APLU Annual Meeting in the News...

 

Mississippi Business Journal
Sweet Potato Event Wins Award For Promoting Research
by MBJ Staff

STARKVILLE (November 14, 2013)— A sweet potato production conference organized by Mississippi State University faculty and collaborators in other states won a national award on Nov. 10 for excellence in promoting multistate research. MSU faculty Ramon Arancibia, Raja Reddy, Steve Meyers, Mark Shankle, Juan Silva, Jason Ward and Filip To are members of the National Sweetpotato Collaborators working group that planned the annual conference of sweet potato researchers.

Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia State Tops in Nation For Efforts to Boost Graduation Rates
By Carla Caldwell

Nov. 13, 2013--Georgia State University is the national leader in efforts to dramatically increase graduation rates, according to the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. The association, which represents 219 public research institutions and other organizations, has named Georgia State the inaugural winner of its Most Visible Progress Trailblazer Award for the school’s “exceptional progress with increasing retention toward or completion of a bachelor’s degree during the last three years.”

Crain's Detroit
UM among 4 schools nationally honored for fostering entrepreneurship, economic prosperity
By Tom Henderson

November 13, 2013 -- The University of Michigan is one of four public universities in the U.S. honored for its work in entrepreneurship, technology transfer and business development. UM, the State University of New York, the University of Cincinnati and Northern Illinois University won the inaugural Economic Prosperity Award from the Washington, D.C.-based Association for Public and Land-Grant Universities.

Homeland Security News
Sequestration already eroding U.S. research capabilities

November 14, 2013 -- As congressional budget leaders continue negotiations over Fiscal Year 2014 spending levels, three organizations representing the U.S. leading public and private research universities say that the results of a new survey reveal the pernicious impact of sequestration on scientific research across the country. Budget cuts have already led to fewer grants, cancelled projects, staff reductions, and reduced learning opportunities. “If Congress fails to reverse course and doesn’t begin to value investments in research and higher education, then the innovation deficit this country is facing will worsen as our foreign competitors continue to seize on this nation’s shortfall,” the leader of one of the organizations said.

Agrilife
Savell receives regional national teaching award 

November 13, 2013 – Dr. Jeffrey W. Savell, regents professor and E.M. “Manny” Rosenthal chair in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University, recently received a regional national teaching award for food and agriculture science from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The award was presented at the association’s 126th annual meeting, which honored university faculty for the use of innovative teaching methods and service to students.

Magrath Award Winning Video: The Ohio State University's Young Scholars Program

APLU Announces Winners of Inaugural Project Degree Completion MVP Awards

Georgia State University, Florida International University, and San Francisco State University Honored for Taking Great Strides Toward Increased Graduation Rates as Part of ‘Project Degree Completion’

November 12, 2013--As part of its ongoing effort to increase degree completion rates, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) today announced Georgia State University, Florida International University and San Francisco State University as the inaugural winners of the Most Visible Progress (MVP) National Degree Completion Awards during a ceremony at the organization’s 126th annual meeting. The honors are designed to both reward the efforts of those universities for successfully retaining and graduating students while promoting those schools as models for other institutions to follow. The new awards also serve to further enhance APLU’s ‘Project Degree Completion’ -- a joint effort with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) to achieve a national goal of having 60 percent of U.S. adults possesses a bachelor’s degree by 2025.

“Our member institutions recognize the need to identify the best ways to increase degree completion in order to truly make a difference in the lives of students and the country overall. Georgia State University, Florida International University San Francisco State University, and many other public institutions are making great strides in educating our future generations and will publicly detail how they are achieving their strong retention and degree completion success,” said APLU President Peter McPherson. “Universities are undertaking this degree completion initiative from different starting

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APLU Announces Four Winners of Inaugural Economic Prosperity University Awards

Honors Recognize Northern Illinois University, The State University of New York, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Michigan for their Economic Engagement Efforts

November 12, 2013—Recognizing public universities that have demonstrated exemplary work in economic engagement, APLU today announced the four winners of its inaugural Economic Prosperity University Awards (IEPA). The winners—Northern Illinois University, The
State University of New York, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Michigan—were drawn from a pool of 16 institutions that APLU recently designated as Innovation & Economic Prosperity Universities. The awards, which were given during APLU’s 126th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, are in the categories of innovation, place, and overall.

“These four institutions demonstrate the critical role that public universities play in taking cutting edge research and translating it into new opportunities for economic growth with businesses in their state,” APLU President Peter McPherson said. “All of the schools that participated in this award process illustrated a core responsibility of public universities – giving back to their communities and state in ways that strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life for residents of that state. APLU will continue to serve as a resource for public universities to expand their economic engagement activities to help advance their local economy.”

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#APLU2013 Session Highlights for Tuesday, Nov. 12

 
**View Program Book 

Tuesday, November 12, 6:45 – 8:30am: APLU Awards Breakfast (pages 17 and 18 of the linked program): Awards will be given for the 2013 C. Peter Magrath University Community Engagement Award; the 2013 Designees and Award Winners for APLU Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities; and the 2013 Most Visible Progress (MVP) Award, which is part of APLU’s and AASCU’s Project Degree Completion.

Tuesday, November 12, 8:45-9:45am – Three APLU Member-Submitted Concurrent Sessions (pages 14 and 15 of linked program) – 1) Hispanic Student Success: What Works, for Whom and Why; 2) Crowdfunding: New Way of Engagement and Funding; and 3) The University of the Arctic: An International Cooperative Model for Higher Education.

Tuesday, November 12, 10:00-11:00am – Closing General Session (page 9 of the linked program) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will discuss the land-grant mission and the role of public universities with agricultural research and innovation.

Seven Months of Sequestration Already Eroding America's Research

Fewer Grants, Cancelled Projects, Staff Reductions and Reduced Learning Opportunities Among Outcomes Identified in New Survey of Research Universities

November 11, 2013--As congressional budget leaders continue negotiations over fiscal year 2014 spending levels, three organizations representing the nation’s leading public and private research universities today released the results of a new survey looking at sequestration’s impact on research across the country. The survey is a bellwether of the devastating impact that sustained cuts to research and higher education will have on the economy and the United States’ role as a global innovation leader.

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126th APLU Annual Meeting Video

#APLU2013 Session Highlights | Monday, Nov. 11

**View Program Book

Monday, November 11, 8:30-10:00am -- Communicating Accountability and Transparency
(pages 36 and 37 of the linked program) Featuring U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter, Christine Keller, Executive Director, Student Achievement Measure (SAM) and Voluntary System of Accountability Program (VSA) and Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities; and Lee Melvin, Vice Provost for Enrollment, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

Monday, November 11, 8:30-10:00am – Federal Research Agency Strategies Under Contemporary Fiscal Constraints (pages 34 and 35 of the linked program) How can public research universities navigate uncertain times with the federal budget? Richard Marchase, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Ellyn Perrone, Associate Vice President for Research—Federal Relations, University of Texas at Austin will moderate. Panelists include: Pramod Khargonekar, Assistant Director for Engineering, National Science Foundation; Peder Maarbjerg, Assistant Director for External Coordination at ARPA-E, U.S. Department of Energy; and Sally Rockey, Deputy Director for Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health.

Monday, November 11, 10:30-11:45am – When They Come Home (pages 12 and 13 of the linked program) -- As the U.S. commemorates Veterans Day, General Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – the highest ranking uniformed officer of the U.S. military, will offer insightful remarks about the growing number of college students who are active military or recently returned veterans. He will discuss how colleges and universities can provide the appropriate support for these brave men and women.

Monday, November 11, 10:30-11:45am – Implications of Evolving Funding Models for Public Research Universities (page 26 of the linked program) – A critical discussion led by Russell Moore, Provost, University of Colorado, Boulder and Joe Glover, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of Florida. Panelists include: J. Bernard Machen, President, University of Florida; Michael Gottfredson, President, University of Oregon; Kelvin Droegemeier, Vice President for Research, University of Oklahoma; and Hunter Rawlings, III, President, Association of American Universities.

Monday, November 11, 1:45-3:00pm -- Project Degree Completion: Campus-Based Strategies for Ensuring Student Success (see page 13 and 14 of the linked program) This session will discuss campus-based strategies that have been used to strengthen the retention and graduation rates of students on campuses across the country. Larry Abele, Provost Emeritus of Florida State University will moderate. Panelists include: Elliot Hirshman, President, San Diego State University; Douglas Robertson, Dean of Undergraduate Education, Florida International University; Douglas Wartzok, Provost and Executive Vice President Florida International University; Samuel White, Executive Vice President and Provost, Alcorn State University; Leslie Wong, President, San Francisco State University; Mark Becker, President, Georgia State University; Eric W. Kaler, President, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Timothy Renick, Vice Provost and Chief Enrollment Officer, Georgia State University; Ellese Carmona, Undergraduate Student, San Diego State University; Brian Matilla, Undergraduate Student, Florida International University; Cory Mickels, Undergraduate Student, San Francisco State University; and Jessica Skipper, Undergraduate Student, Georgia State University.

Cooperative Extension Awards Top Honors in Excellence and Diversity

November 10, 2013—Recognizing visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming, Cooperative Extension today honored Jeffery T. Edwards of Oklahoma State University with the National Excellence in Extension Award, Susan Given-Seymour of Northwest Indian College with the National Extension Diversity Award, and five regional honors during the 2013 Food and Agriculture Excellence Awards at the 126th APLU Annual Meeting now underway in Washington, DC. The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP), the representative leadership and governing body of Cooperative Extension, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture have sponsored the awards since 1991.

The National Excellence in Extension Award is given annually to one Cooperative Extension professional at an APLU institution who excels at educational programming, provides visionary leadership, and makes a positive impact on the constituents they serve. The five regional awards were presented to Marion F. Simon of Kentucky State University; Kimberly A. Greder of Iowa State University; Elaine P. Bowen of West Virginia State University; Denise M. Holston-West of Louisiana State University; and Brian J. Higginbotham of Utah State University. The National Diversity Award recognizes significant contributions and accomplishments in achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism in Cooperative Extension.

“The nationwide Cooperative Extension System applauds the outcomes-based programming of these exemplary educators,” said Daryl Buchholz, chair of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, and associate director of Kansas State University’s K-State Research and Extension. “Their work of translating research for practical application, engaging learners to take positive action, and transforming lives, businesses, and communities through education provides a shining example of Cooperative Extension’s relevance and impact.”

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University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Georgia Faculty Receives National Teacher Awards Six Regional and Two New Teacher Awards also Announced

November 10, 2013—In celebration of scholarship, exemplary pedagogy and personal dedication, Tiffany Heng-Moss of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Michael Eugene Wetzstein of the University of Georgia and six regional and two new teachers were named the 2013 recipients of the National Teaching Awards For Food and Agriculture Sciences. The awards were presented today at the126th APLU Annual Meeting now underway in Washington, DC and honors university faculty for the use of innovative teaching methods and service to students.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and APLU, the annual awards include stipends of $5,000 for the national winners and $2,000 for regional and new teacher honorees to be used for improving teaching at their respective universities.

The six regional awards were given to John C. “Jack” Clausen of the University of Connecticut; Janice Jean Haggart of North Dakota State University; Soo-Yeun Lee of University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign; Jeffrey W. Savell of Texas A&M University; William J. Silvia of the University of Kentucky; and Brian Kent Warnick of Utah State University. Leslie Dawn Edgar of the University of Arkansas and David W.W. Jones of North Carolina State University each received best new teacher honors in agriculture science.

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