Furman University President David Shi Named a Director of National Education Organization
February 17, 2009
GREENVILLE, SC – February 17, 2009 – Furman University president David Shi is one of seven new directors who have been named to the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
Shi was appointed to the board at the organization’s recent annual meeting in Seattle. Shi was joined by new directors Ramón Gutiérrez (University of Chicago), Leo Lambert (Elon University), David Maxwell (Drake University), Gail Mellow (LaGuardia Community College), and John Simpson (SUNY-Buffalo). Eduardo Padrón (Miami Dade College) assumed the chair of the board.
“It is an honor to be chosen as a member of the AAC&U’s governing board, and I gladly agreed to serve,” Shi said. “This is one of the most challenging periods in the history of higher education, and it is more important than ever that colleges and universities work together to face those challenges.”
Shi has been president of Furman since 1994. He is the author of several books, including The Simple Life: Plain Living and High Thinking in American Culture (1985). He is also co-author of the best-selling textbook, America: a Narrative History, now in its seventh edition.
In 2006-07, he chaired the Board of Directors for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He is currently a member of the Chronicle of Higher Education/New York Times Higher Education Cabinet, which is comprised of a community of presidents and chancellors who are charged with identifying the key issues and trends in higher education. A 1973 graduate of Furman, he holds M.A. and Ph.D.degrees in history from the University of Virginia.
AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career.
Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises more than 1,150 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.
