SF State News {University Communications}

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News Release

 

SF State President joins new Presidents’ Trust to advance liberal education as source of American civic vitality, economic innovation and growth

 

SAN FRANCISCO, December 7, 2009 -- San Francisco State University President Robert A. Corrigan has joined a new Presidents’ Trust formed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The national group, comprised of 82 college and university leaders from around the country, seeks to make the case for liberal education and its value in the 21st century. 

"A liberal education prepares students to be engaged, effective citizens -- it teaches one how to think," Corrigan said.  "Inherent in the liberal arts are the sophisticated intellectual and practical skills that lead to a well-developed sense of personal and social responsibility."

Members of the Presidents’ Trust are leaders from all sectors of higher education. Through regional and national meetings and their own advocacy efforts, Trust members will focus on these core priority areas in 2009-10:

  • Make the economic case for liberal education
  • Make the civic case for liberal education
  • Engage first-generation families and new Americans with the meaning and value of liberal education
  • Integrate liberal arts and professional preparation on campus
  • Chart a new direction for assessment and accountability

“As the nation is setting new goals for increasing college attainment, we need to focus like a laser beam on the kinds of learning that build both economic vitality and civic commitment,” said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider. 

The Presidents’ Trust is a leadership group with the AAC&U's national initiative, Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP): Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College.  LEAP is an initiative that champions the value of a liberal education -- for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. The initiative focuses campus practice on fostering essential learning outcomes for all students, whatever their chosen field of study.  LEAP is AAC&U’s primary vehicle for advancing and communicating about the importance of undergraduate liberal education for all students. See www.aacu.org/leap for full list of Presidents’ Trust members.
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 1200 member institutions, including accredited public and private colleges and universities.

SF State is the only master's level public university serving the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin. The University enrolls more than 30,000 students each year. With nationally acclaimed programs in a range of fields -- from creative writing, cinema and biology to history, broadcast and electronic communications arts, theatre arts and ethnic studies -- the University's more than 140,000 graduates have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and beyond.

 

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