The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has selected 61 institutions among its more than 1,000 members to take part in its Institute on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, which aims to give leaders the tools to increase engagement from all students on campuses.
The virtual event, taking place from June 15-18, will help the participating colleges and universities create and scale high-impact practices and activities that can help lead to student success and bolster diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that mirror their strategic missions.
“The Institute provides an unparalleled opportunity for colleges and universities from across the country to collaborate on ways to become more intentional in serving all students and to improve both completion rates and the quality of student learning,” said AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella.
This year’s event comes at a transformative time for higher education, as leaders look to address inequities and social justice, rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic and look to the future of content delivery in different modalities while providing clear career paths for students.
Colleges taking part in the Institute will learn best high-impact and evidence-based practices for “aligning courses and programs with guided pathways, promoting connections between educational experiences and long-term career success, and encouraging an academically open environment while promoting the safe and civil exchange of ideas,” according to the AAC&U.
Each team will get the opportunity to collaborate with experts to develop and launch high-impact practices and assessment tools that lead to better persistence and completion using the Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) structure.
One of the institutions taking part, the University of Arkansas, said it is looking to forward to developing a framework of high-impact practices for underrepresented and first-generation students that can aid their Student Success Center, Multicultural Center and Cultural Identity Centers.
These institutions have been chosen to send teams to the Institute this year:
- Arkansas: Arkansas Tech University, University of Arkansas
- Arizona: The University of Arizona, The University of Arizona Global Campus
- California: California State University-San Marcos, California State University-Long Beach, Menlo College, Riverside City College
- Colorado: Metropolitan State University
- Florida: Miami Dade College, St. Petersburg College, University of North Florida
- Georgia: Albany State University, Columbus State University, Georgia Highlands College, Young Harris College
- Idaho: College of Southern Idaho
- Illinois: Principia College
- Kansas: Friends University
- Kentucky: Bellarmine University
- Louisiana: Louisiana State University at Alexandria
- Maryland: Mary’s College of Maryland
- Massachusetts: Adams State University, American International College, Bay Path University, Berkshire Community College, Bridgewater State University, Bristol Community College, Westfield State University
- Michigan: Schoolcraft College, University of Michigan
- Minnesota: College of St. Scholastica, St. Catherine University
- Missouri: University of Missouri–Columbia, Webster University
- New Jersey: Stockton University
- New York: Siena College, St. John’s University, SUNY Old Westbury
- North Carolina: Appalachian State University, North Carolina State, University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Ohio: Central State University, Muskingum University, University of Mount Union
- Oklahoma: Tulsa Community College
- Pennsylvania: Carnegie Mellon University, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Gavilan College, La Salle University
- South Carolina: Clemson University
- Virginia: University of Virginia’s College at Wise
- Tennessee: Tennessee Board of Regents
- Texas: University of North Texas, University of the Incarnate Word
- Utah: Southern Utah University
- Washington: Seattle University, University of Washington Bothell, Washington State University
- Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Green Bay
- Canada: University of British Columbia
For more information on the event and the work being done by the AAC&U and the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers, go to the organization’s here.
