New Paltz Recommits to Higher Ed, Rejoining AASCU 

As of March 14, SUNY New Paltz officially recommitted to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) nonpartisan American Democracy Project (ADP). The AASCU is based in Washington, D.C. with about 350 higher education institutions committed including SUNY New Paltz. The association has been supporting higher education for two decades by preparing students to be well-informed citizens that support a thriving democracy. 

The ADP was formed in 2003 in partnership with the New York Times. This project includes about 300 state colleges who are “collaborating to deepen the impact of public higher education institutions.” On the AASCU website, civic education is explained to be significant for non-traditional students, or “those who do not come from privileged backgrounds, including women, students of color and economically disempowered students.” The ADP’s intended purpose is to serve these communities.

Previously, on  Jan. 10, 2024, SUNY New Paltz announced that three of their faculty members would be joining the association’s inaugural department chair leadership institute. Lizbeth Cain (Education), Jessica Welsh (Communication Disorders) and Jonathan Raskin (Psychology) are the three faculty members who were hand-selected by AASCU to join their institute. The four are among 36 higher educational professionals who were selected to join this cohort of the academic department leaders from around the U.S. for professional development. An in-person meeting was held in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 10 and 11 with virtual meetings to come throughout the year. The goal of this portion of the program is to support scholars to better supplement leadership in their respective departments. 

According to the association’s website, their goals are deeply rooted in their “commitment to promoting institutional transformation.” The association has four stated goals, the first of which is to engage members “in accelerated institutional transformation that optimizes their respective missions and student success goals.” The second is to benefit their mission of implementing “institutions through national policy.” The third goal is to find data for the purpose of “informing policy and practice.” AASCU’s fourth and final goal is to assist their “organizational capacity, long-term impact, influence and leadership.” 

The SUNY New Paltz website explains the benefits of being a part of the ADP. This project grants these institutions abundant access to resources, including an “array network of leaders, faculty, staff and students, all of which foster collaborative research and resource-sharing opportunities.” The project also provides annual meetings such as the “Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement meeting, professional development opportunities for leaders across all levels and an extensive national partner network.” Additionally, ADP will allow all participating institutions the opportunity to “engage in grant-funded national projects, workshops and initiatives aligned with their missions.”

As described on their recommitment page, AASCU explains that for about two decades, they have remained true to engaging each campus’ community “in a broad network of regional public universities to instill all students with knowledge and skills,” which will prepare individuals to be educated, informed and “empowered to create a more just society and world.”