DEMANDING EXCELLENCE:
Liberal Education in an Era of Global Competition,
Anti-Intellectualism, and Disinvestment

Held in conjunction with the 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Conference of Academic Deans

January 25-28, 2006
Washington, DC

AAC&U’s 2006 Annual Meeting was – with more than 1,500 in attendance – our largest ever.  We appreciate your interest in the Annual Meeting, and we particularly thank those who were able to participate.  The 2006 Conference Program has a number of links to additional resources, and podcasts of selected sessions are also available.

About the 2006 Annual Meeting
At the 2005 Annual Meeting, we heralded the arrival of a New Academy—an academy that now stands at a crossroads. With millions of students enrolling in higher education, we have an extraordinary opportunity to provide an entire generation with the kind of life-enhancing, liberal—and liberating—education once reserved for a fortunate few.  Yet states are cutting education budgets, state systems are turning to private sources in the hunt for money, many philanthropies are turning away from higher education, and the federal budget is in deficit.  Resources are disappearing just when they are needed most.

The New Academy is further challenged by the fact that technology, markets, and global competition are rapidly transforming all kinds of institutions and human activities—demanding excellence as the key to survival. Our ability to adapt to sweeping change is hampered by a growing climate of anti-intellectualism and financial, political, and cultural disinvestment. Such an environment threatens to produce change at the expense of excellence.

At a time of greater expectations, we cannot afford society's indifference.  If we are not to squander this opportunity, we will need new levels of commitment and leadership, from within the academy and from an informed and supportive public.  Our agenda is an urgent one. To ensure that the New Academy fulfills its rich promise, we must insist on the very best … by demanding excellence from our institutions, our students, and ourselves

Conference Sponsors
The Association of American Colleges and Universities thanks the following sponsors for their generous support of our 2006 Annual Meeting.

Contributing Sponsors

• Multi-Health Systems
• LiveText

Friends

• Compass Knowledge Group
• Stylus
• TIAA-CREF

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If you have questions, please e-mail us at meetings@aacu.org.