Press Release

Contact: Debra Humphreys
Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs
202-387-3760
Humphreys@aacu.org

Association of American Colleges and Universities’ Public Health Initiative Launches New Research Effort With Grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation

Washington, DC -- May 1, 2008 -- The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) received a grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation to support the work of the Educated Citizen and Public Health initiative. The grant will support research on approaches to incorporating public health into the undergraduate curriculum and dissemination of findings through a special issue of Peer Review.

Data generated by the Educated Citizen and Public Health initiative will be disseminated in this special issue of Peer Review and will contribute to the deliberations of the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Undergraduate Public Health. Other articles in Peer Review will also inform AAC&U’s ongoing efforts to assist colleges and universities in developing undergraduate public health curricula.

“The Macy Foundation grant will enable important analysis of this growing field and will allow us to share that research with a broad audience of educators who share our commitments to teaching public health in a variety of undergraduate programs, majors, and courses,” says Kevin Hovland, Director of Global Learning and Curricular Change at AAC&U. “We are grateful to the Macy Foundation – long-known for its advocacy for health education – for supporting us in this endeavor.”

The Educated Citizen and Public Health initiative aims to fulfill the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that “all undergraduates should have access to education in public health.” Initially developed in partnership with the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, the initiative offers publications, presentations, and resources to assist faculty to develop public health curricula in all our nation’s colleges and universities.

The Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation is a private philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of individuals and the public by advancing the education and training of health professionals.

AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its 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 more than 1,150 accredited public and private colleges and 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. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.

Information about AAC&U membership, programs, and publications can be found on the AAC&U Web site.