Embracing the Commitment to Access, Diversity, and Equity in Higher Education

Abstract

There has been much discussion over the last decade about how we, as leading institutions in higher education, are tasked with preparing the next generation of professionals to compete and succeed in a global economy. This economy, increasingly knowledge based, is reliant on the “product” we develop. If we liken the global economy to an engine, our product is the human energy that provides the fuel for that engine. Virtually every industry and commercial endeavor is reliant on the highest grade of fuel to maintain its performance. Academic institutions of higher learning represent the “refineries” in this process, taking the partially developed human energy that emerges from secondary institutions and converting it to the highest grade of fuel required by this global engine-economy.

Muriel A. Howard is President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), a post she has held since August 2009. Prior to assuming leadership of AASCU, Dr. Howard was President of Buffalo State College (State University of New York) from 1996 to 2009. Her professional and scholarly interests include support of education, educational leadership, representation of women and minorities, and public service. As AASCU President Dr. Howard advocates for public higher education at the national level, working to influence federal policy and serving as a resource for presidents and chancellors at 430 campuses nationwide.