The presidents of colleges throughout five states have elected University of Lynchburg President Dr. Kenneth R. Garren to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
As a member of the board, Dr. Garren will represent colleges in NAICU Region IV (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia) in setting NAICU policies and priorities.
His election will be ratified at the NAICU board meeting on January 31 in Washington, D.C.
Since 2014, Dr. Garren has served on NAICU’s Committee on Policy Analysis and Public Relations, during which time he has advocated for government policies that protect students and educational institutions. “I look forward to continuing to help lead the United States’ private colleges in our interactions with government leaders,” said Dr. Garren. “By working together, we can help Congress and the Department of Education enact policies that are beneficial to our colleges and our students, increasing the ability to provide a high-quality to students throughout the country.”
His election to the NAICU Board of Directors marks the third time that Dr. Garren has garnered national attention for his efforts on behalf of higher education. In November 2015, the Wall Street Journal featured him in a front page story about Dr. Garren’s leading opposition of the Department of Education scorecard, a proposal that would have limited the choices of students needing financial aid. In May 2016 he received the Charles W.L. Foreman Award from the Council of Independent Colleges recognizing his service to CIC’s national State Funds Advisory Council and to the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.
NAICU’s Board of Directors includes 47 members, including 24 college presidents elected to three-year terms by member institutions in each region. Dr. Garren joins Dr. Leo Lambert, president of Elon University in North Carolina, and Dr. Edward Schrader, president of Brenau University in Gainesville, Florida, in representing Region IV. He replaces Dr. Wendy Libby, President of Stetson University in Florida, whose term is ending.
Dr. Garren, who previously worked on the Apollo project at the NASA Langley Research Center, is in his 16th year as president of University of Lynchburg and has more than 50 years of experience as a professor of mathematics, academic dean, and president in higher education.