Washington,
D.C. – The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has
named former University of Maryland University College (UMUC) President Susan
Aldridge as senior fellow, where she will join the nation’s leading academic
thought leaders in creating and developing state university growth strategies,
technology-mediated models of education and quality control systems for
distance education. Aldridge’s work focuses on sustainable models
for student enrollment and retention, as well as promotion of adult education,
including opportunities for military members and veterans.
As
UMUC president, Aldridge was responsible for delivering in-class and online
academic programs to over 97,000 students in 28 countries and 170 locations
worldwide. She expanded UMUC’s capabilities, including faculty support and
student recruitment; managing a ground-breaking $26 million capital campaign;
increasing student retention; improving metrics and data analytics; increasing
partnerships for seamless community college transfer; launching new academic
programs in cybersecurity and cyber forensics; and establishing new
international locations and partnerships to foster academic diversity. During Aldridge’s
tenure,
UMUC became the largest state university in the U.S. and an award-winning
leader in quality distance education.
In her new
position at AASCU, Aldridge draws on expertise and unique perspectives from her
wide-ranging leadership experiences in academia, government and private
industry. She brings her passion for providing student
access to quality learning opportunities to AASCU’s team, helping to fulfill
the organization’s mission of sharing a historic commitment to underserved
student populations and a dedication to research and creativity that advances
economic progress and cultural development. “I’m honored to join the national
leaders in public higher education at AASCU and its 420 member universities,”
said Aldridge about her new role.
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AASCU
is a Washington-based higher education association of more than 400 public
colleges, universities and systems whose members share a learning- and
teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underserved student
populations and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their
regions’ economic progress and cultural development.