University President to Address Higher Education Issues

Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon has been tapped for two national speaking engagements this month that focus on challenges in higher education.

Gordon was invited to be part of a panel of university presidents and deans who are gathering March 28 in Chicago to discuss the roles and expectations for continuing education leaders at a time of increasing demands and diminishing resources.

The Cal State Fullerton president also is scheduled to serve as moderator at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities' 2003 National Capitol Forum on Hispanic Higher Education to be held a few days later in Washington, D.C.

Gordon will be joined in Chicago at the annual meeting of the University Continuing Education Association by the presidents of DePaul, Weber State and Cardean universities and University of Maryland University College. They're scheduled to take part in a Socratic dialogue following a presentation by Pat Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Callan will discuss some of the trends shaping higher education; the panelists will examine the leadership implications of major changes in higher education. Their joint session is intended “to explore some of the challenges and opportunities facing higher education, in general, and continuing education, in particular,” noted event organizer Michael J. Offerman of Capella University. “Affordability and access become even more challenging as we consider traditional limitations on student mobility between institutions at a time when participation patterns and technology result in many learners earning credits from various providers,” he added.

Gordon will go next to the nation's capital for the HACU event, where he will moderate a March 31 panel session on “Higher Education Act Reauthorization and Title IV.” Members of Congress and the U.S. Department of Education have been invited to address this session. Panelists will explore student financial aid and immigration provisions of the Higher Education Act and HACU's proposed HEA reauthorization agenda.