American Association of State Colleges and Universities
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American Association of State Colleges and Universities
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based organization whose more than 430 members include U.S. public colleges, universities, and thirty systems of higher education. More than half of the students in public four-year institutions in America are enrolled in colleges and universities that belong to AASCU. According to the AASCU website, as of 2001 more than one-third of the bachelor's degrees, more than one-quarter of the master's degrees, and almost 10 percent of the doctorates in the United States have been awarded by AASCU members.
AASCU's basic aims are to increase knowledge of the importance of public higher education in the United States and to identify the distinctive contributions of AASCU institutions. The association operates through a series of commissions, committees, and task forces in which the membership's chancellors and presidents participate in discussions and take action on the major issues in higher education. AASCU aids its members in building academic quality, intellectual diversity, and academic freedom. The mission of AASCU is supported by a structure of operating divisions. For example, the association's Division of Government Relations and Policy Analysis monitors and analyzes public policy relating to higher education and acts as an advocate for its members in policy matters at the national, state, and campus levels. Within the division, Federal Relations and Policy Analysis lobbies for AASCU members, keeps the membership informed on current legislative proposals, and arranges for presidents and chancellors to testify before congressional committees. State Relations and Policy Analysis looks at affairs at the state level and keeps the membership informed through "EdLines," a weekly online news service; the annual State Issues Digest; and the State Issues Network. The subdivision of State Relations is cosponsor of an annual State Relations conference. AASCU has an Office of Urban and Metropolitan Programs, which maintains an information clearing-house and acts as an advocate for urban institutions. The association has an Office of Rural Programs, which represents the interests of rural institutions of higher education and aids these institutions in revitalizing rural America.
The Division of Academic Leadership and Change deals with academic program issues. Its Office of Teacher Education seeks, through collaborative efforts, to improve teacher preparation. An International Education Office promotes AASCU members' participation in international education. There is also an Office for the Advancement of Public Black Colleges (OAPBC), cosponsored with the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), which advocates the advancement of historically black public colleges and universities.
AASCU has two national conferences each year - a summer council, held in July, which brings together college and university presidents and their families for professional development, and an annual meeting in November for discussions of national higher education policy issues. The organization makes available professional development and support for member chief executive officers and their spouses. The spouse program provides an opportunity for presidents' spouses to meet during the national meetings. A spouse-mentoring program assists the spouses of new presidents and chancellors.
The association has a history of advocating low tuition and equal opportunity. It aids its institutions in finding ways to increase access to higher education for historically underrepresented and financially disadvantaged students, and it helps colleges and universities promote diversity. AASCU's president is a member of the small group of higher education associations that meets informally once a week to discuss issues of common interest, particularly in relation to federal legislation that affects their members. This group, often identified as the Big Six, represents the major types of higher education institutions in the United States. AASCU's membership overlaps with the NASULGC and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), and these three often find common ground for cooperation on federal policy, promoting low tuition, and exploring state and urban issues.
One of the major associations representing public higher education, AASCU was created in response to the rapid expansion of a higher education sector in the 1960s and 1970s that was underrepresented nationally: comprehensive state universities, many of which had been teachers' colleges; municipal universities; agricultural schools; institutes of technology; and four-year institutions that had been community colleges.
Bibliography
American Association of State Colleges and Universities.File No. 994. Washington, DC: AASCU Division of Academic Leadership and Change.
Bloland, Harland G. 1985. "Associations in Action: The Washington, D.C. Higher Education Community." ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 2. Washington, DC: Association for the Study of Higher Education.
Cook, Constance Ewing. 1998. Lobbying for Higher Education: How Colleges and Universities Influence Federal Policy. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press.
Internet Resource
American Association of State Colleges and Universities. 2002. www.aascu.org.
— HARLAND G. BLOLAND
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American Association of State Colleges and Universities
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| American Association of State Colleges and Universities | |
|---|---|
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| Formation | 1961 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Location |  United States |
| Membership | Over 400 |
| President | Muriel A. Howard |
| Website | aascu.org |
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is an organization of state-supported colleges and universities that offer degree programs leading to bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees. AASCU grew out of the Association of Teacher Education Institutions that had been organized in 1951 to serve public comprehensive institutions most of them having begun as single purpose institutions, most of them normal schools.
Members of AASCU work to extend higher education to all citizens, including those who have been traditionally underrepresented on college campuses. By Delivering America’s Promise, these institutions fulfill the expectations of a public university by working for the public good through education and engagement, thereby improving the lives of people in their community, their region and their state. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities represents more than 400 public colleges, universities and systems of higher education throughout the United States and its territories.
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Purpose
AASCU has a fourfold purpose:
- To promote appreciation and support for public higher education and the distinctive contributions of member colleges and universities;
- To analyze public policy, and to advocate for member institutions and the students they serve;
- To provide policy leadership and program support to strengthen academic quality, promote access and inclusion, and facilitate educational innovation; and
- To create professional development opportunities for institutional leaders.
Public Policy Agenda
AASCU’s public policy agenda focuses on promoting four general principles:
- Affordability- every qualified student—regardless of financial background—should be able to afford higher education.
- Access- all students who want to should have the opportunity to pursue a college education regardless of their demographic backgrounds.
- Accountability- as stewards of the public’s resources, public colleges and universities should communicate transparently and openly with the public regarding the use of their investment.
- Competitiveness- public institutions of higher education must prepare students to contribute to the country’s global, economic competitiveness in a modern, knowledge-based economy.
Major projects
In 1998 AASCU’s African American presidents came together to start the Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI)—a program that prepares individuals traditionally underrepresented in the highest ranks of higher education for future leadership roles, particularly the presidency. MLI involves both a four-day intensive program and a yearlong partnership between a protégé and a mentor, who is a current or former president or chancellor. MLI grooms the protégés for leadership by helping them to develop the skills, gain a philosophical overview and build a network necessary to advance to the presidency.
In 2003 AASCU partnered with the New York Times to found the American Democracy Project (ADP). With over 220 member institutions, ADP is multi-campus initiative focused on higher education’s role in preparing graduates to become the next generation of informed, engaged citizens, committed to being active, involved members of their communities. ADP has furthered this goal through five national and 11 regional meetings, in addition to a national assessment project, campus audits, speaker series, recognition and award series, specific days of action and reflection, and several campus initiatives—including voter registration and education, and curriculum revision and projects. To promote civic education and awareness, ADP has also sponsored the Civic Engagement in Action Series.
In fall 2006, AASCU and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) began joint development of a Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) for public 4-year colleges and universities. This project is a response to the call by the Spellings Commission for increased accountability in higher education. Following a national call for nominations, over 90 people were appointed by the presidents of AASCU and NASULGC to work on this project. More information about VSA is avalalable at the VSA Project site. An important feature of this project is a high transparency design. Interested parties are invited to comment on the work of VSA while it is in progress. VSA Forums have been established to facilitate this design.
In 2010 AASCU launched First Generations Voices. First Generation Voices is a multimedia project highlighting the stories of first generation college students at AASCU member campuses. The stories, which can be submitted as audio, video or written narratives, are featured on the AASCU website, along with biographical information about the student and their institution.
Publications
- Public Purpose- AASCU’s quarterly magazine
- Policy Matters- a policy brief series that provides concise analysis of issues affecting public higher education
- Perspectives- occasional papers that explore current higher education issues in an in-depth manner
Membership
There are over 400 member institutions[1]
References
External links
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Gale Encyclopedia of Education
Encyclopedia of Education. Copyright © 2002 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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