Examining the National Purposes of Higher Education

On June 9, 2008, the Association of Governing Boards partnered with the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs to host a conference entitled Examining the National Purposes of American Higher Education: A Leadership Approach to Policy Reform. The gathering convened elected leaders, trustees, and state higher education and college executives to explore how education leaders and policymakers can prepare for changing definitions, goals, and priorities in American higher education.

The gathering's objectives were to:

• Discuss how higher education has responded to demands to more productively and efficiently educate the population -- especially in the disciplines related to economic development and international competitiveness;
• Analyze the reasons why some have succeeded and others have failed to achieve the desired outcomes;
• Identify leadership models at both the state and national levels to significantly improve outcomes.

The conference report and recommendations were released in June 2008. The Miller Center's website has video from the conference available online.

The conference was partially supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Download the AGB/SHEEO White Paper [PDF]
Download the Gordon Davies White Paper [PDF]
Download the James Duderstadt White Paper [PDF]