The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, or APLU, board of directors elected Chancellor Gary S. May to its executive committee this weekend in San Diego.

Voting Sunday (Nov. 10) amid the APLU’s annual meeting, the board also awarded an executive committee seat to Rebecca Blank, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She and May serve on the board of directors as representatives of the APLU’s Council of Presidents, Blank as the council chair and May as the secretary.

Robert Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, took office today (Nov. 11) as the chair of the board, which is the governing and ultimate policymaking body of the APLU. May’s position as council secretary on the executive committee puts him in line to be the board chair in three years.

Founded in 1887, the APLU is North America’s oldest association of institutions of higher education. The association, with a membership of 243 institutions, is dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, through research, policy work and advocacy.

“We’re thrilled to have Gary May join the APLU board of directors and the board’s executive committee,” APLU President Peter McPherson said. “As a higher education leader and engineer by training, we’re looking forward to his vast analytical ability and strategic vision.

“The board of directors plays an essential role in shaping APLU’s work to advance the education, research and engagement missions of public higher education. We are so pleased that Gary will be at the table helping to provide a national direction.”

UC Davis has another leader at the APLU table: Dana Topousis, chief marketing and communications officer, who is chair of the APLU’s Council on Strategic Communications, and, as such, serves on the board of directors.

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