AAC&U President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Education

AAC&U President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Education recognizes an individual or organization that has provided dedicated service, consistent advocacy, and outstanding leadership to the higher education community nationally or internationally. Honorees have made a meaningful and appreciable contribution to the issues and concerns affecting liberal education.

The award will be presented at the opening plenary session of the 2026 AAC&U Annual Meeting. Then, during a special session beginning with a musical performance by Crutcher, AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella will interview him about the transformative power of mentorship in higher education, the importance of developing belonging and community for underrepresented students, and fostering difficult conversations across difference in today's polarized climate.

About the 2026 Recipient

Ronald A. Crutcher has had a profound impact on higher education, serving as president of the University of Richmond, Wheaton College, and Miami University of Ohio. He is currently a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute. He also serves as vice president of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and sits on the boards of the Richmond Symphony, the Berklee College of Music, the Jepson Scholars Foundation, Agnes Scott College, Smith College, and Bard College Berlin.

In his thematic memoir I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership (2021), Crutcher examines the intersections of race, leadership, and higher education. As an accomplished cellist, he performed for nearly forty years with the Klemperer Trio and served as president of Chamber Music America, director of the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, and dean of the conservatory at the Cleveland Institute of Music. His career reflects a commitment to accessible, equitable leadership and the transformative power of the arts in education.

Past Award Recipients

• 2025: Steven Mintz, Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin
• 2024: Scott Jaschik, Co-Founder, Inside Higher Education