) program – the first national initiative of its kind – will recognize institutions that successfully integrate assessment practices across campus, provide evidence of student learning outcomes, and use assessment results to guide institutional decision-making and improve student performance. Read more

Bringing Theory to Practice Awards More Than 50 Grants for Campuses to Participate in Research and Seminars on Well-Being in Higher Education, Marking a Celebration of $10M Total in Support Extended Since 2005

October 15, 2015

The Bringing Theory to Practice Project (BTtoP) is pleased to announce the awarding of more than fifty grants in two categories for the 2015-2017 grant period. The new grants and institutional matches total over $250,000.Read more

The New American Colleges and Universities (NAC&U) to Honor Cathy N. Davidson, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Futures Initiative at the City University of New York Graduate Center, with Ernest L. Boyer Award

September 29, 2015

The New American Colleges and Universities (NAC&U) will present its sixth annual Ernest L. Boyer Award to Cathy N. Davidson, a leading interdisciplinary and technology scholar, at AAC&U’s Annual Meeting Opening Night Forum on Wednesday evening, January 20, 2016, where Davidson will deliver the Boyer Award Lecture. The Ernest L. Boyer Award pays tribute to Boyer’s legacy by honoring others who are making significant contributions to American higher education. Read more

AAC&U Announces Dr. Octavia Tripp as Senior Scholar in Residence in the Office of Undergraduate STEM Education

September 28, 2015

AAC&U announces the appointment of Dr. Octavia Tripp as a Senior Scholar in Residence in AAC&U’s Office of Undergraduate STEM Education for the 2015-16 academic year. Dr. Tripp is an Associate Professor of Elementary Education, Curriculum, and Teaching at Auburn University with more than 20 years of experience in preparing undergraduate and graduate students for careers in elementary education, delivering online instruction to pre-service teachers, and teaching in elementary and middle schools.Read more

Multi-State Collaboration Produces Valuable New Evidence About Writing, Critical Thinking, and Quantitative Literacy Skills of Undergraduate Students Using Rubric-Based Assessment of Students’ Authentic Work

September 24, 2015

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Association launched in 2011 the Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Learning Outcomes Assessment (MSC).  In its pilot year, the project initially engaged faculty in 59 institutions in nine participating states.Read more

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About AAC&U

AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. It's 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 nearly 1,400 member institutions — including accredited public and private colleges, community colleges, research universities, and comprehensive 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. It's mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education and inclusive excellence at both the national and local levels, and to help institutions to keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.