Boyer News & Press Releases

October 2022 Press Release

Boyer Commission Issues Blueprint for Advancing College Equity and Excellence in Follow-Up to Landmark Report

Washington, DC – In an effort to address persistent equity gaps in undergraduate educational outcomes, the Boyer 2030 Commission today issued a new blueprint for advancing equity, student success, and excellence in undergraduate education at research universities in the United States. The commission – composed of higher education, philanthropic, and business leaders and convened by the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU) – underscores the urgency of making widespread evidence-based changes across higher education to promote equity and excellence in higher education.

 The report, The Equity/Excellence Imperative: A 2030 Blueprint for Undergraduate Education at U.S. Research Universities, outlines a host of recommendations for improving equity and excellence in undergraduate education at research universities across the United States.

 The report’s recommendations cover approaches for:

• Increasing college access and affordability;
• Leveraging digital technology;
• Facilitating clearer degree pathways;
• Broadening participation in high-impact educational experiences;
• Adopting holistic advising;
• Nurturing mental health and well-being;
• Rewarding faculty for teaching excellence;
• Establishing a supportive campus culture where freedom of speech is protected; and
• Preparing students for success in life, work, and participation in democratic society.

 “The college-going population has changed dramatically since the original Boyer report was issued in 1998, reflecting critical gains in college access,” said Peter McPherson, co-chair of the Boyer 2030 Commission and President Emeritus of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. “But we know institutions have to adapt to better meet a diverse set of needs for these students. Fortunately, we have a growing body of evidence around data-informed approaches to improving equity and excellence in American higher education. Research universities are eager for solutions that advance equity and excellence. We hope today’s report will not just give them additional tools to advance this work, but will also underscore the urgency of transformational change needed to better deliver on our mission.”

 “The world is a very different place than it was in 1998, and that is why a new Boyer Commission was needed to recommend ways to guarantee excellence and equity in undergraduate education for today’s college students”, said Barbara Snyder, co-chair of the Boyer 2030 Commission and President of the Association of American Universities. “Undergirding each of our recommendations is the firm belief that excellence and equity are inextricably linked for our students and our institutions, and each recommendation is informed by the significant advances we’ve made in technology and in understanding effective teaching methods since the original Boyer Commission issued its report.”

2021 UERU Press Release

The Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (formerly the Reinvention Collaborative) announces the formation of a twenty-first century “Boyer Commission.”

The Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (formerly the Reinvention Collaborative) announces formation of the Boyer 2030 Commission charged with designing a 2030 Blueprint for Excellence & Equity in Undergraduate Education at U.S. Research Universities. The Boyer 2030 Commission is co-chaired by Barbara R. Snyder, President, Association of American Universities; and Peter McPherson, President, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Together with their 14 fellow commissioners, Snyder and McPherson expect to issue a report in 2022.

The Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU) was formed in 2000 to implement the recommendations of the 1998 report Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America’s Research Universities. That report was issued by The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University, chaired by Shirley Strum Kenny, President of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The panel was convened by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and charged with recommending ways to improve undergraduate education at research universities in the United States.

“I know how proud and enthusiastic all the members of the original Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University would be to learn of the outstanding new Commission's forthcoming work,” Dr. Kenny said. “Thank you, thank you for this timely endeavor.”

The Boyer 2030 Commission is a diverse group of renowned leaders whose experience and expertise provide distinctive perspectives on undergraduate education at the nation’s 266 doctoral universities characterized by high (131) and very high (135) research activity, as defined by the Carnegie Classification. Research universities serve millions of undergraduate students annually in ways distinct from liberal arts colleges, regional and comprehensive universities, community, and technical colleges.

A veteran of both public and private research university leadership, Dr. Elizabeth Loizeaux, UERU liaison to the commission, said, “with research as their core mission, a large variety of fields students can choose to study, and a student community enriched by graduate students, research universities can offer unparalleled preparation for life through an education at the very forefront of new knowledge, new ideas, new artistic creation. Figuring out how to realize that potential fully and for all students is the job of the Boyer 2030 Commission.”

Prior to taking her current position in 2020, Snyder served as president of Case Western Reserve University. AAU is a consortium of 66 leading research universities founded in 1900. Prior to taking the reins at APLU in 2006, McPherson served as president of Michigan State University. APLU comprises 244 public research universities, university systems, and related organizations.

“Research universities provide students excellent opportunities for lifelong success, yet rapid changes in our economy demand that we constantly reassess the need for new approaches to undergraduate education,” said McPherson. “We know a broad education in which students gain knowledge and experience in a wide array of disciplines while working in diverse teams will continue to be essential to preparing engaged citizens and successful professionals. This commission will play an instrumental role in envisioning how to achieve those aims to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

“America’s leading research universities have made significant progress in improving the quality of undergraduate education since the original Boyer Report,” said Snyder. “But the methods and forms of instruction have changed radically in the last 20 years – and it’s time to make recommendations for the next two decades. I’m proud to help lead that effort.”

The Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities is grateful to AAU and APLU for support of The Boyer 2030 Commission, and to the following Boyer 2030 Commissioners for their service on behalf of students and universities across the U.S.

[List of Boyer 2030 Commissioners]

 For more information, please contact Beth Loizeaux (ebloiz@bu.edu), Steve Dandaneau (Steven.Dandaneau@colostate.edu), UERU Executive Director and Associate Provost, Colorado State University (host of the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities), or Liz Bennett, UERU Associate Director (Liz.Bennett@colostate.edu).