Citation
Dr. Carol Geary Schneider
Mr. President, I have the honor of presenting Dr. Carol Geary Schneider, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and thought leader on the power and value of liberal education in a globally connected society.
Dr. Schneider, your career has been dedicated to promoting the most ambitious ideals of higher education, notably through your campus and public advocacy campaign, Liberal Education and America’s Promise — an inspiration to us here at Clark. With this signature initiative, the Association of American Colleges and Universities champions the vital role liberal education plays in a world desperate for great minds that can recognize nuance, negotiate complexity, and seize the opportunity to grapple with the defining issues of our time.
You have compelled positive change with innovative projects such as Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College, which articulates the broad aims of a 21st-century college education as a more intentional and purposeful experience for all students regardless of the type of college or university, academic concentration, or intended career path. Greater Expectations is a hallmark of your leadership at AAC&U, where you have worked tirelessly and creatively to strengthen the quality of undergraduate learning.
Your deep knowledge of liberal education, and empathy for the contemporary student, has been informed both by your personal experience as a student at Mount Holyoke College and Harvard University, and as a faculty member at such diverse institutions as the University of Chicago, Boston University and DePaul University.
Dr. Schneider, your expectations for higher education, and for liberal education in particular, are indeed great, and your vision carries with it the promise of an engaged, inquisitive citizenry that will lead in this century and beyond.
Mr. President, on behalf of the Trustees, faculty, students and staff of Clark University, I request that the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, be conferred on Dr. Carol Geary Schneider.