Judith Ramaley, former president of two universities and a nationally recognized leader in higher education reform, will speak at the University of Colorado at Boulder on March 8 at 3:30 p.m. in Old Main Chapel.
Ramaley's talk on "Renewing and Reinvigorating the Civic Mission of the University" is sponsored by the proposed CU-Boulder Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement. The event is free and open to the public.
Ramaley most recently served as assistant director of the National Science Foundation, where she managed the education program portfolio of its Directorate for Education and Human Resources. She is well known for her work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and the role of higher education institutions in promoting civic responsibility and workforce, community and economic development.
Prior to assuming her post at NSF, Ramaley served as president of the University of Vermont and Portland State University in Oregon.
She holds several prestigious appointments including presidential professor in biomedical science at the University of Maine, Orono, and a fellowship at the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy, among others.
According to Peter Simons, coordinator of the proposed institute, Ramaley's visit is the first in a speaker series designed to bring national experts to campus. "We are very pleased to have Dr. Ramaley share her expertise and insights in fostering the civic mission of the university," he said.
In addition to the public lecture, Ramaley will discuss civic engagement and ethics initiatives in the university's mission and educational processes in meetings with CU President Elizabeth Hoffman and other university leaders, student leaders, faculty and the steering committee for the proposed institute.
The Ramaley Biology Building on the CU-Boulder campus is named for Ramaley's husband's grandfather, Francis Ramaley, a nationally known botanist who served in numerous posts at CU-Boulder for 44 years starting in 1898. Ramaley was chair of the biology department, acting president, dean of the graduate school and secretary of the College of Arts and Sciences. He also organized the Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi scientific society chapters at CU.
Judith Ramaley has served as chair of the national Campus Compact board of directors, which advances the civic mission of higher education, was a member of the National School-to-Work Advisory Board and was a board member of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. She also was chair of the AAC&U's Greater Expectations Panel to define and realize quality in 21st century undergraduate education. She was a member of the presidential advisory panel for the Association of Governing Boards and chair of the Subcommittee on College Drinking of the Advisory Council of the national Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Ramaley earned her bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and her doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles.
The goal of the proposed Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement at CU-Boulder is to significantly augment successful campus programs that foster responsible citizenship by connecting to state, local, national and global communities to encourage the development of lifelong commitments to ethical inquiry and responsible civic engagement.
For more information on Ramaley's campus visit or the proposed institute contact Simons at (303) 492-1962.