AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Support for the Public Purpose of Public Higher Education 

• Student-Centered Advocacy
  AASCU’s work at the national level facilitates college access, affordability and accountability and is based on a unique member-driven Public Policy Agenda that puts students at the core of our advocacy efforts.
   
• Policy Advisories and Action Alerts
  AASCU provides regular and timely updates from Washington on key issues affecting our members and their students. Advisories and action alerts inform members about policy issues and seek their involvement in influencing legislation with their members of Congress.
   
• Focus on State Relations
  AASCU is the only presidential association that focuses on state policy analysis and emerging trends and issues across the 50 states. Focus on Presidents, Chancellors and Leadership Teams
   

Focus on Presidents, Chancellors and Leadership Teams

• Member-Driven Policy and Programs
  AASCU presidents and chancellors help to set AASCU’s course on issues of national significance through their work in areas such as formulation of the Public Policy Agenda, Summer Council programming and committee and task force initiatives.
   
• Leadership Support
  Presidents facing difficult challenges can discuss these in confidence with the AASCU leadership and receive referrals to colleagues who have had experience in similar situations.
  The new AASCU Innovations Exchange will link members to resources and best practices in key areas of presidential leadership.
   
• Professional Development
  Both leadership and professional development are a rich tradition in AASCU that includes an academy for new presidents, leadership renewal for veteran presidents and programs for those exploring the presidency. AASCU also offers programs to support and strengthen the presidential leadership team and to encourage talented administrators seeking career advancement.
   
• Exclusive Meetings for Presidents and Chancellors
  AASCU presents two meetings annually that provide presidents and chancellors an opportunity to network and to focus on issues relevant to their executive roles and their institutional leadership.
  
   
• Programs for Spouses and Partners
  AASCU has long recognized the vital role of the presidential spouse or partner and in doing so offers programming at both the Annual Meeting and Summer Council exclusively for spouses and partners.

Access to Distinctive Programs and Practices 

• Support for Civic and Regional Engagement
  AASCU’s American Democracy Project and the association’s work in developing the “stewards of place” concept have placed AASCU members in the leadership vanguard of these increasingly important and distinctive movements. Both reinforce the public purpose of public higher education.
  
   
• Special Initiatives
  AASCU membership gives institutions access to three special initiatives—the funding information services offered by the Grants Resource Center, the leadership development support provided by the Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI) and the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA)
  
   
• Public Purpose
  The AASCU magazine provides a national forum that highlights members’ distinctive contributions to public higher education and provides topical and timely commentary and analysis.

What Presidents Have to Say About Their AASCU Membership

	“ AASCU is a president’s organization that allows us, as presidents, to work together, to share experiences, and to learn from each other. It provides impressive support, including policy analysis,  government relations, data sharing, and advice on responding to budgetary cutbacks, emergencies on campus, fundraising, and other issues that confront every president. AASCU is our organization.  Our participation in AASCU not only makes a stronger organization, it builds a stronger national voice for the interests of public higher education"  —William V. Flores, PresidentUniversity of Houston-Downtown (Texas)
	“My team and I gain so much from contact with our counterparts because they come from public comprehensive universities similar to our own. We have benefited greatly from AASCU  conferences on grant development, civic engagement and academic affairs issues.   AASCU’s professional development opportunities have also helped me grow in my career and develop a national network of friends and colleagues to call on for advice and suggestions.”    —Nancy Kleniewski, President    State University of New York College at Oneonta
	“At a time when public higher education is facing historic challenges in balancing public expectations with the necessity of doing more with less, AASCU membership is a strategic necessity. For instance, the Grants Resource Center is a fine example of AASCU’s focus on delivering high-quality services to its members that would otherwise be out of reach for many public institutions, and our membership allows us to access these services at a reduced cost.” —Selma Botman, President    University of Southern Maine
	“AASCU is an essential organization, especially when the public purpose of higher education is increasingly overshadowed by the presumed private benefits, and therefore deemed no longer worthy of public support. We need this strong, collective voice. As academics, we are paradoxically bad at obtaining formal training for administrative responsibilities. AASCU's workshops and sharing sessions are among the main sources of information that have helped me succeed as an administrator.”  —Wim Wiewel, President    Portland State University (Ore.)
	“I value AASCU because it champions and advocates for access to higher education so that all citizens can experience the transformative power of a college degree. AASCU promotes student-centered learning while helping member institutions be good citizens by advancing public education, economic development and the quality of life in the communities we serve.” —George E. Ross, President    Central Michigan University
	“AASCU epitomizes a strong, effective national organization. In addition to unflagging advocacy for public higher education and support of individual member institutions, AASCU  offers unparalleled resources for professional development and collaborating with peers.” —Robert V. Antonucci, President    Fitchburg State University (Mass.)