2010 Annual Conference Speakers

AIEA is pleased to announce the following keynote speakers at the 2010 AIEA Conference:

 

 

Larry N. Vanderhoef

Chancellor Emeritus, University of California, Davis

Larry N. Vanderhoef was appointed chancellor of the University of California , Davis , in April 1994. UC Davis, with some 30,000 students, is one of 10 UC campuses and one of a select group of 62 North American universities admitted to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU).

He joined the campus in 1984 as executive vice chancellor and provost. During his tenure as chancellor, the campus was invited to membership in the AAU; increased its extramural awards from $169.1 million to $586 million annually, earning a National Science Foundation (NSF) research funding ranking of 10 th in the U.S. among public universities; increased private gifts from $40 million to more than $200 million a year, with more than $1 billion cumulatively raised in support of programs; expanded classroom, lab, clinical and office space by 6 million square feet; completed the transformation of an ailing county hospital to an academically distinguished and financially sound regional medical center; and made distinctive strides in recruiting a diverse and accomplished faculty and student body. Student enrollment grew from 22,000 to more than 30,000, and the faculty increased by 44 percent.

Chancellor Vanderhoef was honored by the Sacramento ( California ) Business Journal as one of the 20 people who have contributed most substantially to California 's capital region over the past 20 years, and Valley Vision presented him with its 2009 Legacy of Leadership Award. As well, the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce named him Sacramentan of the Year in 2004, and the Arts and Business Council of Sacramento presented him with its Prelude to the Season Outstanding Contribution Award in 2003.

The 2006 Northern California International Leadership Award was presented to him by the Northern California World Trade Center and the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency in recognition of his efforts to increase the campus's international engagement. Also that year, he was elected an honorary member of the World Innovation Foundation.

In 2004 he led a UC Davis delegation to Iran in an effort to promote dialogue and scholar exchange, and to promote generally the notion of crossing boundaries to build greater understanding and good will – a continuing personal and professional effort. He returned to Iran in November 2008 as part of a small delegation of AAU presidents.

His research interests lie in the general area of plant growth and development, and in the evolution of the land-grant universities. He has taught classes from freshman level to advanced graduate study.

Chancellor Vanderhoef has served on various national commissions addressing graduate and international education, the role of a modern land-grant university and accrediting issues.

He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology from the University of Wisconsin , Milwaukee , and a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from Purdue University . Previously, he held faculty positions at the University of Illinois , where he also served as a department head, and at the University of Maryland , College Park , where he was appointed provost. Early in his career, he was named an Eisenhower Fellow, a recognition awarded to emerging leaders from around the world to promote positive relationships and interactions between countries. He was awarded honorary doctoral degrees by Purdue University and by Inje University in Korea , and an honorary professorship of China Agricultural University .

 

Arthur E. Levine

President, The Woodrow Wilson
National Fellowship Foundation

Arthur Levine is the sixth president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Before his appointment at Woodrow Wilson, he was president and professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University . He served previously as chair of the higher education program, chair of the Institute for Educational Management, and senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Levine was also President of Bradford College (1982-1989) and Senior Fellow at
the Carnegie Foundation and Carnegie Council for Policy Studies in Higher Education (1975-1982). He received his bachelor's degree from Brandeis University and his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo .

Dr. Levine is the author of dozens of articles and reviews. His most recent book is When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today's College Student (with Jeanette S. Cureton). Among other volumes are Beating the Odds: How the Poor Get to College (with Jana Nidiffer) , Higher Learning in America; Shaping Higher Education's Future; When Dreams and Heroes Died: A Portrait of Today's College Students; Handbook on Undergraduate Curriculum; Quest for Common Learning (with Ernest Boyer); Opportunity in Adversity (with Janice Green); and Why Innovation Fails.

Much of his research and writing in recent years has focused on increased educational opportunity and strengthening schools of education. Dr. Levine's opinion editorials appear in such publications as The New York Times; The Los Angeles Times; The Wall Street Journal; The Washington Post; The Chronicle of Higher Education; and Education Week.

Dr. Levine has received numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Carnegie Fellowship, as well as the American Council on Education's “Book of the Year” award (for Reform of Undergraduate Education) , the Educational Press Association's “Annual Award” for writing (three times), and 17 honorary degrees. He currently sits on the Board of DePaul University, and Say Yes to Education. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

 

Martha J. Kanter

Under Secretary, US Dept. of Education

Martha J. Kanter was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 29, 2009, to be the under secretary of education and was confirmed by the Senate on June 19, 2009. In this position, she reports to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and oversees policies, programs, and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid.

From 2003 to 2009, Kanter served as chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, one of the largest community college districts in the nation, serving more than 45,000 students with a total budget of approximately $400 million. She is the first community college leader to serve in the under secretary position. In 1977, after serving as an alternative high school teacher at Lexington High School in Massachusetts, the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns (N.Y.) and later at the Searing School in New York City, she established the first program for students with learning disabilities at San Jose City College (Calif.). She then served as a director, dean and subsequently as vice chancellor for policy and research for the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office in Sacramento, returning to San Jose City College as vice president of instruction and student services in 1990. In 1993, she was named president of De Anza College and served in this position until becoming chancellor.

Kanter has served as a board member or officer in a wide variety of national, state, and local organizations, including the League for Innovation in the Community College, the Community College League of California, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, Inc., Peninsula Open Space Trust, the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, the Mexican Heritage Corporation, the Rotary Club of Palo Alto, and the California Association of Postsecondary Educators of the Disabled.

Kanter has been recognized for her work numerous times in California, including being named Woman of the Year by the 24th Assembly District, Woman of Achievement by San Jose Mercury News and the Women's Fund, and Woman of the Year for Santa Clara County by the American Association of University Women. In 2003, she received the Excellence in Education award from the National Organization for Women's California Chapter. In 2006, she was honored for diversity and community leadership by the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women, and in 2007, the American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley honored her with the John W. Gardner Leadership Award. Last year, Kanter received the Citizen of the Year award from the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce.

Kanter holds a doctorate in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco. Her dissertation addressed demographic, institutional, and assessment factors affecting access to higher education for underrepresented students in California's community colleges. In 1994, she opened the first Advanced Technology Center in California's community college system and promoted local and state policies to advance Foothill-De Anza's legacy of excellence and opportunity for California's expanding and increasingly diverse student population. She received her master's degree in education with a concentration in clinical psychology and public practice from Harvard University, and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Brandeis University.

Nancy L. Zimpher

Chancellor, State University of New York

On June 1, 2009, Dr. Zimpher became the 12th Chancellor of the State University of New York by unanimous vote of the SUNY Board of Trustees. With more than 440,000 students, SUNY is the nation's largest comprehensive public university system.

A dynamic and nationally-recognized leader, Chancellor Zimpher is known as an effective agent of change in higher education.  The Chancellor began her career as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in the Ozarks and has never lost her passion for providing accessible, quality education for every student.

As the first academic in recent memory to be appointed Chancellor, she is also the first woman to serve in this capacity in the system's 60-year history.

As President of the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Zimpher led a bold, aggressive strategic planning process, UC|21: Defining the New Urban Research University, which transformed the campus into a national powerhouse and a model for urban universities in the 21st Century. Under her leadership, UC's retention and graduation rates, student satisfaction ratings and national rankings all improved.

Prior to her tenure at UC, Dr. Zimpher served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Executive Dean of the Professional Colleges and Dean of the College of Education at The Ohio State University.

Chancellor Zimpher began her work at SUNY with a statewide tour of SUNY's 64 campuses, and has engaged a strategic planning process for the SUNY system that will serve as a model for statewide collaboration for public higher education in New York State and beyond. 

She has authored or co-authored numerous books, monographs and academic journal articles on teacher education, urban education, academic leadership, and school/university partnerships.

Chancellor Zimpher holds a bachelor's degree in English Education and Speech, a master's degree in English Literature, and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Higher Education Administration, all from The Ohio State University. 

Chancellor Zimpher also chairs the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities Board; is a past chair of the National Association of State University and Land-Grant Colleges Board of Directors; and is a member of the National Board for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

She is married to Dr. Kenneth R. Howey, a nationally recognized expert and researcher in teacher preparation, particularly in urban settings. Dr. Zimpher has one son, Fletcher, and two step-sons, Mark and Michael.