VSU President appointed to National Commission

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), a Washington, DC based organization, has appointed Valdosta State University President Ronald M. Zaccari as one of twelve commissioners charged with producing a report that defines and describes the public university needed in the 21st Century. The Commission on Public University Renewal is to recommend to presidents, chancellors, and policymakers requisite changes in policies and practices, especially focusing on economics, demographics, and political trends.

President Zaccari joins eleven other presidents and chancellors representing diverse geographic regions of the United States including California, Texas, New Jersey, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and others.

Public colleges and universities are facing many challenges including a growing and increasingly diverse population that will add more than a million students to their rolls between 2000 and 2013. These students, representing a staggering array of financial and academic backgrounds, will require public institutions of higher education to meet constantly changing demands such as resource allocations, governance, management, and accountability.

The Commission has been meeting over the last ten months and has just concluded a work session at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) summer meeting in Montreal, Canada. The Commission will meet again in November to finalize plans for a national dissemination of the Commission's report.