Contact:
Kellee Edmonds
(202) 478-4662
edmondsk@aascu.org

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WASHINGTON, October 28, 2020 – The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) today welcomed four new members to its Board of Directors during its virtual annual meeting, which concludes today.

Newly elected directors to serve three-year terms are Heidi M. Anderson, president, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Emily Cutrer, president, Texas A&M University-Texarkana; Ronald S. Rochon, president, University of Southern Indiana; and Ashish Vaidya, president, Northern Kentucky University.

Those continuing their terms as members of AASCU’s board are:

Virginia Arthur, president, Metropolitan State University (Minn.)
Steve M. Dorman, president, Georgia College & State University
Kristin Esterberg, president, State University of New York at Potsdam
Richard J. Helldobler, president, William Paterson University (N.J.)
Brian O. Hemphill, president, Radford University (Va.)
John Jasinski, president, Northwest Missouri State University
Timothy Mottet, president, Colorado State University-Pueblo
Brian Noland, president, East Tennessee State University
Eduardo M. Ochoa, president, California State University, Monterey Bay
Linda Schott, president, Southern Oregon University
Rodney D. Smith, president and Chief Executive Officer, University of The Bahamas

The board’s past chair: 
F. Javier Cevallos, president, Framingham State University (Mass.)

Charles L. Welch, president of the Arkansas State University (ASU) System, was reelected chair, and Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, was appointed chair-elect of the board. She will serve as chair in 2022.

Welch has held the position as president of the ASU System since April 2011. Major initiatives under his leadership include the opening of a $100 million privately funded Arkansas State campus in Queretaro, Mexico; the merger of Mid-South Community College in West Memphis; and relocating the ASU System office to Little Rock to enhance its statewide position in higher education leadership. He also serves as co-chair of the executive council of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.

Teniente-Matson has more than 30 years of higher education experience in Alaska, California, and Texas. In 2016, she led the Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s transformation from upper division to a comprehensive master’s university, in addition to achieving the U.S. Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution designation. Teniente-Matson has served as treasurer of AASCU’s Board of Directors since 2019.

See full Board of Directors here.

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The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at Sam Houston State University (TX) was selected as the first-ever recipient of the national We the People Award.

The We the People Award is presented to recognize exemplary team commitment, impact, and leadership in advancing civic learning and civic engagement.

The CCE, under the leadership of Lee Miller and Joyce McCauley, along with the entire team–Taylor Morrison, Sarah Burchett, Steven Koether, Bram Sebio-Brundage, Katherine Kirkpatrick, and Rebecca Gonzalez—are being recognized as a national leader in community engaged research, civic engagement, and academic community engagement. The Center’s work with faculty and staff from across the campus to offer academic community engagement courses in collaboration with community partners ensures that SHSU students graduate with a sense of civic responsibility.

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The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association of nearly 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. These are institutions Delivering America’s Promise. Visit us at www.aascu.org.