President Pavoncello and Vice President Merva Attend AAICU Meeting

Presidents, Vice Presidents and Provosts at the April 2014 AAICU Meeting

President Franco Pavoncello and Vice President and Dean Mary Merva attended the annual meeting of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAICU) in Aix-en-Provence, France on April 10 -12.

Founded in 1971, AAICU is a consortium of independent, non-for-profit, higher education institutions located outside the United States and based on the American liberal arts model. AAICU members adhere to the highest standards of institutional accountability and integrity. AAICU provides a distinctive forum for sharing best practices in international higher education, facilitates international and intercultural perspectives through student and faculty exchange, and promotes broader awareness of the educational, economic, social, and cultural contributions of member institutions to the regions of the world in which they are located.

With combined enrollment of over 45,000 students from nearly every country in the world, AAICU institutions are among America’s most important global assets. AAICU institutions play a vital role in advancing social progress, fostering economic development and educating future leaders in their respective host countries. As long-standing and widely recognized international education leaders, AAICU institutions are uniquely positioned to bridge cultures, to foster dialogue in the American liberal arts tradition, and to advance the Department of Education’s mandate to internationalize U.S. education.

John Cabot University was one of the founding members of AAICU and the Aix-en-Provence meeting provided an important venue to work with colleagues in support of the AAICU Mission.