The Education Trust’s John B. King Jr. will moderate a diverse student panel examining a “human-centered” approach to designing public policy and institutional practice from the bottom up to enhance student outcomes during the closing plenary at ACE2019.
King currently is president and CEO of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps in K-16 education. He served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as secretary of education from 2016-17.
The closing plenary will wrap four days of thought-provoking sessions planned for ACE2019, ACE’s 101st Annual Meeting, March 9-12 in Philadelphia. Nearly 2,000 college and university leaders from deans to presidents will gather at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown to gain knowledge about practical solutions for many of the challenges higher education faces today, network with leaders from across all institutional types, and be inspired by the achievements of colleagues and the insights of a diverse slate of speakers.
Another plenary will feature two nationally prominent experts on race and racism, Beverly Daniel Tatum and Robin DiAngelo, who will discuss the role of race in America and on college campuses during ACE2019’s Monday Morning Plenary. The session, which will be moderated by ACE Vice President of Research Lorelle Espinosa and is generously supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will explore how college leaders can engage their communities on race and what it will take to close equity gaps now and in the future. For those who cannot make ACE2019 in person, this plenary will be livestreamed.
Among the other sessions, “Lessons from the University of Missouri on Navigating a Campus Racial Crisis,” scheduled for Sunday, March 10, will feature findings from the ACE report Speaking Truth and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate.
The report explores how the University of Missouri responded to its 2015-16 crisis and offers recommendations for other university leaders who strive to create and maintain a positive racial climate before, during, and after a crisis. The discussion will include voices from University of Missouri leadership and will offer evidence-based frameworks for building institutional capacity to address diversity and inclusion.
Another Sunday session, “The Three Cs: Creating, Calculating, and Communicating the Value of Higher Education,” sponsored by ACUE, focuses on the impact powerful teaching and learning has on students. Panelists will discuss recent studies demonstrating stronger student outcomes as a result of strengthened instruction and present a methodology for calculating the financial return on investments in quality teaching. They will also share tactics to communicate and celebrate a commitment to quality education.
ACE2019 will begin Saturday, March 9, at 5 p.m., with the International Welcome and Networking Reception. Other events that evening include the ACE Women’s Leadership Dinner (tickets required), featuring Teresa Younger, president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, and a reception for presidents and chancellors.
Click here to visit the ACE2019 website for more information and to register.
Join the conversation on Twitter at #ACE2019Philly.