2014 APLU Annual Meeting Videos

The following videos are general sessions from the 2014 APLU Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida. Nov. 2-4, 2014. To see more information from the annual meeting, CLICK HERE!

McPherson: White House's College Opportunity Commitment by APLU, AASCU, and AACC will Position Public Colleges and Universities for the Future

By Peter McPherson, President, APLU

I had the great honor of attending the White House College Opportunity Day of Action yesterday. It was great to be with President Obama, the First Lady, Vice President Biden, and higher education leaders from across the country as we all discussed ways to increase college access and success. Leading up to yesterday’s summit, the White House sought pledges and commitments from institutions and organizations on ways they would strengthen postsecondary success.

As part of that effort, APLU and the two other presidential public higher education associations—the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)—formally pledged a new commitment to collaboratively work together to support and accelerate college completion efforts on our member campuses. Our member institutions represent nearly three-quarters of all college students in this country so the impact of our efforts has the potential to be profound.

INFOGRAPHIC: Public Higher Ed Associations Commit to Increasing Certificate & Degree Completion Levels

As part of their commitment, AACC, AASCU, and APLU pledged to work together to facilitate and accelerate efforts to reach important national educational attainment goals. Collectively, the associations can better assist their member institutions in tackling obstacles that impede students from earning a degree or certificate in a timely and cost-efficient manner. See the full story here.

SLIDESHOW: 2014 APLU Annual Meeting

Here are select photos from the 127th APLU Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. More than 1,300 public higher education leaders, policymakers and industry representatives convened Nov. 2-4, 2014 for sessions and meetings built around the theme of Progress Through Partnerships. Attendees discussed the latest challenges and opportunities facing public universities, and developed new ideas and initiatives to further strengthen our work while engaging with federal and state governments, the business community, K-12 systems, community colleges, students and families, faculty, other institutions. Check out our Annual Meeting blog post to see more.

Press play to view slideshow

Recap: 2014 APLU Annual Meeting

Did you miss any of the 2014 APLU Annual Meeting? We've compiled some of the key moments right here. Please check out the articles, videos, photos, social media and blog postings below and share them widely. 

NEWS at #APLU2014:

• Three Universities Win USU Innovation Pitch Challenge
• Virginia Commonwealth University Wins C. Peter Magrath University Community Engagement Award
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Florida State University Win APLU’s Second Annual MVP Project Degree Completion Awards
• APLU Selects Four Public Research Institutions for 2014 Innovation and Economic Prosperity University Awards
• APLU Announce Winners of the 1890 University Teaching, Research and Innovation Awards
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emily Auerbach and former Penn State Vice Provost W. Terrell Jones to Receive National Distinguished Service Award
• Cooperative Extension & USDA Award Top Honors in Extension Excellence and Diversity
  

SOCIAL MEDIA: Day 3 from #APLU2014

Here are a few of the final comments and pics from Day 3 of the APLU Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. Continue to post on Facebook and Twitter using #APLU2014.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Day 2 of #APLU2014

Check out some of the comments and pics from Day 2 of the APLU Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. Continue to post on Facebook and Twitter using #APLU2014. See you socially.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Day 1 of #APLU2014

Check out some of the comments and pics from Day 1 of the APLU Annual Meeting underway in Orlando, Fla. Continue to post on Facebook and Twitter using #APLU2014. See you socially.

SLIDESHOW: Framing the Conversation at #APLU2014!

We're making great memories at the APLU Annual Meeting as we work to strengthen public higher education.  Did you make it into the frames? Check out these great sports who did. And be sure to find us Monday during each of the breaks to help us "frame" the conversation.  Be sure to tag your tweet and Facebook postings with #APLU2014.

**Having trouble viewing photos on your mobile device, click this link to view the slideshow!

Three Universities Win USU Innovation Pitch Challenge

University of Louisville, University of Houston and Cleveland State University won the USU Innovation Challenge Pitch session at the 127th APLU Annual Meeting underway in  Orlando, Florida. Each university received $10,000 to support their economic engagement efforts on their campuses.

Sponsored by the Lumina Foundation, the pitch competition was conceived as a way to address one of the biggest challenges facing both higher education and the economy to address the seeming lack of alignment between what a student learns and what employers need. University representatives pitched innovations on ways to strengthen the university-employer/labor market relationships to a panel of judges. And those ranked highest received the seed money to prototype the idea, explore feasibility, scale the idea or launch it.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emily Auerbach and former Penn State Vice Provost W. Terrell Jones to Receive National Distinguished Service Award Honor Comes from Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Commission on Access, Diversity, and Excellence

APLU's Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence (CADE) named University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emily Auerbach and the late Pennsylvania State University Vice Provost W. Terrell Jones as the 2014 co-recipients of the CADE Distinguished Service Award for significant contributions to increasing diversity and access in the public higher education community.

Auerbach is the first tenured faculty member to be honored with the Distinguished Service Award while Jones is the first person honored posthumously during the ceremony this afternoon at APLU’s 127th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

See the full story here.

Cooperative Extension & USDA Award Top Honors in Extension Excellence and Diversity

Recognizing visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming, Cooperative Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today named Robert Kallenbach of the University of Missouri the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Extension Award, and Cesar Asuaje from the University of Florida this year's National Extension Diversity Award. Both awards were presented during the 127th APLU Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

The Excellence in Extension Award is given annually to one Cooperative Extension professional who excels at programming, provides visionary leadership, and makes a positive impact on constituents served. Five regional awards will also be presented. The National Diversity Award recognizes significant contributions and accomplishments in achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism. NIFA and Cooperative Extension have sponsored the awards since 1991.

See the full story here!

The #APLU2014 App is Live. Download Now!

For the fourth straight year, APLU is offering a mobile app for Annual Meeting attendees. We've once again teamed up with CrowdCompass to develop a standalone native app for both Apple and Android users and on
the mobile web for Windows and Blackberry devices.

The Annual Meeting app allows you to network during the Annual Meeting, plan your schedule, bookmark activities, find locations in the hotel, follow and contribute to social media feeds, and much more.

To download the app, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play and search for "APLU".  After launching the app, log in by creating an account with CrowdCompass or link to an existing social media platform.

FAMU Alumnus John Michael Lee Jr. to Deliver Keynote at University’s Homecoming Convocation

Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumnus John Michael Lee Jr., vice president for the Office of Access and

Success at the Association for Public & Land-grant-Universities, will serve as the 2014 keynote speaker at its homecoming convocation on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014 in Gaither Gymnasium. Lee is a 2003 FAMU graduate with a bachelor of science degree in computer engineering from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

“I am so deeply humbled to have been chosen as the homecoming speaker this year. Attending FAMU was one of the best transformative decisions in my life, and my FAMU experience developed me into the leader that I am today,” said Lee. “I would not be where I am without the love and charity of the FAMU-ly! ”

APLU Secures Overflow Hotel for 127th Annual Meeting

With just a few weeks to go until the start of the 127th APLU Annual Meeting, the room block at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek (headquarters hotel) is sold out. An overflow hotel has been set up at the Wyndham Grand hotel. It's about a three-minute drive or a 14-minute walk from the headquarters hotel.

The information for booking rooms at the overflow property is below:

Wyndham Grand
14651 Chelonia Parkway
Orlando, FL 32821
Reservations: 1-800-996-3426
Hotel: 407-390-2300

Rate: $199 per night
Resort Fee: $10 (Resort Fee includes complimentary internet & Disney Shuttle)
Note: All reservations must be guaranteed for late arrival to an individual’s credit card plus a non-refundable deposit of one night’s room and tax.

Check-in: 4:00 pm
Check-out: 11:00 am


For more information on the 127th APLU Annual Meeting and to register, visit www.aplu.org/AnnualMeeting

University of California Irvine Releases Parody "Chemists Know" Video

Just when you thought Disney's megahit movie "Frozen" had gone cold, think again. A group of faculty and students in the University of California Irvine's Department of Chemistry recently released this parody video set to the music of the movie's main theme song. It's a really fun take on the importance of science and well--chemistry. Check it out and share.

Jared C. Avery Joins APLU’s Office for Access and Success

To help support the growing efforts underway in the Office for Access and Success, APLU recently welcomed Jared C. Avery, Ph.D. as the new Associate Director for Access and Success Initiatives to provide comprehensive support around equity, access, and educational excellence for college student populations and minority-serving institutions. Avery will also manage a collaboration of partnerships and initiatives; create and support original research; and engage in a host of other activities that support the mission of the office.

"Working for APLU's Office for Access and Success is a tremendous opportunity and one that aligns closely with my own interests of broadening and improving the educational pipeline for underrepresented groups at the pre-college and college levels," said Avery. "I am extremely excited to begin this journey and connect with others that share these interests."

Holistic Admission Policies Has Positive Impact on Class Diversity, Student Success Across Health Disciplines

A new national study finds that health professions schools report an overall positive impact from the use of holistic review – a university admissions process that assesses an applicant’s unique experiences alongside traditional measures of academic achievement such as grades and test scores. The report, Holistic Admissions in the Health Profession, was released today during a panel discussion at the National Press Club.  The report is the first large-scale study to examine the prevalence and effectiveness of holistic review across multiple health disciplines at universities nationwide.

(From L to R) M. Roy Wilson, President, Wayne State University; Marc Nivet, Chief Diversity Officer, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC);  Greer Glazer, Co-Principal Investigator, Associate Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean, College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati; Yvonne Maddox, Acting Director, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD); Darrell G. Kirch, President and CEO, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC); and Neil D. Theobald, President, Temple University.                

APLU's Jim Woodell Discusses State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) Conference

The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) is an organization serving those involved in technology-based economic development (often called “T-BED”), including universities, state and local economic development organizations, and venture development organizations. The organization’s annual conference was held September 14 – 16 in Chicago, with the theme “Regional Prosperity Through Innovation.” The meeting provided a fantastic opportunity to see old friends and colleagues and to meet new ones.

On September 15, I had the great pleasure of moderating a panel on “New Approaches to Commercialization.” The session featured Rick Huebsch from University of Minnesota, who talked about UMN’s new “Minnesota Create” and “Minnesota Try and Buy” programs which simplify the technology licensing process for industry partners.

We went to Chicago’s 1871 incubator and co-working space for a reception. APLU member University of Illinois has a presence at 1871 and other universities are also engaged, engaging students in startup opportunities.

Also on the panel was Wiley Larsen, who presented ASU’s Furnace Technology Transfer Accelerator, which licenses university technologies to entrepreneurs and helps get their startups going. The UMN and ASU programs are going a long way toward helping to accelerate innovation and simplify what can sometimes be a too-cumbersome process of getting university discoveries to market.

Before leaving Chicago, I had a great lunch at Chicago landmark Harry Caray’s with colleagues from Washington State University, including Assistant Director of Economic Development Alexis Holzer.

AACC, AASCU, AND APLU Announce Post-Collegiate Outcomes Initiative

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), in partnership with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), will collectively develop a strategic framework to guide discussion and the creation of measurement tools for reporting student outcomes after college completion. This Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded initiative will create a framework that will enable colleges and universities, policymakers, and the public to better understand and talk about post-collegiate outcomes in areas such as economic well-being, ongoing personal development, and social and civic engagement. The development of a framework is an important first step toward the creation of metrics and data elements institutions may be able to report on in the future. 

“Most post-collegiate outcome studies have focused solely on areas where data are more readily available, such as economic success metrics related to employment and wages. These outcomes are important, but they are just one part of how we should measure success,” APLU President Peter McPherson said. “This comprehensive framework will also tell us how a college education enhances a person’s capacity to continue learning and increases their involvement within community organizations and charities.”