Washington, D.C. – In a national initiative to improve student learning on U.S. campuses, more than 70 college and university presidents have signed an agreement to expand their efforts in gathering and reporting evidence of student learning and using it to improve outcomes.
University of Puget Sound President Ronald R. Thomas is among the leaders of public and private, two- and four-year colleges and universities from around the country who have signed the agreement and committed to ongoing work on the initiative.
“Excellence in student learning outcomes is at the heart of our mission at Puget Sound, and this collective effort to identify and support best practices in student success throughout American colleges will give all of us a new platform for achieving those objectives nationwide,” said Puget Sound President Ronald R. Thomas (pictured below). “We look forward to continuing our commitment to excellence and contributing to the pool of shared ideas that will drive this strategically vital initiative and secure America’s premier status in higher education.”
The Presidents' Alliance members have also agreed to assist each other in the work, publicly report on their efforts, and encourage other institutions to take similar steps. The initiative was developed by the New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability, a nonprofit, advocacy-focused organization, with a board representing a range of national higher education organizations.
"As the United States sets a national goal to again lead the world in educational attainment, it is critical that undergraduate degrees and credentials reflect a high-quality education,” said David Paris, executive director of the New Leadership Alliance. “This requires colleges and universities to develop evidence of students' skills and knowledge as they work toward and complete their undergraduate studies. Quantity and quality both matter; higher rates of attainment need to be accompanied by higher levels of achievement."
The alliance, established in 2009, leads and supports cooperative efforts to move the higher education community toward gathering, reporting on, and using evidence to improve student learning in American undergraduate education.
"The Presidents' Alliance is an important step in assuring quality in undergraduate education and increasing public confidence in American colleges and universities," said Judith Eaton, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and chair of the board of directors of the alliance.
The work of the alliance is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The Teagle Foundation.
For more on the New Leadership Alliance visit: http://www.newleadershipalliance.org
The Presidents' Alliance members and their commitments: http://www.newleadershipalliance.org/presidents/browse
Chronicle of Higher Education on the alliance: http://chronicle.com/article/71-Presidents-Pledge-to/125285/?sid=at&utm_sour
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