Last week was very exciting for the Alliance.  On Friday, November 5, we announced the Presidents' Alliance for Excellence in Student Learning and Accountability.  Seventy-one presidents, from two and four year, public and private colleges and universities nationwide, have committed their institutions to taking specific steps over the next two years to expand their efforts to gather and report evidence of student learning and use it to improve outcomes.  They have also pledged to assist each other in this work, publicly report on their efforts, and encourage other institutions to take similar steps.

As you can see below, the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed covered the announcement, and we have received a lot of positive reaction.  Last week we had more than 4,000 visits to the Presidents' Alliance part of our website.  This indicates a real interest in higher education in addressing the issues of assessment and accountability.  The Presidents' Alliance is an important first step creating a higher education community that puts front and center evidence of student learning and its improvement.

As Eduardo Pardon, president of Miami Dade College and one of the signers of a commitment, puts it, "The Alliance will provide a national venue for model programs and effective strategies that promise positive change." Though he and the other initial members "come from diverse higher education institutions with differing missions, [we] share a common commitment to learning excellence and to the authentic, data-driven decisions that ensure continual improvement and increased student success.  We are all committed to establishing a culture of inquiry and evidence."

Encourage others to follow the 71 presidents leadership and join the Alliance.  Be sure to share this initiative with your colleagues, and your president.

Sincerely,