AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider released a statement mourning “this weekend’s murderous attack on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people at Pulse in Orlando.” She notes that the AAC&U community “grieve[s] for the tragic loss of so many lives and extend[s] our sympathy to all who are suffering from this act of carnage.” Noting that “we all are harmed by this horrific act of violence against LGBT individuals and their humanity, by this retreat to a culture of gun violence against members of our communities, and by this damaging assault on the core principles of a just and sustainable democracy,” she called on the community and our nation’s leaders to “respond to this sobering moment by recommitting to those core principles, for our nation and for the world.” See the full statement.   

AAC&U, SHEEO, and Taskstream are cosponsoring a webinar in June as part of the Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Learning Outcomes Assessment (MSC)/VALUE Initiative Webinar Series. On Thursday, June 16, the webinar topic is “Data Analysis and Use,” and individuals from participating MSC campuses will share insights on how to use data to inform changes to assignment design. Registration for this webinar can be found on Tasksteam’s website. Learn more about the Multi-State Collaborative and VALUE.

AAC&U President-Elect Lynn Pasquerella recently took part in AAC&U’s spring board of directors meeting and is working together with President Carol Geary Schneider, Chief of Staff Bethany Zecher Sutton, and other staff members to ensure a smooth transition in AAC&U leadership. While remaining busy with her ongoing duties at Mount Holyoke College, President Pasquerella already is engaging with key AAC&U partner institutions and presidents about the next era of leadership for liberal education and inclusive excellence. Stay tuned for more information in AAC&U News about President Pasquerella, including information about opportunities to meet her during her inaugural year.  

AAC&U members overwhelmingly embrace the goal of teaching students what the LEAP initiative has termed “the Essential Learning Outcomes,” including the analytical and inquiry skills that are basic to evidence-based reasoning.  But how well are faculty members connecting these goals to student assignments and intellectual tasks?  With the recent AAC&U study of member goals for student learning as backdrop, The Chronicle of Higher Education writer Daniel Berrett explores what it takes to teach student how to generate and evaluate evidence and how to apply it to unscripted questions. AAC&U’s campus-based assessment initiative VALUE also provides answers to these issues, through a new pilot study and other rubrics. See also other perspectives on learning outcomes and their benefit—including a message from AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider published in AAC&U’s periodical, Liberal Education, and Inside Higher Ed essays written by Century Foundation Senior Fellow Robert Shireman, and Peter Ewell, who is the President of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS).

AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider has contributed the foreword and afterword to a new book, Liberal Arts Education and Colleges in East Asia: Possibilities and Challenges in the Global Age. The book shares unique case studies of liberal arts colleges both in and outside of East Asia; examines the differences and similarities between Eastern and Western liberal arts education; and offers practical and sustainable models and guidelines for liberal arts colleges in East Asia and beyond. Learn more online about AAC&U’s resources on liberal education and global learning.

AAC&U’s Board of Directors has announced the establishment of the “Carol Geary Schneider Lecture on Liberal Education and Inclusive Excellence.” This new lecture has been established to honor the legacy of AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider, who will retire on June 30, 2016. The lecture is to be delivered by a high-profile thinker who is a leader in helping us understand and engage with issues fundamental to higher education and to our democratic society.  The lecture will be held biennially at AAC&U’s Annual Meeting when it is held in Washington, DC.  

The Education Counsel and College Board have released a report titled Preparing for Fisher II that outlines the issues at play in the Supreme Court case, previews possible outcomes, and provides recommendations for developing an institutional action plan. The report also includes an analysis of the amicus briefs filed in this round of Supreme Court litigation, and important insights from oral arguments and the parties' briefs that can help inform institutional dialogue and action.