Written by Ed Osborn
At its recent annual meeting in Washington, D.C., the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) named seven new directors and elected a slate of new officers. Elsa Núñez, president of Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, CT, was one of the seven newly appointed directors.
"I am honored to join the board of directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities," said Nuñez. "As the leading advocacy group for liberal education in the country, AAC&U has an important role to play in ensuring that our nation fully understands the value and importance of undergraduate, liberal arts education. The work of the association also closely aligns with Eastern's mission as Connecticut's only public liberal arts university. I am delighted to serve in this new capacity as a member of the board."
Núñez became the president of Eastern Connecticut State University in 2006. Prior to joining Eastern, Núñez had more than 20 years of previous experience as a senior administrator in higher education, serving as Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs in the University of Maine System; as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lesley University; and as University Dean for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the City University of New York. She has held positions as a tenured faculty member at Ramapo State College, the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York, and Lehman College of the City University of New York. Núñez received her B.A. from Montclair State College, an M.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a doctorate in linguistics from Rutgers University.
Other new members of the board include Charlene Dukes, president of Prince George's Community College; Allison Jones, vice president for postsecondary collaboration, Achieve, Inc.; Darcy Kelley, Harold Weintraub Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University; Holiday Hart McKiernan, vice president, strategic operations and chief of staff for the Lumina Foundation for Education; Brian Murphy, president of De Anza College; and Michael S. Roth, president of Wesleyan University.
The seven new appointees join six current directors who were reappointed to two-year terms, including Sean Decatur, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Oberlin College; David Hodge, president at Miami University; Sylvia Manning, president of the Higher Learning Commission; Lester Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Michigan; Kenneth Ruscio, president of Washington and Lee University; and
Sanford Ungar, president of Goucher College.
Bobby Fong, president of Ursinus College, became the chair of the board, taking over from Helen Giles-Gee, president of Keene State College. Giles-Gee will continue to serve on the AAC&U's Board Executive Committee as past chair. In addition to the Fong's appointment, AAC&U appointed Mildred García, president of California State University-Dominguez Hills, as vice chair of the board.
"AAC&U's membership is very fortunate to be led by such a strong and committed board of directors," said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider. "The board's leadership has contributed greatly to the growth of AAC&U's membership and the strength of its programs and publications. Following President Giles-Gee's effective leadership this past year, I am very confident that, along with his fellow board members, President Fong will continue to bring energy, insight, and visibility to AAC&U's continuing commitment to extending the benefits of liberal education to every college student."
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Willimantic, Conn. - Stacey Close, professor of history at Eastern Connecticut State University, will be the keynote speaker at Eastern's Black and White Ball on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Betty R. Tipton Room of the Student Center. The Black and White Ball is part of Eastern's monthly cultural celebrations and is designed to commemorate the life of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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