Williamsburg, Va. – Jolene Koester, president of California State University, Northridge, assumes the Chair of the American Association of State Colleges & Universities’ (AASCU) Board of Directors at the close of AASCU’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 25, 2008.

In addition to serving on the AASCU Board of Directors from 2005-2008, Koester served on the Distinguished Alumnus Award Search and Selection Committee and the Commission on Public University Renewal. She also served as chair of the Committee on Teacher Education and currently chairs the Learning Outcomes Technical Work Group for the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) project.

The following presidents and chancellors have been elected to the AASCU Board of Directors for 2009:

2009 Chair-Elect (to serve as Chair in 2010):
James C. Votruba, president, Northern Kentucky University

2008 marks the completion of Votruba’s three-year term as secretary-treasurer of the AASCU Board. He has also served as chair of AASCU’s 2002 Task Force on Public Engagement and spent three years serving on the AASCU Nominating Committee, which recommends candidates for leadership positions within the association. In addition, Votruba served as a faculty member for the New President’s Academy from 2005-2006, as a member of the Committee on Policies and Purposes, and provided leadership for the Presidents’ Symposium on Regional Stewardship.

Secretary-Treasurer:
Kenneth W. Dobbins, president, Southeast Missouri State University

Directors to Serve Four-Year Term:
Flavius Killebrew, president, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
Dorothy Leland, president, Georgia College and State University
Charles Reed, chancellor, California State University
Jorge Velez-Arocho, chancellor, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Director to Serve Two-Year Term:
Rita Morris, president, Shawnee State University (Ohio)

Directors to Serve One-Year Term:
Melvin Johnson, president, Tennessee State University
Kay Norton, president, University of Northern Colorado

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AASCU is the leadership association of 420 public colleges and universities Delivering America’s Promise through their common commitments to access, affordability and educational opportunity. Enrolling more than 3 million students, these institutions fulfill the expectations of a public university by working for the public good through education, stewardship and engagement, thereby improving the lives of people in their community, their region and their state.