Dr. Muriel A. Howard was named president of AASCU in April 2009. She is the first African-American to lead one of the six presidentially based higher education associations in Washington, D.C. She is also AASCU’s first female president.
As AASCU president, Dr. Howard is an advocate for public higher education at the national level, working to influence federal policy and regulations on behalf of member colleges and universities; serving as a resource to presidents and chancellors as they address state policy and emerging campus issues; developing collaborative partnerships and initiatives that advance public higher education; directing a strategic agenda that focuses on public college and university leadership for the 21st century; and providing professional development opportunities for presidents, chancellors, and their spouses.
As a college president, Dr. Howard was an active member of AASCU for many years. Her professional and scholarly interests include educational leadership, women and minorities in the academy, and a long-standing personal commitment to public service. Dr. Howard serves on a number of boards including Air University (Chair-Elect); the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance; National Advisory Board of the National Survey of Student Engagement; Merchants Insurance Company; and Association Mutual Health Insurance Company.
Formerly the president of Buffalo State College, State University of New York from 1996 to 2009, Dr. Howard led a campus of more than 11,000 students, approximately 1,700 faculty and staff, and a financial operation of more than $214 million. A graduate of the City University of New York’s Richmond College, Dr. Howard holds a master’s degree in education and a doctor of philosophy in educational organization, administration, and policy from the University at Buffalo. She earned a certificate from the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. She has also received six honorary degrees and many awards for her contributions to public higher education, for service to the community, and for her commitment to diversity.
