President Pescovitz named chair-elect of the Board of Directors at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities

Alisa White, president of Sam Houston State University (TX), was elected chair of the Board of Directors at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, president of Oakland University, was named chair-elect at its recent meeting in Puerto Rico.

“We are thrilled Ora Pescovitz will serve as chair-elect of the AASCU Board of Directors. She has been a dedicated member of the board since 2021, bringing her commitment to higher education and her students at Oakland University with her,” said Charles L. Welch, AASCU President and CEO. “We look forward to seeing her serve in the chair-elect role to use a national stage to advocate for the needs of the more than 3 million students AASCU members serve.”

“I look forward to supporting AASCU’s leadership, and strengthening access to a high-quality, affordable college education,” said Pescovitz. “Working collaboratively with our member-institutions, we are committed to furthering a shared learning-and-teaching environment that serves as a catalyst for students’ upward economic mobility and a region’s economic and cultural development.”

Pescovitz is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a celebrated pediatric endocrinologist and medical researcher who has authored more than 190 scientific papers and books in her field. As president of Oakland University for the past seven years, she has combined her history of leadership, executive planning, board governance, and leadership team development experience to boost the school’s academic success, scholarship, and community engagement. In addition, under her leadership, Pescovitz has fostered timely and practical research projects and developed transformative community partnerships that have had a profound impact on OU students.

During her tenure, Pescovitz has also made diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability a top priority. As a result, Oakland is recognized as one of the most inclusive and welcoming schools in the country. Also, she’s ensured that the school continues to be affordable and accessible to the diverse social and economic communities in the Metro Detroit area.

At Oakland, Pescovitz is now undertaking the task of updating the university’s strategic and master plans, preparing for a new fundraising campaign and embarking on a record number of initiatives to strengthen the university and ensure student success well into the future.

See Ora Hirsch Pescovitz's full biography on Oakland University’s presidential web page. 

See official news release from AASCU that was shared on Nov. 19, 2024 from the group's annual meeting. 

About Oakland University
Oakland University is a doctoral, Carnegie Classification R2 “High Research Activity” university located in Oakland and Macomb counties, Michigan. The main campus is located on 1,443 acres of scenic land in the Southeast Michigan cities of Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills. Oakland University offers bachelor's degrees, graduate degrees and certificate programs and is organized into the College of Arts and Sciences with a School of Music, Theatre and Dance, the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and the Schools of Business Administration, Education and Human Services, Engineering and Computer Science, Health Sciences, Nursing, and Honors College. The rich campus atmosphere is complete with residence halls, Greek life, Division I athletics and more than 300 student groups that lend to the total college experience. Learn more at www.oakland.edu. 

About AASCU
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association that represents the sector of over 500 regional public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underrepresented student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development. These are institutions delivering America’s promise.