Jeremy C. Young

Jeremy C. Young is the senior advisor for strategic initiatives at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Under the direction of the president and in close collaboration with teams across the association, Young identifies and assesses potential strategic initiatives and projects that align with AAC&U’s mission and values. He also assists with strategic planning to ensure strong financial support for AAC&U and its ongoing programs and with building and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

A national leader on issues of academic freedom and university autonomy, Young was previously the director of state and higher education policy at PEN America, overseeing state-level policy engagement across all US free expression programs. He also directed PEN America’s Freedom to Learn program, which focuses on government censorship of colleges and universities. In past roles, he served as communications and marketing manager at the American Historical Association and as interim executive director at the Coalition for Responsible Home Education. He was assistant professor of history and director of the Institute of Politics and Public Affairs at Utah Tech University, and has also taught at Grand Valley State University, Indiana University, and Indiana State University. Young holds a BA in history and music from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and an MA and PhD in US history from Indiana University, and is the author of The Age of Charisma: Leaders, Followers, and Emotions in American Society, 1870-1940 (Cambridge, 2017).

Areas of Expertise

• Advancing public trust in higher education
• Promoting the democratic purposes of higher education
• Academic freedom, university autonomy, and shared governance
• Policy analysis of restrictions on colleges and universities
• Advocacy for liberal education
• Foundation relations