The Alliance began 2010 with some funding, a few ideas, and some big goals and is now an established and well recognized organization with more staff and a growing list of supporters.  We are proud of all that we have accomplished and hope to continue expanding our reach in 2011.

Highlights from 2010 include the:

• Presidents' Alliance Launch.  More than 70 schools are committed to improving their efforts in gathering, reporting, and using evidence to improve student learning.  Both the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed featured articles on the announcement of this new initiative and the Chronicle even reported their article was on its "most emailed" list.  The announcement of the Presidents' Alliance bought a lot of traffic to our website and increased the number of subscribers to our newsletter.

• Certification Program Development.  With the help of experts in the field, the Alliance completed development of a program to certify institutions that do exemplary work in assessing and improving student learning.

• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Grant.  With the awarding of funding from the foundation, the Alliance was able to test the certification program as designed.  Eight institutions, including two-year colleges and a for-profit, participated in the pilot.  At a recent two-day meeting of institutional representatives, selection committee members, and advisory board members it was unanimously agreed that the program would have a profound effect on promoting institutional improvement. 
   
• Guidelines for Evidence-based Improvement of Student Learning.  The Alliance's board of directors has completed an initial draft of document to follow its initial publication, New Leadership for Student Learning and Accountability: A Statement of Principles, Commitments to Action.  These guidelines would provide a comprehensive statement and framework for institutions to examine their efforts at evidence-based improvement of student learning.  

• Presidents' Alliance.  The Alliance will begin actively recruiting more institutions to join this initiative and hopes to significantly increase the number of presidents who publicly commit to improve student learning.

• Certification.  The Alliance plans make revisions to the program based on what it learned during its test administration and launch nationally in the next six to nine months.

• Guidelines. The Alliance plans to publish this document in the early summer and will actively promote its use.    

• Awareness.  The Alliance's travel schedule is quickly filling up as it becomes a more well known organization.  We will be presenting at numerous events - including events hosted by AAC&U, ACPA, AIEA, CHEA, CIC, NASPA, and Texas A & M - and working to expand awareness of the Alliance, its mission, and its initiatives. 
   

• Reactions to the President Alliance, Part 1
• Reactions to the President Alliance, Part 2
• Reactions to the President Alliance, Part 3 
• A Final Word on the Presidents' Student-Learning Alliance