Keynote Address: Reframing General Education
Thursday, March 3, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Colleges and universities are facing increasing pressure to reduce spending and curb tuition increases while also improving graduation rates and "time to degree." Most recently, these demands have coalesced into calls to reduce the early part of college, traditionally the purview of general education. In this keynote session, panelists examine the push to shrink the college experience and frame these strategies in a larger conversation about educational quality and meaningful access to opportunity. They discuss how campuses are reframing general education so that students develop the essential learning needed to effectively address contemporary, unscripted problems even in the midst of challenging times.

Ramon A. Gutierrez, Preston and Sterling Morton Distinguished Service Professor in United States History and the College and Director, Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture, the University of Chicago; Gail Mellow, President, City University of New York LaGuardia Community College; and Carol Geary Schneider, President, AAC&U
(Posted on Wed, 27 04 2011 11:11:13)

Plenary: Investing in Quality
Friday, March 4, 9:15 - 10:15 a.m.
As undergraduate education is pressed to prepare more and more students for work and life in a globally interdependent and technologically advanced world, how can institutions make the most of their financial and human resources? In this plenary, Dr. Ferren discusses the relationships among educational quality, student success, and the cost of higher education. She describes how faculty and administrators can analyze factors that contribute to student success and learning productivity. By considering alternate ways to use limited resources, campus leaders can ensure that students achieve their educational goals and that faculty accomplish their career aspirations.

Ann S. Ferren, Senior Fellow, AAC&U and former Provost, American University in Bulgaria
(Posted on Wed, 27 04 2011 11:40:26)

Luncheon Plenary: E-Portfolios and the Problem of Learning in the "Post-Course" Era
Friday, March 4; 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Within a larger cultural context characterized by social networks and webs of connection, colleges and universities must consider the idea that "courses"--as bounded, discrete entities--are no longer the center of undergraduate learning and engagement. Dr. Bass will argue that this current context challenges us to take seriously the shift in proportion between formal learning and informal learning, individual and group learning, and content knowledge and knowledge-making in practice. E-portfolios, when implemented effectively, can play a critical role in helping students--and campuses--shift to a more embodied way of looking at learning, where learning is participatory, emergent, and boundary-spanning.

Randall Bass, Associate Professor of English, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning Initiatives, and Executive Director, Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, Georgetown University
(Posted on Wed, 27 04 2011 12:00:10)

Plenary: An Invisible Epidemic
Saturday, March 5; 11:00 a.m. - noon
One of the most pressing yet invisible epidemics in the United States today concerns the systematic disappearance of boys, particularly minority boys, from the educational process. A recent study conducted by the College Board revealed even more troubling news: few individuals or organizations seem to know what to do about it. Dr. Williams will place this disappearance within the context of the gradual decline in America's capacity to keep up with the educational gains other countries are experiencing. He will also describe the key characteristics of several programs that offer hope for reversing this trend. All of these programs exhibit qualities that are indispensable to a powerful general education, including providing opportunities for learners to explore their human possibilities.

Ronald Williams, Vice President, College Board, and former President, Prince George's Community College
(Posted on Wed, 27 04 2011 12:02:32)