American Association of Colleges and Universities

09/03/2026

Assessment isn’t one-size-fits-all. Learn to adapt AAC&U’s VALUE rubrics for your context. aacu.org/hacking

09/03/2026

Every leader faces difficult conversations, competing priorities, and change. The question is how to navigate them effectively.

During "Leadership Week," you'll hear research-informed insights, real-world examples, and practical strategies for building stronger teams, supporting effective shared governance, and leading with confidence.

Registration is free. Learn more: aacu.org/leadership-week

09/02/2026

As AI adoption accelerates, institutions are navigating evolving questions related to governance, ethics, academic integrity, and policy development.

The AAC&U Conference on AI and Higher Education provides space for collaborative dialogue and practical strategy-building at this critical moment.

Learn more and register: aacu.org/aiconference

09/02/2026

How can authentic assessment strengthen teaching, learning, and institutional improvement?

Join AAC&U for VALUE Week, September 14–17, a series of four free webinars exploring practical applications of AAC&U’s VALUE rubrics and resources. You’ll learn about how VALUE rubrics can help you design assignments aligned with learning outcomes and how to implement the rubrics within different institutional contexts.

Whether you’re new to VALUE or looking to strengthen an existing assessment initiative, you’ll leave with ideas and strategies you can adapt for your own campus.

Learn more and register: aacu.org/value-week

09/01/2026

“Open Educational Resources: A New High-Impact Practice,” a recent research report from AAC&U, is among the most comprehensive examinations of open educational resource implementation conducted to date. The findings support recognition of OER implementation as a high-impact practice, with benefits extending beyond affordability to student engagement, persistence, and success.

Read the report: aacu.org/oer-report

09/01/2026

Authentic student work can tell a powerful story about student learning—when paired with a thoughtful assessment process.

In AAC&U’s “Authentic Assessment with VALUE Rubrics” workshop on September 18, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. ET, faculty, assessment professionals, and administrators will work through each stage of the assessment process using AAC&U’s faculty-developed VALUE rubrics.

Explore approaches for planning assessment, examining assignment alignment, interpreting results, and identifying the evidence most useful for improving learning and communicating with stakeholders.

Register today: https://bit.ly/3UqdaLA

09/01/2026

AAC&U’s Jeremy C. Young and Kathryn Enke recently penned an op-ed for University World News in response to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s “National Call to Action.” While the Department of Education’s letter focuses on concerns about higher education such as student protests, intellectual diversity, and foreign influence, Enke and Young call for building public trust through strengthening interpersonal connections, acting in trustworthy ways and taking consistent, effective actions that promote the public good—promises made and promises kept.

Through the Advancing Public Trust initiative, AAC&U is helping colleges and universities do just that. “The Trust Agenda” outlines a framework for advancing public trust in higher education, and the inaugural Advancing Public Trust Leadership Institute will bring together campus teams to develop action plans tailored to their institution’s goals and priorities.
https://bit.ly/4i6fMbx

The United States government speaks about universities building public trust, but government trust and public trust aren’t the same thing. What is p...

08/31/2026

As the 2026 midterms approach, college students are facing new barriers to the ballot, including restrictions on where and how easily they can vote. Research conducted by voting rights litigator Yael Bromberg found that student turnout increases by 5.3 percentage points when Election Day voting is available on campus and by 7.39 points when students have access to both early and Election Day voting.

“Safeguarding on-campus polling sites is not peripheral to democracy but part of defending the franchise itself for a rising generation of voters,” Bromberg writes. As the nation marks the 55th anniversary of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, she examines what’s at stake when polling places move off campus and what colleges and universities can do to protect students’ access to the ballot.

https://bit.ly/4zuF6hx

When polling sites move off campus, students face new barriers—and elections shift

08/29/2026

Virtual exchange creates opportunities for students to collaborate across cultures, solve complex problems, and develop the skills they need to thrive in an interconnected world. But what makes these experiences so meaningful—and how can institutions design them more intentionally?

Join AAC&U for the free webinar “The Science of Connection: Designing Meaningful Virtual Exchange.” Explore how research on learning, human connection, and cognition can help strengthen virtual exchange and COIL experiences that foster curiosity, empathy, and collaborative learning.

Register: https://bit.ly/4gZ7UGD

08/28/2026

New from AAC&U and Campus Compact: "Engaging Community: A Toolkit for Reciprocal Teaching and Learning Beyond the Campus." This free, open-access resource includes six adaptable modules, companion videos, lesson plans, and more to support community-engaged learning. aacu.org/engaging-community