Washington, D.C. – The American Association of State Colleges and
Universities (AASCU) announced today the formation of a new initiative
titled America’s Future: Protecting the Fiscal Health of Our Democracy.
Given that the next generation of adults will labor under current debt
accumulation, the initiative will look at what college students can do
to educate themselves and their communities about the need for a
bipartisan solution to the nation’s looming fiscal crisis.
Launching with nine participating AASCU institutions, America’s
Future will experiment and pilot programs on college campuses that
foster an increased citizen understanding of our nation’s fiscal
circumstances and the policy options needed to confront and address
these complex issues. The initiative is a collaboration between members
of AASCU’s American Democracy Project (ADP) and Public Agenda, a
non-profit research and civic engagement organization based in
Washington, D.C.
“The United States is confronting a fiscal crisis that threatens
future generations and the vitality of our nation,” says George Mehaffy,
AASCU vice president for Academic Leadership and Change. “Among
current generations of adults, college students face the longest
consequences from our fiscal irresponsibility. Yet they can also be the
future leaders who create a climate of public opinion that demands
fiscal accountability from our elected officials.”
On September 11-13, representatives from participating colleges and
universities will attend the America’s Future Institute in Washington,
D.C. Participants will study fiscal challenges and the impact of U.S.
debt on future generations, and begin project planning for campus and
national events. Speakers for the Institute include: Andrew Yarrow,
author of Forgive Us Our Debts and vice president of Public Agenda,
Diane Rogers of the Concord Coalition, and Stuart Butler of the Heritage
Foundation.
Institute participants are expected to undertake one or more
activities on campus during the 2008-2009 academic year focused on
engaging a broad section of the campus community in a conversation about
America’s fiscal health. Participating institutions are as follows:
Dalton State College (Ga.); Emporia State University (Kan.); Fort Lewis
College (Colo.); Keene State University (N.H.); Lyndon State College
(Vt.); Stephen F. Austin State University (Texas); The Richard Stockton
College of New Jersey; University of North Carolina, Charlotte; and the
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
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AASCU is the leadership association of 430 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.