U.Va.'s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Hosts AAU Deans

March 30, 2012 — Higher education leaders from around the nation are visiting the University of Virginia Friday and Saturday for the Association of American Universities' annual conference for arts and sciences deans.

The conference is hosted by U.Va.'s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Attendees are deans from similar colleges at 17 other AAU universities, as well as John Vaughn, AAU executive vice president.

"We're very pleased to host this year's meeting of AAU deans in the arts and sciences," said Meredith Jung-En Woo, dean of U.Va.'s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. "It's a great opportunity for us to discuss some of the critical issues facing higher education and to provide strong leadership for the liberal arts. Engaging in this kind of dialogue supports that goal."

The conference is drawing deans from Duke University; Emory University; Georgia Institute of Technology; Indiana University; the Ohio State University; Michigan State University; Northwestern University; Purdue University; Tulane University; University at Buffalo; University of California, Davis; University of Colorado at Boulder; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; University of Oregon; University of Pittsburgh; University of Rochester; and Vanderbilt University.

On Friday, it includes presentations and discussions on managing resources in a post-retirement era, experiences in academic program assessment, use of social media in the classroom and beyond, and faculty relationships with international institutions.

On Saturday, presenters will discuss crisis and reputation management in the wake of events at Pennsylvania State University.

The deans will also attend several social functions, including a tour of the Academical Village and a reception and dinner with President Teresa A. Sullivan at Carr's Hill.

The AAU is a nonprofit organization of 61 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. and Canada, and focuses on issues important to research-intensive universities, such as funding for research, research policy issues, and graduate and undergraduate education.

— by Rob Seal