GLOBAL POSITIONING
Essential Learning, Student Success, and the Currency of U.S. Degrees

AAC&U Annual Meeting
January 26-29, 2011
San Francisco, California

Media Coverage

National Stories

February 13, 2011 – Chronicle of Higher Education, “Scholars Question New Book’s Gloom on Education: Doubts are Raised About Study Behind ‘Academically Adrift’” by David Glenn. The author notes, “Many college leaders are praising the ambition of Mr. Arum and Ms. Roksa's project, and some say they hope the book will focus new attention on the quality of undergraduate instruction. When the authors spoke last month at the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, in San Francisco, the ballroom far overfilled its capacity, and they were introduced as ‘rock stars’."

February 1, 2011 – Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, “Federal Postsecondary Education Leader Urges Unity on College Completion Message,” by Lydia Lum. The author notes, “The many constituencies comprising US higher education should come together to ‘speak with one voice’ to the rest of this country on college completion, says Dr. Eduardo Ochoa, assistant secretary for postsecondary education. Ochoa was among the speakers at AAC&U’s Annual Meeting. During an address to college presidents, Ochoa noted how the so-called Bologna Process ‘has challenged U.S. higher education’ to play catch-up in forging international partnerships and study abroad initiatives. Named for the University of Bologna in Italy where it was first proposed, the Bologna Process is the effort among institutions in forty-seven countries, many of them European, to make academic degree standards and quality assurance standards comparable and compatible so that students and researchers can more easily move from one country to another for employment or advanced study. ‘The world is not standing still,’ Ochoa said, ‘and neither must we’."

February 1, 2011 – Inside Higher Ed, “Ethos Matters,” by Scott Jaschik. The author notes, “The best policies on promoting teaching may not change the way faculty members view institutional priorities, according to research presented here at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The findings point to the challenge of supporting teaching, especially at research universities, according to the researchers.”

January 31, 2011 – Inside Higher Ed, “'One Voice’ for Higher Ed,” by Scott Jaschik. The author notes, “Eduardo M. Ochoa, the assistant secretary, discussed this effort in an address to the college presidents at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Ochoa said that colleges are held back on a range of issues because of the ‘limited awareness’ of the public and of lawmakers about what really happens on campuses and about ‘the realities’ of higher education economics. Ochoa said he wanted ‘to assure you that the department is fully cognizant’ of the role of ‘liberal education as the foundation not only of degrees in liberal arts and sciences but also for professional degrees.’ He said that, as a business dean earlier in his career, he was aware of the importance of courses outside the business school to broaden his students’ education.”

January 31, 2011 – Inside Higher Ed, “Can Students Learn to Learn?” by Scott Jaschik. The author notes, “While some colleges have long taught study skills, some institutions are experimenting with efforts to teach much more than how to study: they are looking for ways to grow their students' metacognition. Many of these projects are still small and don't have years of data to report, but several of those involved in the efforts shared their enthusiasm for the approach in a session at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The projects discussed here were from members of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, which received support from the Teagle Foundation to coordinate the efforts.”

January 30, 2011 – Chronicle of Higher Education, “Federal Official Urges Colleges to Unite in Emphasizing Their Public Value,” by Karin Fischer. The author notes, “American colleges and universities must speak with one voice and communicate a strong and singular vision for higher education in this country, said Eduardo M. Ochoa, the U.S. assistant secretary for postsecondary education. Mr. Ochoa, a former provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University, in California, issued his challenge in a keynote speech at a gathering here of the Association of American College and Universities, a group that advocates for liberal-arts education.”

January 28, 2011 – Inside Higher Ed, “Going Global, Going Liberal Arts,” by Scott Jaschik. The author notes, “Everyone at the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities seems to favor globalization as a goal for higher education -- not much of a surprise given the meeting theme of ‘Global Positioning.’ But some here argued that it is time to rethink just what globalization means -- in many cases making it more local in focus (and without seeing local and global as opposites). And in a sign of how all globalization may involve local contexts, officials from a Chinese university made a presentation about how it is embracing a global outlook by turning to the liberal arts.”

January 27, 2011 – Washington Post College, Inc. Blog, “Lumina’s Degree Profile: A Co-Author’s View,” by Carol Geary Schneider, president of AAC&U. The author notes, “Lumina's proposed ‘Degree Qualifications Profile’ provides students, the public and faculty alike with a roadmap for essential learning. Drawing from hundreds of on-campus discussions across the US, the profile outlines the competencies students should develop and demonstrate through their specialized studies (the major), through broad, integrative studies (general education redefined) and by constant practice of intellectual skills such as analytical inquiry, use of information resources, engaging diverse perspectives, quantitative analysis and communication to different audiences.”

January 27, 2011 – Chronicle of Higher Education, “Educators Zero In on What Lumina’s Degree-Qualifications Profile Would Mean,” by David Glenn. The author notes, “The Lumina Foundation for Education's new blueprint for college degrees has been a source of fascination (and some skepticism) at the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, which opened here Thursday.”

Local Stories

February 5, 2011 - Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, (Walla Walla, WA), “New Whitman Dean, Professor Focus on Global Perspective at Meeting,” from staff reports. The author notes, “Tim Kaufman-Osborn, provost and dean at Whitman College, organized and moderated a session focused on global education at the AAC&U Annual Meeting, held recently in San Francisco.”

February 3, 2011 - The Cavalier Daily, (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA), "Administrators Gather for Annual Conference," by Anh Dao. The author notes, "More than 2,000 post-secondary educators convened in San Francisco last week to attend the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ Annual Meeting on higher learning. At the three-day conference , university and college presidents, provosts and professors discussed new research on the quality of American learning, cutting-edge advancements in campus technologies and the significance of student success in an increasingly competitive global economy. The meeting was the largest in the association’s history.”

February 1, 2011 – The Dartmouth, (Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH), “Daily Debriefing: Eduardo Ochoa Speaks at AAC&U Annual Meeting,” by James Peng. The author notes, “Eduardo Ochoa, the US Department of Education’s assistant secretary for postsecondary education, encouraged institutions to ‘speak with one voice’ and reform the public perception of higher education at AAC&U’s Annual Meeting on Friday, according to Inside Higher Ed. Changing the nature of higher education discussions will help institutions secure much-needed national funding, he said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed. At the meeting, Ochoa urged colleges to communicate ‘their shared values’ to the community such as the ‘transformative power of higher education’ and the ‘quiet miracles’ that occur on campuses, Inside Higher Ed reported. Ochoa also voiced support for the ‘gainful employment’ regulations, which would prevent federal aid from helping career-oriented programs at which many graduates fail to earn enough to pay back loans.”

February 1, 2011 – San Francisco State University News, (San Francisco, CA), “Study Abroad Funding Through Obama’s ‘100,000 Strong Initiative',” by Elaine Bible. The author notes, “As a participating college President in the ‘100,000 Strong Initiative,’ SF State President Robert A. Corrigan spoke about the importance of global education at the Association of American Colleges and Universities Annual Meeting, held in San Francisco on Jan. 27.”

January 28, 2011 – Arcadia University Bulletin, (Glenside, PA), “Greiner on NACU Panel, Rewards and Challenges of Comprehensive Internationalization.” The author notes, “President Jerry Greiner participated in a panel discussion on ‘The Rewards and Challenges of Comprehensive Internationalization’ at the 97th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities on Thursday, Jan. 27. The conference is on ‘Global Positioning: Essential Learning, Student Success, and the Currency of U.S. Degrees’.”

January 24, 2011 – Landon School News, (Bethesda, MD), “Potolicchio Wins National Teaching Award.” The author notes, “Sam Potolicchio ’00, assistant director of admissions and Lower School Latin teacher, has received the 2011 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award from the AAC&U. The Cross Award honors the top eight future leaders of higher education, ‘who demonstrate a commitment to developing academic and civic responsibility in themselves and others; and whose work reflects a strong emphasis on teaching and learning.’ As an award winner, Potolicchio will attend and speak at the AAC&U’s Annual Meeting January 26-29 in a session titled ‘Faculty of the Future: Voices from the Next Generation’.”

January 21, 2011 – Georgetown University Hoya, (Washington, DC), “For Young Professor Spotlight Reflects Record,” by Danny Funt. The author notes, “Sam Potolicchio (COL '04, GRD '09, '11), a visiting assistant professor and doctoral candidate in the government department, was recently named a recipient of the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award, an annual honor presented by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Each year, only eight people across the country receive the award, which recognizes graduate students who ‘represent the finest in the new generation of faculty who will teach and lead higher education in the next decades,’ according to AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider in the letter announcing the award.”

Blogs

February 11, 2011 – The Chronicle of Higher Education: On Hiring, “Rigor,” by David Evans. The author notes, “I have followed with great interest the discussion ensuing from the recent publication of Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa’s Academically Adrift. I’ve read the book and heard them speak a couple of weeks ago at the annual conference of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, at a session whose enormous attendance turned it into a de facto plenary.”

February 1, 2011 – Words and Pictures from the Southern Oregon University President, “The Globe is Our Classroom,” by Dr. Mary Cullinan. The author notes, “I spent a good part of last week at the national conferences for AAC&U and for the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) in San Francisco. The theme was ‘global positioning.’ Over 2,000 higher education folks participated —from heads of granting agencies to graduate students to university presidents.”

January 31, 2011 – Scripps College President’s Field Notes, “Higher Education,” by Lori Bettison-Varga. The author notes, “I headed back west to San Francisco for a series of appointments and the AAC&U Annual Meeting. Kavita Ramdas’ comments during the Thursday morning plenary session were the most inspiring of all the sessions I attended. As the former CEO and president of the Global Fund for Women, Ramdas built the Fund into the largest philanthropic organization supporting women’s rights around the world and considers herself a ‘social venture capitalist.’ Friday’s closing plenary session featured Leo Chavez, professor of anthropology at UC Irvine and author of the 2008 The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens and the Nation. David Oxtoby, president of Pomona College, just finished his term as chair of the AAC&U Board of Directors. I applaud his contributions to the continuing education of our community and his leadership role in advocating the value of a liberal arts education.”

January 28, 2011 – On Higher Education: The blog of the President of Saint Andrews College, “China Promoting Latin, Greek, & Liberal Arts,” by Roy Atwood. The author notes, “At the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities in San Francisco, the strongest defense of a liberal arts education–came from, of all places, China.”

January 27, 2011 – Edagogy, University of Washington –Seattle, “Guest Blogger @ Liberal.Education Nation,” by Edmond Chang. The blogger notes, “I have been asked to be a guest contributor to AAC&U’s blog called liberal.education nation. Here’s my little ditty about the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award and looking forward to the AAC&U Annual Meeting.

‘I am deeply honored to be selected as one of the 2011 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award recipients. I am humbled to be counted among such esteemed and talented peers, past and present, who represent a wide range of disciplines and institutions.”

If you were not able to attend the meeting—or just want to see what your colleagues were up to—check out the Annual Meeting blog archive online. Guest writers posted information and impressions throughout the meeting. All of AAC&U’s tweets about and from the Annual Meeting are also online.