ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES INC

FEDERAL RELATIONS, POLICY, AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS: THE MAJORITY OF THE PROGRAM FUNDS EXPENDED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES (AAU) IS CONCENTRATED IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, POLICY STUDIES, AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS & COMMUNICATIONS. AAU'S PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS ADDRESS BOTH FEDERAL AND INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES. MAINTAINING THE PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE NATION'S RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS A KEY AREA OF FOCUS. THIS INCLUDES WORK ON FEDERAL AND INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AFFECTING THE TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND SERVICE MISSIONS OF RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES, THEIR STUDENTS, FACULTY MEMBERS, AND STAFF. THIS INCLUDES FEDERAL INVESTMENTS IN STUDENT AID, HIGHER EDUCATION, COMPETITIVELY AWARDED-BASIC SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROGRAMS.

GRANT-FUNDED PROJECTS: AAU ADVANCES PROJECTS THAT ADDRESS CRITICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION POLICY ISSUES IMPACTING AAU MEMBER UNIVERSITIES. WE ARE SELECTIVE IN THE GRANTS WE SOLICIT TO ENSURE THAT THE GRANT-FUNDED WORK ALIGNS WITH AAU'S GOALS AND PRIORITIES. AAU CURRENTLY HAS TWO ACTIVE GRANTS SUPPORTING OUR UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING EVALUATION PROJECT, AND CLOSED GRANTS SUPPORTING OUR PHD EDUCATION INITIATIVE AND OUR PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA PROJECT. AAU STAFF CONTINUALLY EVALUATE POTENTIAL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES. UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING EVALUATION PROJECT AAU IS COMMITTED TO CREATING MORE EQUITABLE AND EFFECTIVE MEANS TO EVALUATE EDUCATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN FACULTY REWARDS STRUCTURES. AAU IS SUPPORTING FIVE AAU STEM DEPARTMENT DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS AND A BROADER AAU LEARNING COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP PRACTICES TO VALUE, RECOGNIZE, AND REWARD THE FULL RANGE OF INTELLECTUAL WORK THAT GOES INTO TEACHING AS PART OF FACULTY PROMOTION AND ANNUAL REVIEW STRUCTURES. IN ADDITION, THIS EFFORT WILL WORK TO INTEGRATE CONCEPTS OF JUSTICE AND EQUITY INTO THE FACULTY REWARDS SYSTEM. THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY A GIFT FROM THE SARAH GILBERT & CARL WIEMAN CHARITABLE FUND. THE BROADER LEARNING COMMUNITY IS SUPPORTED BY FUNDING FROM THE HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE. PHD EDUCATION INITIATIVE WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION, A PILOT GROUP OF EIGHT MEMBER UNIVERSITIES, REPRESENTING 32 ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS, IMPLEMENTED REFORMS WITHIN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATH, SOCIAL SCIENCES, ARTS, AND HUMANITIES PHD PROGRAMS TO 1) DRIVE INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE:INFLUENCE THE CULTURE AND BEHAVIOR AT THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL TO PROVIDE PHD STUDENTS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY TO SUCCEED IN CAREERS WITHIN AND BEYOND ACADEMIA; 2) PROMOTE DATA TRANSPARENCY:IDENTIFY INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO MAKE PHD PROGRAM DATA INCLUDING DATA ABOUT THE CAREER PATHWAYS AND EMPLOYMENT TRENDS OF PHD ALUMNI WIDELY AVAILABLE; AND 3) IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES:HIGHLIGHT AND ENCOURAGE EFFECTIVE UNIVERSITY, DISCIPLINARY SOCIETY, AND FEDERAL AGENCY STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT CAREER DIVERSITY.