The theme this year's meeting is In Service. Sessions will examine how public universities can better serve their students, communities, and country at a time when their work is more essential than ever. The meeting will also mark the 100th anniversary of Veterans Day and include a celebration of the veterans who have left an indelible mark on our institutions.

APLU member campuses annually enroll 4.9 million undergraduate and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.3 million degrees, aemploy 1.3 million faculty and staff, and conduct $44.9 billion in university-based research. Collectively, they demonstrate the power and the good of public universities.

The participating institutions will work within “clusters” of four to 12 institutions that concurrently implement innovative and effective practices to advance student success on their campuses. Collectively, the institutions enroll 3 million students, including 1 million students who receive Pell Grants.

Facing these concerns, research universities are working to bolster the security of their research without sacrificing the openness and collaboration that serves as a keystone of their research enterprises. To do this effectively, we need a strong partnership with federal intelligence and security agencies.

In order to develop bold, new educational models that broaden participation in STEM programs and fields, NSF announced the award of a five-year, $10 million NSF INCLUDES Alliance grant co-led by APLU and CIRTL, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.